Danny Healy-Rae warns on dredging, fishermen and bay turbines
Danny Healy-Rae spoke about a wide-reaching bill affecting coastal use and marine livelihoods, urging protections for fishermen, local tourism operators and pier users. He warned the legislation must not make fishermen's already difficult incomes worse or restrict long-standing local uses of the sea.
Main concerns
He emphasised agreement with a colleague on fishermen's incomes and stressed that the bill should not impinge on people's rights to use the sea to make a living. He raised concerns for those in tourism who operate small yachts and boards, and for trawlers and other fishing activities that depend on clear access to the bay.
Local piers and dredging
He highlighted the state of the nearest pier to him, Khmer, saying it has not been cleaned out for 70 years and that slag boats used the pier until around 1960-62. He urged that the bill include provisions for dredging piers and harbours so local piers can be developed, modernised and reopened to more summertime traffic.
Navigation and flooding risks
He warned that silt and blockages prevent rivers from getting out to the bay - mentioning the Root river and a blocked mouth - and linked those problems to local flooding. He argued that dredging rivers and harbour mouths must be considered as part of addressing flooding and the effects of climate change.
Wind turbines and planning impact
He expressed concern about the siting of wind turbines in the bay and the potential impact on fishermen and trawlers, while saying support for renewable energy must be balanced with fairness for those who depend on the sea. He noted that planning decisions will affect these issues and said he will watch the bill's progress intently.
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I concord with Deputy Collins in relation to the fishermen's incomes and we can't make their situation bad enough as it is but we can't make their situation any worse and I suppose as this bill is very far reaching when we see how expensive our shores are and we are an island country and the sea is all around us so you can imagine one can barely think of what is involved because there is so much involved, our piers and harbours, we hope this bill won't impinge on people's rights and the use of the sea that they have been making in different ways to make a living. Think of people in the tourism business with small yachts or whatever or small boards taking people out for tours out the bay and we hope that this won't anything won't change anything won't change for them in order to improve and I suppose in relation I know that this bill has you know what's included is dredgy for piers and harbours and the nearest pier to me is Khmer and it's a beautiful place and all around it but I feel it could be developed a way more. The pier hasn't been cleaned out for 70 years and the slag boats used to come into Khmer pier up until 1960 or thereabouts or 61 or 62 but you couldn't get in there now because the pier is badly in need of being dredged and that needs to be looked at and I'm sure there are other places Khmer being the nearest one to myself and I suppose I gave a lot of my time on the edge of the pier there working for Kerry County Council and even cleaning the seaweed along the pier. So that's something that I'd hope would be included if this bill is going to be effective to help our local situation. This place is only 50 yards, 50 metres away from the top of Khmer town and to have a massive positive impact I feel if it was if it was dredged for the town and local to the town to help people and the pier itself should be developed and modernised to allow more to come in there in the summertime and the other thing then is the the root river can't get out when the pier when the mountain of the bay is half blocked and that should be we're talking about flooding here inside and that climate change is causing it. There's a lot of things that used to be done before and we've been doing it all now, dredging our rivers or dredging the mountain where the river gets out into the bay and things need to be looked at as well. The other thing is I am concerned about wind turbines out in the bay and where they'll be placed because if they're impacting fishermen, trawlers, that wouldn't be helpful. There are many other things. There are many other things where they're cited and of course planning will decide that and we're all for more energy or renewable energy or whatever but it must be fair to the people that are depending on the sea for their income in whatever way it is and that all has to be, I feel has to be, I hope the bill wouldn't favour against locals in any way so I'll be watching intently as to what's happening. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you.
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