Craic On

Irish Water

Mr Liam O’Brien spokesperson for a number of oyster fishermen would like to make the following holding statement in regard to operations on Lough Foyle by Irish Water and MV vessel the James:

“It is simply beyond belief and against the United Nations conventions laws of the sea that an unmarked concrete block and associated mooring equipment ( pictured below ) was dropped onto the bed of a designated wild oyster designated area where fishermen were actively engaged in dredging for oysters.

Potentially Life Threatening

“We now find that this substantial solid object with mooring chains (or wires) plus the Doppler and its large casing were left unmentioned and unmarked by any legally required navigational special marks for approximately four weeks making this a potentially life threatening situation for the dredging boats and crews and cannot be ignored.

This ‘ Wild West ‘ behaviour of gambling with peoples lives and breaching maritime laws of the sea cannot and will not be tolerated and such irresponsible actions only serves to emphasise Irish Water complete disregard for the local area, it’s fisherman and the marine environment.

Dangerous Activities of Irish Water

The fishermen or any small craft navigating the inshore area might not be so lucky the next time and to that end we are currently awaiting clarification from the respective Maritime departments in both jurisdictions, with regard to our complaint about the dangerous activities of the MV James and Irish Water in Lough Foyle.”