Calls for unregulated oyster fishermen to ‘clean up their act’ after dumping incident

There have been urgent calls for some of those engaged in the unregulated shellfish industry along Lough Foyle to ‘clean up their act’.

The calls come after thousands of rotten non-native oysters were dumped along the shoreline at Drung and Redcastle.

The stinking mounds of discarded shellfish have caused much annoyance for many outraged locals, including Kathy Donaghy, who walks the shore in the area most days.

“The Foyle is a beautiful river and lough that flows through all of our lives and belongs to all of us, not just a few,” she said.

“This is disgusting and it’s high time for this unregulated industry that has colonised Lough Foyle to clean up its act. This is a disgrace.”

“There’s a lot of money being made here – is it too much to think that you’d not leave your stuff to rot on a shore that belongs to all of us?" Kathy asked.

Muff County Councillor Terry Crossan has also expressed his concern at the proliferation of oyster trestles along Lough Foyle in recent years, amid an ongoing legal loophole about whether the cross-border waterway is governed by the Irish or the British.

“We really do need to see some sort of regulation in the area, because there are now more than 100,000 trestles between Culmore and Moville.”

“Obviously, this is a viable industry that creates some employment locally, but they do need to take the time to clean up after themselves as well. It’s not good enough to be leaving a mess like this behind you.”

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Cllr Crossan walked the shoreline in recent days and he confirmed that the non-native oysters were clearly dumped, rather than having been washed up on the tide.

He also noted how a “horrendous” amount of equipment and paraphernalia associated with oyster cultivation had washed up onto the scenic coastline too.

“The amount of plastics, oyster bags, and rubber bands that were discarded in addition to the dead oysters was absolutely awful – and it had obviously come from the local aquaculture industry.”

Cllr Crossan has alerted the Council to his findings, and the local authority is investigating the incident.

“Please, clean up after yourselves; that’s the least you could do,” he reiterated.