The Tricolour and the Union Jack were flown at half mast in Clarinbridge, Co Galway, on Saturday as hundreds attending the annual oyster festival observed a minute's silence for Princess Diana. The start of the festival was delayed to allow participants watch the funeral on television.
About 1,700 people attended the gala celebration in the festival marquee on Saturday afternoon, which started with the ceremonial arrival of the first oysters of the season, brought in a creel by two local fishermen, Mr Fergus O'Loan and Mr Martin Murray. Tickets for the event were sold out months ago.
The local oysters, which give the festival its raison d'etre, have fared less well, however, with a dramatic decline in stocks during this decade.
The annual oyster catch in the Clarinbridge area has fallen from 154 tonnes in 1990, to 45 tonnes in 1995, according to an interim OPW report into flooding in south Galway over the past decade.
The severe flooding in the Gort area during the 1990s is believed to be one of the causes of the decline. Another is the rising incidence of the oyster disease, bonamia ostra. The report says that various surveys commissioned by Bord Iascaigh Mhara suggest that the disease is becoming more common in the area.
The oyster fisheries comprise Clarinbridge Co-operative and St George's public oyster beds. According to the OPW report, the St George's beds accounted for about half of the yearly catch between 1985 and 1992.
"However, from 1993-1995 the St George's beds accounted for approximately 85 per cent of the catch. This is due to the high mortality level of oysters in the co-operative area as a result of bonemia, which is reflected in the sharp drop in output of the Clarinbridge fisheries since 1992," the report says.
"Oysters depend on the maintenance of a delicate balance of salinity in the water, and the bonemia problem has been linked to an increase in the flow of fresh water and silt arising from the flooding in south Galway. The floodwaters are also likely to have implications for pollution levels in the oyster beds."
The report also refers to local efforts to reduce the impact of flooding. "The draining of the Rahassan turlough (in the 1990s) increased freshwater run-off onto the Clarinbridge oyster bed and the consequent increase in silt on the bed is reckoned to have contributed to the final demise of the oyster population there.
"This is the reason why BIM opposes any similar drainage schemes which might arise from the south Galway flood study."
The report notes that the economic consequences of the drop in oyster output include a drop in the number of boats fishing from 80 boats in 1988, to 45 boats in 1995.
If the decline continues, the long-term consequences for the local economy will be serious as the oyster festival attracts thousands of visitors to the village. It will also rob the rival oyster festival in Galway city of any remaining authenticity.
A project to tackle the decline started about a year ago, according to the chairman of an advisory committee, Mr Michael Quinn. Mr Quinn is a director of BIM, which manages the State-owned fishery.
The project aims to improve the habitat of the oyster beds, re-seed them, and introduce bonemia-resistant stocks. It has secured funding worth £50,000 a year under the EU PESCA programme.
Mr Quinn says the project aims to secure the long-term future of the resource. Because of the complexity of the task and the commitment needed to breed the slow-growing native oysters, he believes this can best be achieved by ensuring the beds are owned and managed by locals.
"We would hope that by early next century we will have a major shellfish operation in south Galway bay," he said. "This will include Pacific oysters, scallops and clams."