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Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- General
- Irish Examiner
The Battle of Kinsale: How a mussel farm is stirring tensions in tourist town
Chef Olivier Queva's sautéd squid is a signature dish at the restaurant he has owned and run with his wife Anne Marie in Kinsale since 2019. While the ingredients include mussels, Mr Queva has no interest in using mussels that could one day be harvested a five-minute drive away. Indeed, the Frenchman — whose Max's Seafood Restaurant is listed in the Michelin Guide's latest Best Seafood Restaurants in the Republic of Ireland — is vehemently opposed to a planned 25-hectare mussel farm in the nearby harbour. Mention the farm, which has received a licence from the Department of Agriculture, and he suddenly becomes agitated. 'They will tell you mussels are great and they filter water,' he said, turning around and throwing a hand in the direction of the harbour a few minutes away. 'Yes, they filter the water, but how do they feed? They feed on plankton. 'When they remove the plankton, they remove a source of food for other wild species in the area." Chef Olivier Queva at his Max's Seafood Restaurant in Kinsale says he is vehemently opposed to the planned 25-hectare mussel farm in the nearby harbour. Picture: Neil Michael 'You have to think that inside the harbour you already have scallops, clams, and you have cockles,' Mr Queva said. 'OK, so nobody picks them, but what about the birds — like herons, who are protected — that feed on them?' An experienced free diver, he dives in coastal areas all around Ireland. 'I've been free diving next to a mussel farm in Kerry,' he says, shaking his head. 'It is a graveyard. The only thing you see underneath the farm are star fish because they feed on mussels. 'When you have a population of predators like starfish, they will basically decimate whatever is there.' Fisherman Johnny Walsh is also opposed to the mussel farm, because of the harm mussel seeds cause to his boats. To establish what will be a bottom-grown mussel farm, up to 700 tonnes of mussel seed — or spat — taken from another coastal area in Ireland will be laid out on the seabed and left to grow. However, the seeds can drift to other areas. Kinsale fisherman Johnny Walsh says there is a lot more leisure activity in the harbour nowadays. Picture: Neil Michael A number of years ago, when Woodstown Bay Shellfish Ltd was granted a trial licence to lay mussel seed in Kinsale Harbour, seed ended up in the sea cocks of Johnny's boats. They then grew inside the valves that are used to bring water directly from the sea into the boat for things like cooling the engine, or as a water supply used for washing down decks. 'It happened a few years ago and the first we knew about it was when all sorts of alarms started going off on the boat,' Johnny recalled. 'Basically, the seeds had grown and ended up clogging up our sea cocks. 'We had to use a very strong detergent to kill the mussels and flush them out.' He added: 'While I do know other skippers who have been affected, I would say a number of other leisure boat owners probably don't realise how much they will be affected by mussel seeds floating around the harbour and getting into their sea cocks and other valves.' While he is opposed to the mussel farm, he hasn't formally lodged that opposition and admits to feeling 'uneasy' about the whole thing. This is because he knows Paul Barlow, who runs Woodstown Bay Shellfish Ltd and which was granted the licence for the mussel farm. Appeal to Supreme Court Earlier this year, the Supreme Court allowed an appeal by Mr Barlow and three other fishermen who argued the State had failed in its duty of care to them when it granted access to mussel seed fishing zones in the State to Northern Ireland-registered vessels, which ended up decimating the mussel farming market about 20 years ago. 'I know Paul,' Mr Walsh said. 'He's a hell of a nice guy. He is hard-working and he is from a well respected and hard-working family. 'I'd say he is keeping his head down because there has been a world of disinformation about this out there. 'For example, I heard someone recently complaining about how lorries would be able to turn at the Dock Beach when Paul is harvesting his mussels. 'This is despite the fact that there won't be any lorries. A boat will be brought in to dredge them up.' There will be no mussels being taken up over the Dock Beach. To listen to debate around the planned farm, anybody could be as persuaded by one set of arguments or another. There is, for example, a belief that the operation will not only harm the harbour but wreck it for everybody else who wants to use it. Those who own and run Woodstown Bay Shellfish Ltd, the Waterford company that is to build the mussel farm, would, of course, disagree. However, gathering momentum against them since they first applied for their licence in December 2018 are Olivier Queva and 5,499 other people who have signed an online petition against the licence. As well as businesses in the town, objectors include sea swimmers, kayakers, sea fishermen, yacht owners, pleasure boat owners, and tour operators. They are not swayed by the Department of Agriculture's statement that 'public access to recreational and other activities can be accommodated by this project'. Other claims abound. It is said, for example, that rotting mussels will fill the air with an awful stench and put off tourists. Waters in Kinsale Harbour by some of the headland, including the small sandy Dock Beach, where the planned mussel farm will be laid. Picture: Neil Michael Also, when the mussels get harvested by a dredger every 18 months or so, tonnes of pollutants, sludge, and silt will be dislodged, wrecking the water for sea swimmers at harvest time. A huge bank of mussel faeces and other bio-matter deposited from the farm will, according to other well-voiced fears, drastically change the area's topography. This is especially the case around the secluded Dock Beach, a quaint seaside hamlet similar to family-friendly beaches along the rural Brittany coast in north west France. The very notion of any threat to this gem, tucked into a small sheltered bay area just down from Kinsale's James Fort Blockhouse, has added fervour to heightened opposition to the farm. Also, it is worth pointing out that while the initial application maintained it is in a site located in a designated shellfish waters area, Kinsale is only actually mentioned once in the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority's current list of Classified Bivalve Mollusc Production Areas in Ireland. This refers to oyster beds in an area nearer the sea from Shronecan Point to Preghane Point. The only other area nearby is in Oysterhaven, some 7km away up the coast, in an area facing the Sovereign Islands, along a stretch from Ballymacus Point to Kinure Point. No 'positive effect' on local economy Protesters also dispute the department's finding that the farm will have 'positive effect' on the local economy. Given it will generate only six new jobs over four years , and given harvesting will be done by a boat coming from outside Kinsale, they cannot see any tangible economic benefits. There is, however, an opposing belief that — far from being a blot on Kinsale's environmental landscape — the 'farm' will actually have a hugely positive impact. By acting as natural water filters, the mussels — also known as the 'liver of the river' due to their ability to filter up to 15 gallons of water a day — will actually help purify the water in the harbour. Those in favour also argue that it could actually increase biodiversity, and even mitigate coastal erosion. Ken Murphy, who owns and runs Kinsale's 1601 off-licence, shares chef Olivier Queva's vehement disapproval of the mussel farm. The battle against the mussel farm is one Ken and his fellow protesters plan to win. 'I think it is absolutely abhorrent that anybody would give permission to something the size of 25 soccer pitches a licence in such a beautiful, scenic area,' Ken said. Ken Murphy, who runs the 1601 off-licence, knows people who are in favour of it but is himself against the mussel farm. Picture: Neil Michael 'I just cannot get my head around it,' he added. 'Instead of encouraging industrial-scale mussel farming, the State should be encouraging tourism and civil amenities in a town and harbour that caters for a wide and varied community. 'I know friends of mine who take the view that nobody has a right to the sea, and they are all for the licence being granted. 'But the overwhelming majority of people in this town do not want this mussel farm.' Like others, he is baffled at the statement by the Department of Agriculture last month that the licence was granted 'in the public interest'. Given how many members of the public are against it, Ken struggles to see how any public interest is best served. When asked how granting the licence is in the public's interest, the department replied: 'Decisions in respect of licence applications are only taken following the fullest consideration of all consultations and public interest elements of each application, including environmental considerations.' The Dock Beach is a quaint seaside hamlet similar to family-friendly beaches along the rural Brittany coast in France. Picture: Neil Michael Given Mr Barlow first submitted his application nearly seven years ago, the department was also asked why it took so long to grant the licence. It replied: 'The licensing process involves consultation with a wide range of scientific and technical advisers as well as various statutory consultees.' Against claims that public engagement has been poor, the department added: 'Legislation provides for a period of public consultation, which for this application was held in 2019 and re-run in 2021. 'In total there were 609 public submissions received.' Fisherman Johnny Walsh thinks the time for a mussel farm has well and truly passed as the nature of activities in the harbour has changed so much in the past few years. 'About 10 or 15 years ago, I don't think this would have been an issue,' he said. 'But since covid, the amount of people now sea swimming in the area is unreal. 'It's just crazy busy every morning. 'There are also a lot more leisure craft in the area, and kayaking, paddle boarding, and wind-surfing. 'The harbour is now used by such a diverse group and large number of people that would not have been there to such an extent in the past. 'Kinsale just isn't the place for this.' Johnny added: 'People in Oysterhaven will probably kill me for saying this but that would be a better place for a mussel farm.' Read More Councillors to object to minister's order for mussel farm the size of 12 GAA pitches in Kinsale Harbour
Irish Examiner
25-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Industrial-scale Mussel farm is ‘completely incompatible' with Kinsale Harbour, campaigners say
Campaigners are calling on the minister for agriculture and the marine to revoke a licence for a 23 hectare industrial-scale mussel farm in Kinsale Harbour, directly in front of the popular Dock Beach. Health, environmental, and economic concerns for the locality have been raised, along with fears that it may jeopardise access to one of the town's most popular beaches and surrounding water used for swimming, kayaking and sailing. The licence should be revoked pending a full Environmental Impact Assessment, a marine navigation risk study, a cultural heritage survey, and a social and economic impact analysis, campaigners say. A licence was granted in May to Waterford-based Woodstown Bay Shellfish Ltd for bottom-culture mussel farming using dredging across a zone long used by swimmers, kayakers, sailors, and crab fishers. No marine safety or navigational impact assessment has been conducted, campaigners say. The proximity to a wastewater treatment facility lacking UV disinfection further raises serious sanitary concerns under EU directives, they say. They are appealing for Minister Martin Heydon to revoke the licence, which they say was granted on highly flawed grounds. The window for appeals closes this week. And while the industrial mussel farm is expected to create some six new jobs, the town is heavily reliant on its €70m annual tourism economy, which campaigners say the mussel farm may jeopardise. Appeals have been submitted to the Aquaculture Licence Appeals Board (ALAB), citing legal, ecological, economic, and procedural grounds. The licence should be revoked pending a full Environmental Impact Assessment, a marine navigation risk study, a cultural heritage survey, and a social and economic impact analysis, campaigners say. Picture: Eddie O'Hare 'This farm is completely incompatible with the heritage, ecology, and economy of Kinsale Harbour,' said local environmental advocate Dr Marc Ó Riain. 'We're asking minister Heydon to exercise his authority to revoke this licence in the public interest.' Under Section 7.3 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, the Minister may revoke a licence if it is deemed contrary to the public interest — a clause now being urgently invoked by campaigners. Protected seagrass beds, a priority habitat under the EU Habitats Directive which play a vital role in marine biodiversity and carbon capture, have been found recently in the proposed dredging area but this was not reflected in the original environmental screening, they say. 'There was no Environmental Impact Assessment. The data relied on is over six years old,' said one appeal letter submitted to ALAB. 'This violates the precautionary principle of EU law.' The site is also adjacent to the 17th-century James Fort, a designated national monument, and the remains of a historic blockhouse at the mouth of the Bandon River. No underwater archaeological survey was undertaken — a 'serious procedural omission' according to one submission, potentially placing unrecorded heritage at risk. The area is one of Ireland's busiest mixed-use harbours, with sailing schools, kayak tours, angling trips, and marine wildlife excursions operating daily. The site overlaps traditional crab pot grounds, and no alternative fishing areas or mitigation measures have been proposed, campaigners say. Appeals also raised the danger of mussel larvae clogging raw water intakes on leisure and commercial vessels — a hazard which can cause overheating and engine failure. A decision from the Appeals Board is expected later this year. Read More Watch: Mussel Farm protest in Kinsale Harbour
