Councillors seek cull of seals in Moy Estuary
Nearly one-fifth of the total salmon catch in Ireland in 2022 was on the River Moy but local councillors believe the seal population on Bartra Island is threatening Ballina's Salmon Capital status.
Councillors in the Ballina Municipal District have voiced support for a motion calling for the implementation of a professional and humane scheme to cull seals along the Moy Estuary in order to boost the area’s salmon population.
Cllr John O’Hara raised this motion before last week’s meeting of the Ballina Municipal District where he called on the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to implement this scheme from Killala Bay to the Quay in Ballina.
Cllr O’Hara said there are currently 200 seals living on Bartra Island, each eating up to 15 fish in a day, a total of 1.1 million fish a year. This, he said, is having a negative impact on the salmon population of the area and in turn, on Ballina’s tourism.
“We are the Salmon Capital of Ireland but we won’t be known as this for much longer. It is unfair to north Mayo if we don’t have a humane way to cull the seals.”
Cllr Jarlath Munnelly supported this motion, acknowledging that seals are a protected species but there is a need for a cull of the local population.
“It is top of the food chain, it has no natural predators,” he said. “A cull is not about wiping them out, it is about controlling the numbers.”
Cllr Michael Loftus, a member of the Grainne Uaile Sub Aqua Club, said when he started diving 40 years ago a seal was an uncommon sight but they are seen on a regular basis now by divers in the area.
“You’d never see a seal but now their population has multiplied,” he said. He added that seals could now be seen on a regular basis at the Ridgepool in Ballina.
Cllr Annie May Reape said she supported the motion. She said it was not possible to buy Moy-caught salmon around Ballina anymore.
Cllr Mark Duffy spoke against the motion and said he would be ‘uncomfortable’ with any culling of seals.
“Seals should not be blamed for the depletion of salmon stocks. The water quality in the Moy has deteriorated and human interaction has negatively impacted the stock,” he said.
Cllr Seamus Weir said councillors would need to ‘be careful’ around supporting a cull of the seal population in north Mayo and called for the attendance of a specialist expert to discuss solutions to the issue at the next Ballina MD meeting. This was agreed upon by councillors.
