Some time ago, a group of locals came together and worked to protect the local environment and ensure the ecological and recreational beauty of our area against intensive aquaculture development. 

We’ve written this to offer an update of Save This Beach’s activities. 

We’d like to thank everyone for this contribution, which enabled us to successfully object to new licenses being granted in the Dooks-Glenbeigh-Rossbeigh region.

 

2016-2019

On January 4, 2016, an oyster farm was granted a licence to operate in Rosbehy Creek with access from lower Keelnabrack, Glenbeigh. 

• This application went unnoticed by locals and a 10-year licence was granted without any objections. 
• This site has been in operation since 2016 and continues to grow in size.

In 2017, locals heard of proposals for the introduction of more oyster farms in the area. This prompted a group of locals from the Rossbeigh, Glenbeigh, and Dooks (including Dooks Golf Club) to come together. 

• The Save This Beach group was quickly formed and we learned that 12 applications were in the pipeline for the Rossbehy Creek and Caragh Estuary. Save This Beach set up a website and Facebook page to raise public awareness.
• In 2018, applications were officially published in newspapers giving notice that the public had just 6 weeks to object. 
• An Awareness Walk was organised on Rossbeigh Beach in February 2018 to raise awareness and fundraise. This walk was very successful with 600+ people attending, which resulted in national press articles nationwide along with uptake from Kerry radio. 
• Save This Beach also created an online petition which has more than 4,000 signatures. We contacted and met with the Marine Department, National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS), Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), local TDs, and government ministers and agencies. 
• Our fundraising efforts were successful and funding was used to bring an independent technical advisor to undertake a technical review of the bay and estuary to contest the applications. 
• A study was also carried out with UCC to investigate the impacts of erosion on the Bay, the arguments from this study were also used in objections. A strategy for objecting put in place. 

With these extensive reports, which your contributions helped pay for, we reviewed all 12 applications in detail and drafted key arguments for each application, along with maps and further technical details. 

• Each application received a detailed objection from Save This Beach. 
• We developed a well-connected network, which resulted in more than 1,000 submissions in objection to the 12 local oyster farm applications in June 2018. 

In June 2019, the Minister for Agriculture rejected the 12 applications for oyster farms in our area. 

2019-present

However, as part of the application process, the rejection also opened the door for appeals from the applicants, and some applicants did appeal the Minister’s decision. 

• In April 2021, Save This Beach learned that all the appeals against the Minister’s decision in relation to the applications for oyster licences in the ‘Rossbeigh —Reennanallagane—Dooks’ area were dismissed. 
• These new large-scale aquaculture applications were all rejected.

Since we initially came together, Save This Beach have been continuing to work with various organisations, for example, Coastwatch and NPWS. 

• The coast and intertidal area from Rossbeigh to Dooks was mapped and surveyed, and this is continuing to happen on an annual basis. 
• We continue to study and measure various aspects of our coastline to provide valuable data to protect our most prized asset: our coastline. 
• This gives us not only a baseline but also data that provides a clear picture of how we can ensure the area is protected.

We believe it’s in all our joint interest to protect what we have, from Dooks Golf course to Rossbeigh Beach. This area is a gem on the Ring of Kerry, a Natura 2000 Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, RAMSAR site, and an area of great beauty that should be protected from intensive aquaculture.  Our greatest wish is to keep this area sustainable for locals and tourists, and especially for future generations. 

Your participation

We hope you will continue to stand by us. We continue our work in the protection of the Bay in the months and years to come. 

• Although we’ve managed to prevent oyster farming in the area, with the exception of the initial oyster farm, there is nothing to prevent anyone applying again or for the existing farm to apply for more ground. 
• We now have the knowledge, contacts and strategy in place to allow us to quickly assess, object, or appeal any future applications. 
• We feel we are armed with much more knowledge now and a greater understanding of the process and how to continue to work towards protecting this environment against intensive aquaculture. 

You may find, like we have, that the beauty of this exceptionally scenic area has really resonated with us as the threat of large-scale aquaculture became real. We feel its future must be protected, and it’s something we can continue to do together.