Fishermen say shingle extraction may wipe out fish nursery

EAST Coast fishermen have claimed an important nursery ground for fish could be wiped out if a plan to extract shingle from the Codling Bank in the Irish Sea goes ahead.

The Department of the Marine is considering plans to extract 250,000 tonnes of shingle from the Codling Bank, 15km off Bray, Co Wicklow.

The shingle is to be used to protect the harbour wall and promenade at Bray, part of a coastal protection scheme which the Bray Urban District Council has described as urgent.

The Minister of State for the Marine, Mr Eamon Gilmore, has said money for the coastal protection scheme, which is EU assisted, must be drawn down this year.

However, representatives of the fishing industry based at Howth claim the Codling Bank area is a famous as a nursery ground ford lemon sole, plaice and monkfish.

They insist the work "would wreak havoc with the livelihoods of over 200 fishermen working out of Howth and other fishing ports along the East Coast who fish the Codling Bank".

At a meeting with two public representatives, Mr Liam Fitzgerald TD and Mr Liam Creaven of Fingal County Council, members of the Howth Fishermen's Association said the freeing up of silts, from the seabed would create a significant environmental hazard to fish hatcheries. The hazard would move along the east coast with the tides.

Fishermen have also criticised an Environmental Impact Statement on the effects of the work on the Codling Bank.

According to the impact statement, the amount of shingle or gravel taken from the bank will be about 1/800th of its volume. It claims the bank would reconstitute itself after the work.

However, the fishermen claim this is misleading and "even conservative estimates from fishing experts reckon it would take up to 19 years to restore this rich marine environment to its current rich harvest".

According to Dr Gerard Farrell, of the Department of the Marine, the environmental impact statement does note that there would be damage to bottom dwelling organisms.

Dr, Farrell, responsible for drawing up the original coastal protection scheme for Bray, said the statement believed there would be no permanent damage to fish stocks.

He added that the Department had held talks with the fishermen and the impact statement had been published on January 23rd. The fishermen were invited to make written submissions on their objections before the deadline next Sunday.