Debate contribution: North/South Ministerial Council: Aquaculture and Marine

Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on 1 June 2026.

MLA

Mr Andrew Muir

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

1 June 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Ministerial Statements

Heading

North/South Ministerial Council: Aquaculture and Marine

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5580931

Read the official Assembly record

Text

With your permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, and in compliance with section 52 of the Northern Ireland Act, I wish to make a statement about the 33rd meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in the aquaculture and marine sector, which was held on 15 May 2026. The Executive were represented by junior Minister Reilly and junior Minister Bunting as accompanying Ministers and by me as lead Minister for the sectoral meeting, which I also chaired. The Irish Government were represented by Timmy Dooley TD, Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. The statement has been agreed with junior Ministers Reilly and Bunting, and I make it on behalf of all of us. The NSMC welcomed the report on the activities of the Loughs Agency, particularly its ongoing conservation and protection efforts, as well as its environmental education and outreach programmes. Ministers noted the update on the agency's fisheries management and improvement works, including the delivery of nature-based solutions to support climate adaptation and nature restoration across the Foyle and Carlingford catchments during 2025. The Council welcomed the agency's success in securing PEACE PLUS funding, particularly for the MOSAIC project, which will deliver an innovative cross-border marine observation network with support from 11 international partners. The NSMC approved Loughs Agency's revised business plan for 2025 and also its business plan for 2026 and recommended the associated budget and grant provisions. The Council also approved the agency's corporate plan for 2026-28. The Council noted that the Loughs Agency annual report and accounts for 2024 have been certified and laid before the Northern Ireland Assembly and both Houses of the Oireachtas. Ministers noted that a review of the agency’s staffing complement is being progressed, with any relevant recommendations to be brought to a future meeting of the NSMC. The NSMC welcomed the update on the implementation of the Loughs Agency science strategy framework, which continues to focus on salmonids, native oysters and aquatic ecosystems. Ministers noted the agency's ongoing work to improve monitoring procedures for Atlantic salmon stocks that are used to better assess conservation limits. The Council also noted continued survey work on native oysters, including the commissioning of the oyster mapping eco modelling and growth modelling (OMEGA) project to support conservation efforts. The Council noted the launch of a pilot environmental modelling programme using remote climate telemetry to monitor river temperatures in real time. Ministers noted a range of measures that are being implemented to address climate change and biodiversity loss, including the creation of riparian buffer strips, in-stream habitats, riparian tree planting, bank stabilisation, natural water retention measures and barrier mitigation projects across the catchments. The NSMC commended Loughs Agency for its proactive response to the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss on priority fish species and welcomed its continued commitment to collaborative working with partners. Finally, the NSMC agreed to hold its next meeting in aquaculture and marine sectoral format in autumn 2026.

Thank you, Mr McCrossan. I am aware of Loughs Agency's budgetary challenges, and that is why, a fortnight ago, I travelled to its offices in Derry to have a specific conversation about the issues. It was a constructive discussion, which we will continue, because I recognise the challenges that the agency faces with its budget. I will continue to engage in order to seek a resolution.

Thank you, Robbie. A range of factors is contributing to the decline in Atlantic salmon stocks, including climate change, invasive species, disease and parasites, habitat degradation, stocking practices, predation, migration barriers, pollution and poor water quality, over-exploitation and aquaculture impacts. It is a significant issue of concern. There was a presentation at the meeting that highlighted the challenges and the need for us to work together, North/South, in response to the decline in stocks. Those are all significant challenges, but there is a commitment to work with Loughs Agency to address them.

Thank you, Mr McAleer. The issue was largely discussed at the NSMC meeting in agriculture sectoral format, so I will talk about it in my next statement. We recognise the challenges to water quality in Northern Ireland and the South of Ireland, so we need to work together. Significant North/South engagement is occurring on that, and there is potential for a Shared Island project. Those challenges are not unique to us, and we are determined to work together on them.

I thank the Member for her question. The discussions on climate change at this NSMC focused on its impacts on fish stocks. I outlined more about that to the Chair of the AREA Committee earlier. The Loughs Agency has developed a climate action plan that maps out, at an organisational level, climate risks and impacts, supporting a shift from high-carbon energy, addressing climate adaptation for the organisation, and supporting climate-resilient solutions for the catchments of Lough Foyle and Carlingford lough. Through delivery of the climate action plan, the Loughs Agency will be implementing an agile, risk-based approach to climate adaptation across the Foyle and Carlingford catchments. The plan allows the agency to be responsive to direct and indirect climate impacts to prioritise and plan work programmes. In response to the specific questions from the Member, I have not had discussions on amending our climate targets because my focus is on delivering the climate action required due to the impact that it is having across Northern Ireland. We have responsibilities regarding that, and it is important that we live up to them.

Thank you, John, for your question. My focus as Minister is primarily on addressing the sources of the pollution that is affecting Lough Neagh, alongside climate change and stronger environmental protection. I am, however, conscious of the issue of ownership of the bed and soil of Lough Neagh. I had constructive engagement on that with the Earl of Shaftesbury recently. He said that he was amenable to handing over the bed and soil, without charge and without terms, conditions or preconditions, for community use, and if that was not possible, to public ownership. I intend to seek another meeting with him to explore the matter further, particularly the opportunities for community ownership. I am seeking advice on what public ownership of Lough Neagh would be. These are constructive engagements, and I will continue with them, but my desire is to get community ownership of the bed and soil of Lough Neagh, and I will continue in that vein.

Thank you for your question. Quite a lot is happening around that already. It is important that we have those NSMC meetings but also that work continues beyond the meetings. We are taking forward five EU-funded projects. I thank the Loughs Agency for taking part in those, which is practical North/South cooperation on those issues. The challenges faced in Northern Ireland are not unique to us; they are faced across the island of Ireland. We are a single epidemiological area, and that is one of the imperatives for cooperation, but we can also support the industry, North and South, through PEACE PLUS and the NSMC meetings, and we will continue to do that. I am grateful to my counterparts down south, including Timmy Dooley, who went to the meeting. It is a constructive and fruitful relationship.

Thank you. I will write to the Member to set out more detail regarding the licensing arrangements because I will need to seek advice from officials. It is important that we protect the marine environment in everything that we do, so I will write to the Member to set out a bit more on that.

Thank you, Andy. The first of the five EU-funded projects is STRAITS, which is to coordinate aquatic animal tracking and environmental observation efforts, enabling progress on marine management and planning. The second is NorTrack, which is to monitor the movements of aquatic species that are critical to the north-east Atlantic. The third project is DTOTrack, which is to enable the agency to develop digital twin prototypes of the Foyle and Carlingford lough catchments to improve management and spatial planning capabilities. The fourth project, MOSAIC, is to develop an innovative cross-border marine observation network framework. The fifth project, Catchment Action for Local Management (CALM), is to address critical environmental challenges in cross-border river catchments across the region. I thank the Loughs Agency for taking the projects forward; they are practical examples of cooperation.

Thank you. The Loughs Agency plays a critical role in fisheries enforcement and in responding to water pollution incidents. Since the previous NSMC meeting in July 2025, it has responded to 101 illegal fishing incidents and investigated 172 pollution incidents. It dealt with five fish kills during 2025. Such incidents require a significant response, and I am committed to supporting the Loughs Agency in its critical role in responding to water pollution.

As the Member will be aware, I have responded to an Assembly question on the issue. He will also be aware of the legal issues and arguments associated with it. I am wary of walking into a legal issue about the rights, but I am aware of your concerns.

I can confirm that the matter was not discussed at the meeting. Rather than my asking for it to be put on a future agenda, if you write to me setting out more detail on it, I will be happy to raise the matter with my counterpart in the South.

I am aware of the issue that you outline. If I am to be honest, the issue of navigation and Lough Neagh not being covered by a North/South body were omissions from the Good Friday Agreement. I am conscious that the issue falls under the remit of another Minister. I am dealing with a lot in relation to Lough Neagh, and my primary focus is on tackling pollution, dealing with climate change and strengthening environmental protection. If there is a concern, I am happy to raise it with the relevant Minister to see whether there is amenability to cover it.

There are probably two questions in that. On the latter question, the Crown Estate issue primarily sits with the Finance Minister. It was discussed with the Treasury as part of the formation talks for the establishment of the Executive, because Scotland has responsibility for its Crown Estate. I mentioned that to the UK Government, and they were certainly not amenable to devolving Crown Estate responsibility to Northern Ireland. On the first issue, I will have to write to the Member with a bit more detail on that river. I want to make sure that I give accurate information in response to his question.

I recognise that the Loughs Agency's staffing complement, which was last approved in 2006, no longer reflects current operational demands and needs to be reviewed. The agency has confirmed that it is operating within its approved complement as it employs 50 staff, 49 of whom are full-time equivalents, against an approved staffing complement of 53. A review of the agency's approved staffing complement is being undertaken in order to regularise the position.

1,836 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:42 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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