BIM tightlipped on Galway Bay fish farm investors

Bórd Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), who has applied for a licence for a massive fish farm in Galway Bay, has refused to name the companies who had expressed an interest in operating it.

BIM has said that it received some 21 expressions of interest from investors and companies who were interested in operating or financing the controversial Galway Bay salmon farm.

But the company has refused to divulge the names of those companies and investors.  BIM’s refusal to release the names has prompted Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages to ask what the state body is trying to hide.

“They need to come clean and tell us who the 21 companies are. We suspect that there are far fewer than 21 but whatever the number they should name them. This project would cost €70 million just to get started and there are very few salmon farm companies that would be in a position to finance that sort of capital investment,” said Billy Smyth, chairman of Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages.

Mr Smyth applied for the names using a little known EU Access to Information on the Environment Regulations under the Aarhus Convention, which is similar to a Freedom of Information request but relates to the environment.

BIM refused the request citing that the information being sought does not come in under the scope of environmental information.

It said that even if it did come under the EU directive, the information sought is “commercially sensitive” and so “we are not in a position to divulge it”.

Mr Smyth, in his appeal to this decision, said the salmon farm proposal has the potential to be an “environmental disaster” and as such does come under the act.

He said the information was being sought in order to ascertain if the companies who expressed an interest had previously operated fish farms, if they have competence to operate one, and what their track record is in terms of environmental best practice.

He argued that because no licence has yet been granted for the fish farm, no tender process has taken place and so “the issue of commercial sensitivity does not arise.”

The appeal was also reject by BIM who has refused to release the names.

“It is disappointing that, in the interest of transparency and openness, BIM is refusing to release this basic information,” added Mr Smyth.

BIM applied for a licence in August 2012 for 15,000 tonne of salmon, which equates to 7.2 million fish. It is for a ‘twin site’ farm – one for smolts at Inis Óirr and another for more developed salmon off Indreabhán.

The total area of the site covers 1,126 acres, and it has the capacity for 30,000 tonnes, which would produce some 14.2 million salmon.

Minister for Marine, Simon Coveney, has confirmed in the Dáil that the application for a 15,000 tonne licence for the Galway Bay salmon farm would be made “as soon as possible”.

It is estimated that about 2,000 submissions were made by the public but just 410 of these were deemed valid. BIM has yet to issue its response to the 410 observations. It hasn’t posted its responses online either, despite saying that it would.

Mr Smyth says he is awaiting the responses.