Foyle territorial dispute could impact marine protection legislation
The longstanding dispute over ownership of Lough Foyle could impact the implementation of new legislation to modernise the North’s approach to marine and freshwater management, an expert has warned.
The ownership of the sea lough’s foreshore, seabed and estuary have been disputed by Dublin and London since partition.
Dublin insists the lough belongs to the Irish State under the State Property Act 1954.
But London claims it owns the whole of its seabed right up to the Inishowen shoreline.
At a committee meeting at Stormont, Robert Walsh, an officer from the NI Marine Task Force, said the dispute could affect the implementation of the Fisheries, Aquaculture and Water Environment Bill.
The bill is aimed at protecting the north’s marine and freshwater environment.
Sinn Féin MLA Aoife Finnegan raised the boundary dispute during a session of the Stormont Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee.
"There is still a territorial dispute over Lough Foyle. Do you see that as being an issue when it comes to the implementation of the Bill?” she asked.
Mr. Walsh replied: “There is potential for that. We do not have a finalised, publicly available version of the Northern Ireland marine plan, which would take account of the transboundary areas.
"I would need to go back to my members and check this, but there is probably more work to be done on that. I hope that it would not hold things up. My understanding is that separate legislation for Carlingford lough and Lough Foyle can be created after the Bill is finalised.”
The Committee Chair, UUP MLA Diana Armstrong asked Mr. Walsh what provisions he you like to see prioritised to ensure ‘effective cross-border management’.
Mr. Walsh said: “We know that the legislation pertaining to Lough Foyle and Carlingford lough cannot proceed unless this Bill is finalised. Our concern is that there would be a mismanagement between the Fisheries, Aquaculture and Water Environment Bill that is updated and the legislation that is already in place for those transboundary areas; that there would be a mismatch in what is prescribed in those components. The sooner we see those follow-on pieces of legislation come in, the more quickly aligned those can be.”