Water turbines could close Roe Fishery in ‘a few years’ say anglers

The Roe Angling Association have a membership approaching 1,000 people, and have worked extensively in the past to preserve and maintain the fragile salmon stocks in the Roe.

Now, however, the anglers are reeling at the news that a planning application for a hydroelectric system in the Gelvin, an important tributary of the Roe, has been recommended for approval by the Planning Service and has passed through Limavady Borough Council without any objection.

Objections were raised, however, by one local member of the angling club named Ryan Burton. Mr Burton, who lives in the Bellarena area, went so far as to say in his objection letter: “If this proposal is to go ahead, I can see the Roe as a fishery closing in a few years time as a direct result.”

He wrote to the Planning Service to state: “I am involved with the research and design of environmental structures including dams, weirs and flood protection and I have knowledge of water resource management and fluid mechanics. Although I very much support hydro power in the correct application, I have found that this proposal is totally worthless.”

Mr Burton, a well educated young man who has studied Environmental Civil Engineering and who has also been invited to give talks to fellow members of his angling club, pointed to a wide range of issues related to the hydroelectric proposal which he believes could impact negatively upon fish stocks.

He explained: “The Gelvin River is a key tributary in the development of the most valuable species which is at stake due to this proposal, the Atlantic salmon ‘salmo salar’ which is already under intense pressure due to anthropogenic factors. The Gelvin River is a significant spawning nursery for the salmon to spawn their eggs, and for the Parr to develop. It contains a large proportion of the salmon Redds in the Roe Catchment.

“If a weir is constructed at the site the salmon will be obstructed and spawning beds destroyed upstream due to the creation of the pool. Many years of research show that any fish that pass through a hydro turbine get killed due to sound, pressure change and crushing from hydrostatic force.

“Under the EU Habitat Directive and EU Water Directive, this site needs protected straight away. It should be untouched and monitored carefully to prevent habitat loss and damage.”

Mr Burton continued: “Why would the Roe Angling Association and Loughs Agency spend hundreds of thousands of pounds and years of work in habitat enhancement for spawning if a scheme like this would kill all the fry and make all the effort a waste?”

Those sentiments were echoed by the Vice-Chairman of the Roe Angling Association, Dean Martin. He said: “It would destroy everything. If you take all the salmon parr, for instance. There was an investigation done a few years ago into building weirs and things like that. The invertebrates below them are basically non-existent. The salmon feed off the invertebrates. We are certainly disappointed (to learn that it has passed through the local council with no objections). The only thing we seem to be able to do is hold these things up. The Environment Minister is pushing these schemes, you see. He is pushing these things through and pumping money into them . There’s really nothing we can do unless we can catch them on regulations or something, but even then they just resubmit them with slight changes.”

A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment said: “(Planning Application number) B/2011/0102/F was accompanied by an Environmental Statement. The Department also received Further Environmental Information. The application was presented to council on March 19, 2013 with a recommendation to approve. The Council did not raise an objection to this recommendation.

The Department is currently preparing the decision notice which will issue shortly.”