Mowi Ireland farm finds itself at the mercy of Fulmar, Gannets and Guillemots. Application has gone through seven years of red tape and another one may be on the cards.
Further assessments are to be carried out before a decision is made on whether to allow a proposed Mowi salmon farm at Shot Head in Bantry Bay, reports Echolive.
Back in January 2012, Mowi Ireland made an application for aquaculture and foreshore licences with a view to invest EUR 3.5million in a new salmon farm site.
Today, Irish authority the Aquaculture Licence Appeals Board (ALAB) decided an Appropriate Assessment is required for the project – which could push the site back another year.
“ALAB has concluded that, based on a preliminary assessment and objective criteria, it is not possible to rule out potential significant adverse impacts resulting from the installation of the proposed salmon farm,” the board said in a statement.
The authority said it had concerns about the potential impact on bird species at a number of Special Protection Areas including: Beara Peninsula, Iveragh Peninsula, Deenish Island and Scariff Island and Skelligs. The bird species it is concerned about are Fulmar, Gannets and Guillemots.
The board has asked the developer to furnish it with a Natura Impact Statement on these areas by September 21 2019. As a result, the board now has until March 31 2020 to make a decision on the project.
Mowi Ireland operates in five counties on the west coast of Ireland, from Donegal in the north of the country to Cork and Kerry in the southwest of the country.
