Dolphin-watching on the Shannon estuary this summer is facing a massive downturn due to one of the wettest Mays in memory.
An urgent call has been made on tourism development bodies in the mid-west to invest in land-based marine tourism in west Clare.
According to boat operators on the Shannon estuary, the numbers dolphin-watching there are down by over 50 per cent.
In recent years the fledgling industry has been the fastest-growing tourist sector in the mid-west.
Last year, despite the national downturn in tourism, there was a 25 per cent increase in people dolphin-watching in the estuary (up to 15,000 people), bringing in direct revenues of around €190,000 and up to €1.5 million in indirect revenues to the economy along the estuary.
The numbers dolphin-watching there has nearly doubled since 1999.
However, boat operator Paul Griffin said yesterday that the season to date had been atrocious, adding: "Dolphin-watching is the most weather-sensitive industry there is."
During May, Mr Griffin said, his boat, the Dolphin Discovery, was able to make it out to sea only 10 times. Having invested €230,000 in it, Mr Griffin said: "The bad weather has wiped out the season so far. If we are to develop a marine tourism industry along the Shannon estuary, investment must be made in weather-proof facilities such as a marine-type visitor centre, and that would allow us build up the dolphin-watching with confidence."
Dr Simon Berrow, project manager of the Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation, said that if there were a couple more bad summers and a marine centre was not established, the industry would be wiped out.
Hopes for the future lie with an application made by a Kilrush company, Shannon Dolphin Development Ltd, to Shannon Development.
It is seeking funds to develop a €1 million education and research dolphin centre for Kilrush.
According to Dr Berrow, the centre "would weather-proof the industry here. A lot of enthusiasm has been shown towards the idea, and the experience of the last number of weeks underlines the need for such a centre. It would act as a gateway to the west of Clare."
A final decision in relation to the application is not expected until October.