Sir, - The Irish Salmon Growers Association in its letter (May 20th) has attempted to belittle and trivialise the enormity of the sea trout crisis that has devastated sea trout runs in the west of Ireland.
No amount of glib verbosity can take from the truth which is plain to see for anybody with an interest in the heritage of the west. Sea trout are returning to Connemara fisheries covered in tiny and medium sized sea lice. The evidence of the damage from these lice is plain to see: fins eaten away completely to the bones, tails covered in lice, skin devoured around the head leaving open sores. The trout have no chance of survival.
Mr Flynn's comments that the press releases of the Fisheries Board have failed to produce any concrete evidence (as to the cause of the sea trout return) such as "stock levels, pathology studies, disease or environmental investigations to back up its claims" is missing the point. The evidence has been produced every year. At this stage in the debate, after nine years, even the ostriches in the street know that the lice are the cause of the sea trout problems and we all know the source of the lice.
Mr Flynn goes on to suggest that the Fisheries Board "predicted" devastation before official sampling began. I must point out that part of the board's statutory responsibility is to protect inland fisheries. We cannot wait for "official sampling" if sea trout are being eaten alive with lice. There is no speculation necessary when one holds the actual body of a sea trout covered in lice. Lice infested sea trout have now returned prematurely to many Connemara sea trout fisheries again in 1997, and the list of affected fisheries is becoming longer each day.
All sampling done by the Board is open to the public; we have nothing to hide.
If everyone adopted the attitude of working together to rid the west coast of lice their efforts would be better rewarded. As a former fish farmer, I am in no doubt as the source of the sea lice. It's time the Irish Salmon Growers Association took this issue seriously; the saving of the sea trout is in their hands. The time for action on ice has come. Yours, etc
Assistant manager,
The Western Regional
Fisheries Board,
Weir Lodge,
Galway.