THE DREDGING for and collection of wild mussel seed resumed yesterday after a two-year gap at Castlemaine harbour in Dingle Bay, one of the biggest natural mussel beds in the country.
The ban imposed in 2008 on the €4 million centuries-old tradition of collecting natural mussel seed and replanting it further inshore near Cromane, in what is one of the biggest natural mussel beds in Irish waters, led to huge controversy.
Castlemaine harbour is an area of special conservation, as well as a special protection area, and the ban was put in place to collect baseline data in order to comply with the EU habitats and birds directive.
Draft net Atlantic salmon fishing had also been closed because of inadequate scientific data and below-quota salmon counts in some of the rivers feeding into the harbour.
Up to 100 jobs were threatened, and at least dozens were lost at Cromane. However, both industries have now resumed, with the salmon fishing resuming on a pilot basis in July.
Yesterday, the Department of Agriculture said Minister of State Sean Connick had approved the Fisheries Natura plan for the harbour.
This allowed it to reopen subject to a number of conditions.