The General Secretary of the Celtic League, Rhisiart Tal-e-bot, has expressed concern to the Isle of Man Industry Minister about possible sea-bed aggregate extraction in Manx coastal waters. The Isle of Man licensed exploratory works over twelve months ago although subsequently this license was not pursued.

The issue was discussed at the Celtic League AGM in Dublin in August and the organisation takes the view aggregate extraction on a commercial basis could have wider environmental and ecological impacts.

The League is also to research other offshore extraction proposals which may impact on any of the Celtic countries.

"Hon David Cretney MHK Minister of Trade and Industry Department of Trade and Industry Hamilton House Peel Road Douglas IM1 5EP

dti [at] ...

25/09/08

Dear Minister David Cretney MHK

Sea-bed aggregate exploratory works in the North Irish Sea

It was with growing concern that delegates at the Celtic League's AGM last month in Dublin passed the following resolution:

"This AGM:

Views with concern the decision of the Isle of Man Department of Trade and Industry to consider licensing sea-bed aggregate exploratory works in the North Irish Sea."

We are aware that last year your department granted exploratory licences for sea bed samples to be gathered ahead of possible full scale aggregate exploitation in areas of the North and East of the Isle of Man and that the twelve month expiry date on the licences lapsed without any work being undertaken, due, in part, to pressure from various groups. We were consequently alarmed therefore to discover that the DTI is again considering granting those same exploratory licences.

The Celtic League has numerous environmental concerns regarding sea-bed aggregate extraction in the North Irish Sea. As you will know from previous correspondence from the League, we expressed concerns last year that aggregate extraction in the North Irish Sea area could disturb sea-dumped munitions and redundant explosives, which were disposed of in the 1950s and 1960s. Much of the area was also used as a sea bombing range for almost half a century and the Manx government itself even made representations on several occasions to the British government about the unsafe manner in which they left the former Jurby sea bombing range after it was closed, which is the area the DTI is now proposing that major sea-bed disturbance could be sanctioned.

In addition to this, the sea-bed sediments in the area, which have lain undisturbed for decades is known to be seriously contaminated by radioactive waste from the Sellafield nuclear plant. As the UK's Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee (RAWMAC) warned in a report on pollution from Sellafield in 1990:

"There is still some concern about the fate of the larger quantities of radioactivity discharged in the past... The plutonium and americium (decays into plutonium) in the discharges have been found not to disperse but to concentrate in the fine cohesive sediments of the Irish Sea."

We have previously made our concerns known to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about these possible risks. If the sediments are disturbed this could have a disastrous effect on the marine environment and tourism alike, not only in the Isle of Man, but also in Wales, Ireland and the west coast of England.

The protection of the marine environment is of particular concern to us. As we pointed out to the Fisheries agencies in Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man in 2007, this section of the Irish sea is a vital spawning area for several species of fish. We predicted therefore that the potential sea bed extraction could be extremely damaging to fishing communities around the Irish Sea that are already hard-pressed. Moreover, the sea in this area provides a habitat for seals and basking sharks and other large species, including the extremely rare Risso's Dolphin. The virtual striping of the top layer of the sea bed over an area of several kilometres is likely to cause a sever rate of mortality to sea life and fragment the foodchain of these animals.

This is without mention of the pollution caused by the fine rejected material returned overboard from the dredger and from the cloud of silt generated by the dredging operation itself, over an even greater area of sea-bed. It is also unclear how quickly, if at all, the stripped area will recover.

As you can see our environmental concerns of sea bed aggregate extraction in the area proposed are numerous and we would like to urge you to carefully rethink any plans you may have to grant even exploratory licences in the future. We hope that the DTI is not putting environmental considerations secondary to commercial interests and we look forward to hearing from you soon regarding your plans.

Yours sincerely

Rhisiart Tal-e-bot

General Secretary Celtic League

CC

Tony Brown MHK, Chief Minister, Mannin/Isle of Man Jane Davidson is Minister for the Environment, Sustainability and Housing, Cymru/Wales Brian Cowen, An Taoiseach, Eire/Republic of Ireland Phil Woolas, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK"

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J B Moffatt

Director of Information

Celtic League

26/09/08

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