The Issue

A licence to Industrially Extract 1860 acres of Native Kelp in Bantry Bay has been issued to BioAtlantis, Tralee.  

NO Public Consultation took place. This licence was NOT Advertised Adequately. This licence has been issued with NO requirement for an Environmental Impact Assessment [E.I.A.]

This is the largest industrial scale native Kelp Extraction Licence ever issued in Irish or British waters.

 

 


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A little History

A licence to Mechanically Extract 1860 acres of native kelp in Bantry Bay has been issued to BioAtlantis, Tralee.  This licence was not advertised adequately, no public consultation took place and the licence has been issued with no requirement for an Environmental Impact Assessment.  This is the largest industrial scale native kelp harvest licence ever issued in Irish or British waters.

 

Bantry Bay is an area of outstanding beauty that is home to many harbour seal colonies, white tailed eagles, otters, choughs, dolphins to name but a few species.  Humpback Whales, basking sharks etc all come to feed in the rich marine waters of the bay annually.  

 

 

We say NO

To the Mechanical Extraction of our Native Kelp Forest.

Tourism is the main industry of this area as Bantry is located on the Wild Atlantic Way.  To allow this harvest of native kelp to go ahead, would be catastrophic for the ecology of the bay and may result in the whole balance of Bantry Bay being disturbed and irreparably damaged.  

 

The licensed area is so large, it is like giving approval for the clear felling of 38% of Killarney National Park, without local knowledge, consultation and agreement.

The Issuing of the Licence

Details of the application for this licence can be viewed on the Department of Housing, Planing, Community and Local Government Click Here to visit the web Site

 

BioAtlantis Ltd - Bantry Bay

Applicant Address: 

Kerry Technology Park, Listowel Road, Tralee, County Kerry

Proposed Development Activity

Description: 

Foreshore licence application for mechanical harvesting of seaweed

Location: 

Bantry Bay, County Cork

APPLICATION DETAILS

Reference Number: FS006061

Status: Determination

Date Received: Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Determination Date:  Friday, March 21, 2014

We need to think before we act

And we need to act before it's too late

"I can only compare these great aquatic forests of the southern hemisphere with the terrestrial ones in the inter-tropical regions. Yet if in any country a forest was destroyed, I do not believe nearly so many species of animals would perish as would here, from the destruction of the kelp

 

Amidst the leaves of this plant numerous species of fish live, which nowhere else could find food or shelter; with their destruction the many cormorants and other fishing birds, the otters, seals, and porpoises, would soon perish"

 

~ Charles Darwin

Public consultation and advertising required

NO mention of 'MECHANICAL HARVEST'  ¦  NO mention of 'NATIVE KELP FOREST'  ¦  NO mention of '1860 ACRES OF BANTRY BAY'

Dept of Housing stated that a notice was placed in a national newspaper - no record can be found by the Dept. of the advertisement published

Why?

  1. No public meetings  
  2. No consultation with Bantry Bay Coastal Zone Charter Groups (formal framework for public consultation for developments in Bantry Bay).

Why?

  1. No information on development given to Cork County Council
  2. Notice placed in Bantry Bay Garda Station for 21 days - no access to copy of record on Dept. of Housing website

Why?

  1.  Advertisement placed by BioAtlantis in Southern Star Newspaper on 12th December 2009 states 'Occupy an area of foreshore for the purpose of harvesting specific seaweed at Bantry Bay'