2nd
July 2007
URGENT
FINAL STEP REQUIRED TO END THE LONG SAGA OF LOUGH SHEELIN WATER
QUALITY
For
the last 30 years Lough Sheelin has been a barometer of the status
of water quality in Ireland and has received both national and
international attention. The Shannon Regional Fisheries
Board today launched a valuable new report on the phosphate and
nutrient levels entering Lough Sheelin
(“Lough
Sheelin and its catchment Water Quality Status and Nutrient
Loadings 1998-2005”) and clearly concludes that
the lake remains polluted.
Despite its high profile over many years and actions by various
groups the study found that there was only modest decrease in the
total phosphorus loadings to the lake over the 15 year period
1988-2005. While water clarity may have improved in recent years,
this is due to the actions of zebra mussels which filter and trap
algae in their gills whilst feeding, rather then a major reduction
in pollution.
The
poor water quality status of the Lake has had a devastating effect
on wild brown stocks and a recent fish stock survey by Shannon and
Central Fisheries Boards concluded that no improvement in trout
stocks had occurred.
The
Report sets out the areas of concern; intensive agriculture, waste
water treatment and industry, as areas in which greater
improvement is required if the lake is to return to its natural
status in any reasonable timeframe.
The Report calls for a comprehensive waste
management strategy for the catchment to be devised, with the
establishment of an inter-agency Group to oversee its
implementation. It also seeks more rigorous enforcement of the
regulations in relation to the spreading of farm waste and the
upgrading of wastewater treatment plants in the catchment in
advance of development.
Mr
Michael Callaghan Chairman of the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board
“called
on the State agencies with responsibility for the lake to come
together as a matter of urgency to take action and implement the
recommendations set out in the Report to eliminate this problem
once and for all. We know the causes of the problem said Mr
Callaghan and we know the remedies. What is now required is a firm
commitment by the Government and the State agencies to take the
final step in this long saga and by so doing returning Lough
Sheelin to a healthy condition and removing the stigma of
pollution from this beautiful area of County Cavan.”
The
Board believes that Lough Sheelin is at the tipping point. The
good news being that water quality within the lake has made a
modest improvement, while on the other side the bad news is that
there is grave concern that the improvements made will be
overtaken by increased nutrients and phosphates from water
treatment plants, intensive agriculture and industry. Unless there
is a real co-ordinated and focused approach on tackling the issues
and enforcing the regulations, the good work done, especially by
the traditional farmers and ordinary people to make changes, could
be completely lost and wasted. Environmental sustainability must
now become a prominent factor in improving and protecting
L.Sheelin.
Mr
Eamon Cusack, CEO of the Shannon Board stated
“that the Report was not
just a monitoring exercise but it set down clear recommendations
which if vigorously pursued would bring about a dramatic
improvement in the situation over the next five to 10 years. He
further stated that there is an onus on all involved in the
Sheelin catchment to deliver a cleaner and healthier lake by 2015
under the regulations set out in the Water Framework Directive.”
Finally great credit is due to all those who have work tirelessly
over many years to bring about the restoration of Lough Sheelin: -
the Shannon and Central Fisheries Boards, the EPA, Local
Authorities, anglers and the local community. But we must now take
the final step to resolve the problems of the lake by dealing
effectively with issues and returning the lake to its rightful
place to one of Europe's finest wild brown trout fisheries. The
Full Report will be available on the Boards web site
www.shrfb.ie
THE END
For
further information contact Eamon Cusack, CEO, 061 300238
DOWNLOAD REPORT HERE (4.86MB)
NOTE TO EDITOR
The
Report is to be launched on the 2nd July at 3.00 pm by the
Shannon Regional Fisheries Board of “Lough Sheelin and its
catchment Water Quality Status and Nutrient Loadings 1998-2005”
in Crover House Hotel, Lough Sheelin, Co Cavan.
INFORMATION ON THE
BOARD
The
Shannon Regional Fisheries Board is a statutory agency,
established under the Fisheries Act 1980 and was given additional
responsibilities under the Fisheries Act 1999. The Board operates
under the auspices of the Department of the Communications Marine
& Natural Resources which has overall policy responsibility for
the conservation, management, regulation and development of the
Inland Fisheries resource.
The
Board’s catchment area is the largest of the seven Regional
Fisheries Boards. It ranges from above Lough Allen in the North to
below Listowel in the South, and from Loop Head in the West to
Lough Sheelin in the East. Within this area there are over 7,000
square miles of lake, 7,000 miles of river and some 220 miles of
coastline. It holds some 26 species of freshwater fish and 36 sea
angling species. The Region is home to some excellent game, coarse
and sea angling.
Mission Statement
“To conserve, develop,
manage and promote the valuable inland fisheries and sea angling
resources of the Region, in their own right and in a sustainable
manner for the benefit of local communities.”
The
Board has responsible for the protection, conservation,
development, management and promotion of the inland fisheries and
sea angling resource within the Region.
It’s
objectives include:
-
protect and conserve fish
stocks, their habitat, including water quality and the fisheries
environment;
-
develop and enhance fish
stocks and the angling product,
-
assist through angling
development the creation of jobs and bring economic benefit to
local communities.
“Lough Sheelin and its
catchment Water Quality Status and Nutrient Loadings 1998-2005”
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Lough Sheelin is a trout
fishery located in counties Cavan, Meath and Westmeath, with a
surface area of 1855 ha, and a total catchment area of c.24, 900
ha. The lake is one of the twelve lakes in Western Europe capable
of supporting substantial stocks of large wild brown trout
(O'Grady, 2000).
The catchment is
characterised by intensive agriculture, there are two Local
Authority wastewater Treatment Plants in the catchment at
Oldcastle, Co. Meath and Ballyjamesduff, Co. Cavan. The soils in
the Lough Sheelin catchment have a poor hydraulic infiltration
capacity, surface run-off is frequent causing manures and
fertilisers to be washed off to surface water streams. The lake
has shown signs of eutrophication since the early 1970's.
The Shannon and Central
Fisheries Boards are committed to the continual monitoring and the
introduction of measures to improve and work towards restoring the
water quality status of Lough Sheelin and endeavor to achieve the
restoration of the lake as a premium trout fishery. This report
was commissioned by The Shannon Regional Fisheries Board (SHRFB)
in order to determine the current status of the nutrient loading
discharges to Lough Sheelin.
This study found that
there was a modest decrease in the total phosphorus loadings to
the lake over the period 1988-2005. This suggests that phosphorus
losses from the Sheelin catchment to the lake are slowly
declining, however the rate of change in nutrient loadings to the
lake is so slow that the aim of restoring Lough Sheelin to a
premium wild brown trout fishery will not be realised in any
reasonable time scale. There is a clear relationship between
rainfall and nutrient loadings to the lake. However it is thought
there is a considerable time lag between reduction in nutrient
levels being applied to the land and any reduction in nutrient
loadings to the lake. Inlake chlorophyll levels also decreased
over the study period, but this is also affected by unrelated
factors e.g. zebra mussels.
Whilst the Mountnugent
Stream and the Ross River have the greatest influence on nutrient
loadings, phosphorus exports from the Bellsgrove and Schoolhouse
catchments also contribute substantial
nutrient loadings to the lake which are
disproportionate with the flow of these streams. The impact of
large shock loadings to the system is highly significant, with one
single three day event giving rise to 87% of the Bellsgrove's
total phosphorus loadings in 2004.
Intensive agricultural industries continue to
present the principal threat to Lough Sheelin. Point sources are
also a factor and Oldcastle wastewater treatment plant is in need
of significant upgrade with added phosphorus removal facilities.
While Ballyjamesduff waste water treatment plant was upgraded in
1999, there has been a substantial expansion in the domestic
loading to the town since then. Industrial discharges also
contribute to the problems in the feeder streams and the lake.
Indications are that landspreading practices in the catchment have
improved somewhat, however there is still considerable evidence of
landspreading taking place before high rainfall events. As
populations in the catchment increase, lack of capacity within the
wastewater plants have the potential to undermine any improvements
to landspreading practices.
CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT
RECOMMENDATIONS
POLICY AND LEGISLATION
-
A comprehensive waste
management strategy for the catchment
-
must be devised.
-
The establishment of an
inter-agency group to oversee the Management of Water Quality
within the Lough Sheelin catchment should be a priority.
-
It is strongly recommended
that waste treatment systems with phosphate removal should be
installed in the catchment and that environmental factors in
intensive agricultural operations must be given equal weighting
with sociological and economic factors.
-
Regulations must target the
practice of spreading to dispose of waste on soils that are not
phosphorus deficient.
-
A full review of present
bye-laws relating to farm waste should be undertaken and the
adoption of appropriate bye-laws in the remainder of the
catchment.
-
Meath County Council must
upgrade the wastewater treatment plant at Oldcastle as a matter
of urgency, whilst the wastewater treatment plant at
Ballyjamesduff must be monitored and if necessary upgraded.
-
Local Authorities must
exercise appropriate planning policies and controls in relation
to the capacities of wastewater treatment plants to ensure
developments are not granted planning permission where a
wastewater treatment plant has insufficient capacity or is
not meeting standards for effluent quality.
-
Shannon Regional Fisheries
Board should maintain its policy of opposing any developments in
the catchment which would give rise to further phosphorus
loadings to the lake.
-
The EPA should continue to
regulate and monitor waste management through licensing.
ENFORCEMENT
-
Continued vigilance is
required on a 24/7 basis by Local Authorities, the EPA and SHRFB.
-
The competent authorities
must identify and target those responsible for pollution.
-
Intensive monitoring of
Oldcastle and Ballyjamesduff wastewater treatment plants to
identify non-compliance and take action where necessary.
-
Rigorous inspections and
cross compliance verification of intensive agricultural sector.
-
The public and stakeholders
should be made aware and actively encouraged to report suspected
cases of pollution to the competent authorities.
-
Continued compliance
monitoring and court action where necessary by state and
semi-state bodies.
EDUCATION
SAMPLING REGIME AND NUTRIENT LOADING MODEL
DOWNLOAD REPORT HERE (4.86MB)
John Browne
Extends Closing Date for Applications Under Hardship Fund for
Commercial Salmon Fishermen
Dublin , 27th March 2007
John
Browne T.D., Minister of State at the Department of
Communications, Marine & Natural Resources, has announced that he
has instructed Bord Iascaigh Mhara and the Regional
Fisheries Board to extend the closing date for the receipt of
completed application forms for the Salmon Hardship Scheme to
Friday, April 27th 2007.
The
decision to extend the deadline for qualifying fishermen was taken
on foot the strong interest that has been shown in the scheme,
with over 600 applications having been so far received.
“As
the original deadline of the end of March approached, I noted the
significant numbers of applications that were being made from
around the country in the last few days. The extension of the
closing date by one month will facilitate all those concerned to
have additional time to evaluate the scheme and to make an
informed decision.” commented Browne.
Notes to Editors:
The scheme was
published earlier this month to provide a measure of relief to
those affected by the cessation of mixed stock fishing for wild
salmon in line with Government commitments and in compliance with
the EU Habitats Directive
Under the hardship scheme, each fisherman will receive a payment
equal to six times their average annual catch over the period
2001-2005, multiplied by the average price per salmon over the
period (€23). Each fisherman will also receive a payment equal to
six times the 2006 licence fee. The fund is normally available to
all commercial salmon licence holders who held a licence for the
2006 season.
An
additional €5 million fund will be available for a community
support scheme. This support scheme is designed to aid the
development of those communities where the impact of the cessation
of salmon fishing will be hardest felt and provide alternative
employment and economic opportunities for those affected. Details
of this scheme will be announced shortly.
ENDS
For
further media information, please contact:-
Olive Stephens, Press Advisor +353 1 678 2440 / Mobile: 087 760
1642
Ken Cleary, Press Officer: Office +353 1 678 2441 / Mobile: 087
905 9618
Email: press.office@dcmnr.gov.ie
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