Further to the recent Angling Notes article on the disastrous state of the Avoca River in Co Wicklow, caused, in the main, by acid drainage from the disused Avoca Mines, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey, has appointed CDM Consultants to carry out a major study of the Avoca Mines area.
The scope of work will include the area's health and safety, the environment, the Avoca River and tributaries, specialised habitats, material assets, heritage, tourism and potential future developments in the area.
Initial field evaluations have already taken place and a more detailed sampling survey is planned throughout the summer and autumn. The study will lead to a costed proposal for the removal of pollution and contaminants, and for the long-term management of the Avoca site.
Information sessions and a workshop will be established to keep local residents and stakeholders informed and to allow participation. These will be advertised in advance in the local press.
Dempsey said: "My intention is to ensure that the state of Avoca Mining is made acceptable to all the local residents and to restore the area to sustainable land uses."
For more information, visit www.gsi.ie.
The Loughs Agency of the Foyle Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission is introducing regulations for the commercial and recreational salmon season that will enable the agency to fulfil its functions in relation to the conservation and protection of the north Atlantic salmon fisheries in the Foyle and Carlingford areas.
These regulations are being brought forward to protect salmon stocks in compliance with the EU Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC and on the recommendations of North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (Nasco).
The agency has prepared a hardship package for those in the commercial salmon fisheries impacted by the need to cease fishing and for those who accept it voluntarily. Those receiving the package will be required to sign documents to indicate their commitment to leaving the salmon fishing sector permanently.
Copies of the regulations can be viewed at www.loughs-agency.org.
A joint venture to map Ireland's inshore waters is now under way between the Geological Survey of Ireland and the Marine Institute. Covering some 125,000sq km of underwater territory, the Infomar (Integrated Mapping for the Sustainable Development of Ireland's Marine Resource) project will produce mapping products covering all aspects of the seabed.
The programme began last summer with surveys in Bantry Bay, Dunmanus Bay and fish-spawning areas off the south-west coast. Mapping of Galway Bay and Waterford Bay is planned for this year, and next year surveys will include Dublin Bay, Carlingford Lough, Donegal Bay and Sligo Bay.
Speaking on board the RV Celtic Explorer along with 75 primary school children from Our Lady's Island National School, Rosslare, and Gael Scoil Inish Carthaidh, the Minister of State for the Marine, John Browne, said: "This survey will allow Ireland to meet legal obligations regarding provision of safe navigation charts which, until recently, relied on British Admiralty surveys dating back to Capt William Bligh."
Infomar will focus on 26 bays and three priority areas around the coast, delivering hydrographic, seabed and habitat maps to allow the sustainable development of Ireland's 220 million acres under water and to protect biologically sensitive areas and resources.
The programme, when finalised, will be of interest to fisheries managers, aquaculture operators, coastal zone managers, offshore engineering interests, licensing authorities and those carrying out environmental impact assessments. A database, to capture a worldwide audience, will be available via the internet.
The surveys call on a range of platforms, including the Marine Institute's RV Celtic Explorer and RV Celtic Voyager, inshore launches and LIDAR, a Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging airborne near-shore technique, useful in rugged or complex bays.
For further information, contact lisa.fitzpatrick@marine.ie.