In attracting visitors to Westmeath, and helping the local economy, the top class game fishing found on the Mullingar lakes, Lough Owel and Lough Ennell and the two lakes a little further north, Lough Lene and Lough Derravaragh, is a major factor. Now however, comes the shock news that Lough Owel, as a brown trout fishery, may shortly become little more than a memory – because fish stocks will vanish, after the closure of Cullion Fish Farm.
In the past week, it became publicly known that Inland Fisheries Ireland has embarked on a new plan to phase out fish farming and to close down its farm at Cullionbeg, Mullingar. This news has been greeted with dismay and annoyance by anglers and tourism interests across Westmeath and the midlands. The I.F I. plan is to close both the 2 acre fish farm at Cullionbeg, Mullingar, and also their much larger 18 acre Roscrea Fish Farm.
These two firm farms are the only registered fish farms in Ireland, and they are the only ones capable of rearing brown trout. As local anglers told Topic this week, Lough Owel is a lake which has to be regularly stocked, as it lacks sufficient streams to maintain the supply of trout. Owel is a spring fed lake, with a few small tributaries only. The trout ova are hatched at Cullion Fish Farm and fry and adult fish go back into the lake.
So what is now a high class fishery would become totally depleted within a few years if the fish farm closes.
The Cullion Fish Farm just outside Mullingar, getting its water supply from the River Brosna, has been in operation since the early 1960s – and it has been an invaluable asset, in terms of supplying trout, both brown trout and rainbow in various sizes to fisheries all over Ireland, as part of the overall operation. The two IFI fish farms operate commercially and sell fish to clubs and private fisheries. We understand that in the past year, the sales of fish from the farms to over 100 fishing clubs were worth up to €350,000.
BEING PHASED OUT
When a Topic journalist spoke to Suzanne Campion of Inland Fisheries Ireland in recent days, she confirmed the reports circulating locally, but said the plan is just being developed, and management had met with staff and given assurances that no jobs will be lost. She indicated that a press release was due to be issued on Monday of this week, 25 April, stating that Inland Fisheries Ireland had decided to phase out fish farming and that a plan will now be developed to implement the decision.
John Cochrane, Greville Arms Manager, said that anything which would hit local angling would hurt visitor numbers to the area, and he expressed concern about the Fish Farm closure plan.
Cllr. Andrew Duncan from Mullingar, who was on the national board of the IFI until two years ago, responded angrily when contacted by Topic, and said that he would totally disagree with the attitude of current I.F.I. management.
“When I was there, I insisted that development be a standing item on the meeting agenda, but as far as I can see now, the IFI has become a slash and burn and balance sheet outfit,” he said. “It has become a disaster. I don’t think these people care about tourism or jobs or anglers. It’s all about balance sheets.”
Cllr. Duncan said that up to €50,000 was spent a few years ago on a report about the Irish fish farms by international experts on fish farming from Canada, and they reported back very favourably, and described the IFI fish farms as among the best run and most effective in Europe. “That report was never published,” he said, “because it was not saying the right thing, so as I see it, there’s a policy to close down the fish farms, and just cut, cut cut,” he said.
“In 2008, there were 580 staff nationally, but that figure is now down to 290, even though they were supposed to bring it down to 320 at a minimum. As far as I’m concerned, the Irish fisheries are being ruined by this present approach.”
“If this goes ahead, Lough Owel will become unsustainable, and Lough Lene also buys a lot of brown trout. A lot of angling clubs will be hit hard. There’s no other group able to rear brown trout except the fish farms, so how will they get the fish they want? Talk about local anglers doing this is not realistic. These people are experts at rearing trout from the egg stage, and work seven days a week, and no other group can do it.”
Andy Boyle, Lough Owel Chairman, told Topic (reported on page 1) that their anglers will not tolerate closure of the fish farm, because it is of too great an importance. The economics of what is planned makes no sense, he said. “We urge every angler to come along to our meeting this Wednesday night at Tullaghan. We know how strongly people feel about this.”
WEBSITE DATA
According to their website, “Inland fisheries Ireland is committed to ensuring that angling continues to be recognised as a valuable national asset, and to achieve the maximum benefit for the exchequer by promoting angling, and developing the tourism potential.”
It describes inland fisheries as “a valuable national resource which should be accessible and of interest to all.”
Topic awaited an official notification from Inland Fisheries Ireland about the IFI fish farms, promised for Monday, but up to lunchtime on Tuesday, nothing had been received. We hope to receive an official statement and to include it in our next newspaper issue.
