Connacht Tribune
Marine Institute expresses concerns over outbreak on fish farm
A power outage, and deadly disease, killed tens of thousands of fish in separate incidents on two County Galway salmon farms last year, new reports show.
Among the diseases killing farmed salmon in Galway in 2022 was salmonid rickettsial septicaemia (SRS), which both the Marine Institute and Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages both agree is a cause of concern.
The entire stock of smolts held by Salmon Springs Limited at Bunatubber, Corrandulla, were wiped out during an incident on February 11 and 12 last year.
According to a mortality report submitted by the company to the Fish Health Unit of the Marine Institute, 100% of stock was killed due to a system failure. They died by asphyxia, although the total number of mortalities was not included.
The Marine Institute clarified to the Connacht Tribune that these mortalities “were associated with a power outage resulting in the loss of otherwise healthy fish on site”.
Meanwhile, disease killed 30% of stock at Bradan Beo Teoranta fish farm at Ardmore in Cill Chiaráin Bay in Conamara.
There was a stock level of 680,000 salmon there in October and November of 2021, but two disease incidents wiped out 204,000 of them, according to a veterinary inspection form.
The first disease problem of 2022 at that site hit in May and June, when Amoebic gill disease affected the livestock.
Then in August, a disease known as Piscirickettsia also impacted on the level of stock at the site. The reports did not say which of the two diseases was responsible for the greater mortalities at Ardmore last year.
The mortality and veterinary reports were obtained by the campaign group Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages (GBASC) under Access to Information on the Environment Regulations, which is similar to Freedom of Information.
GBASC said that this was the first occasion Piscirickettsia had been indentified on a salmon or trout farm in Ireland.
It said the bacterial disease, also called salmonid rickettsial septicaemia (SRS), was a “cause of high mortalities” on Irish salmon farms.
“We fear this new fish disease, on top of the ones that are already endemic on Irish salmon farms, will have further devastating effect on our wild salmon and sea trout stocks,” said Billy Smyth, chairperson of GBASC.
SRS is not a notifiable disease, and so records of mortalities and outbreaks are voluntarily recorded. GBASC said it fears that the true extent of the losses associated with SRS is higher due to under-reporting of mortalities.
The Marine Institute confirmed to the Connacht Tribune that it was addressing concerns about SRS, which is affecting salmon farms here and around the world.
It is caused by the bacteria Piscirickettsia salmonis and can lead to significant mortality rates in farmed salmon if not diagnosed and treated early.
A spokesperson said SRS was not new, was first reported in Chile in the 1980s and has since become a significant cause of mortality in salmon farms worldwide. In Ireland, SRS was first observed in 1991 and “has recently become increasingly associated with disease and mortality on Irish salmon farms”. Antibiotic treatment can be effective if the disease is diagnosed early, and it poses no risk to human health.
The Marine Institute said it has taken several steps to support the control of SRS.
This includes “a molecular method for the rapid and specific detection” of the bacteria, allowing vets to make early diagnoses; it is also developing this method to allow accurate quantification of levels of bacteria.
“The Marine Institute is proposing further work in collaboration with academic partners and industry to develop more rapid and informative diagnoses, as well as the potential development of a vaccine. The Marine Institute recognises SRS as a significant health challenge for the Irish salmon industry.
“The Institute has a long track record of working with industry to address such challenges and will continue to do so to minimise the risks and impacts of SRS on Irish salmon farms,” a spokesperson said.
It said treatment is by two specific antibiotics, authorised by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), depending on the life stage of the fish.
“These are administered by medicated feed and are generally effective,” a Marine Institute spokesperson added.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
