The Government is committed to tackling cheap Norwegian salmon imports which are contributing to a crisis in the Irish fish farming industry, according to the Minister of State for the Marine, Mr Pat The Cope Gallagher. Lorna Siggins, Marine Correspondent, reports.

A new EU fund for aquaculture from 2007-13 will also help to address developmental requirements in the sector, the Minister of State told fish farmers at a summit in Dingle, Co Kerry, at the weekend. The Minister said he aims to secure a "fair share" of the new €5 billion fund which was discussed by European ministers last week in Brussels.

Production of Irish farmed salmon had dropped by a third due to a series of factors, including continued flooding of the EU market by Norway. A recurrence of pancreas disease among farms on the west coast after an absence of 10 years has also caused considerable hardship in the industry, while those farmers still in business believe there should be more investment in marketing quality Irish salmon.

Pancreas disease (PD) is "possibly the biggest single threat" to the industry, the Minister said in Dingle, but he would continue to work with the Marine Institute on developing PD-resistant fish, and trials had already taken place on some farms.

The industry must also "play its part" in terms of its approach to issues of husbandry and co-operation with the institute, he added.

Mortalities in Donegal Bay in 2002 and 2003 had contributed to the drop in production from an annual output of 24,000 tonnes to 16,000 tonnes, but the Minister said that he believed a combination of factors had put the industry in "a very difficult situation". It required an integrated response from the industry, Government and State agencies, he said.

Mr Richie Flynn, chief executive of IFA Aquaculture, the Irish Farmers' Association's fish farming division, welcomed the Minister's remarks, which he described as "very encouraging" at a challenging time.

"We are aware that the Minister's Department is going through a state of flux because of plans for decentralisation, but we very much welcome what he has said to us, and we know that he is well aware of the difficulties," Mr Flynn said.

The meeting, which was hosted by IFA Aquaculture, involved representatives of the sector and officials from the Minister's department and State agencies.

The organisation has appointed former Connemara turbot farmer Mr Joe McElwee as development officer, based in the west. Mr McElwee has worked at all levels of the industry.