The Save Bantry Bay group has welcomed the outcome of a judicial review of an aquaculture license and foreshore license awarded to Mowi Ireland in West Cork.
The High Court has quashed both licenses in a ruling published late last week.
Mr Justice David Holland ruled in favour of a judicial review taken against the 2021 decision to grant licenses for a proposed fish farm south of Shot Head in Bantry Bay.
Mowi Ireland already runs two separate salmon farms in the bay.
Salmon Watch Ireland, Inland Fisheries Ireland, and a joint action taken by a group including Peter Sweetman and the Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers took the case against the Aquaculture License Appeals Board.
Several reasons were cited for upholding the judicial review, including inadequate appropriate assessment screening of the risk of effects of seal scarers on seals of the Special Area of Conservation; inadequate environmental impact assessment of the risks of escape of salmon from the fish farm; and insufficient reasons for the conclusion that the proposed fish farm will not lead to a breach of Water Framework Directive (WFD) limits for pollutants.
Alec O’Donovan, secretary for Save Bantry Bay, expressed relief and gratitude for the community's unwavering support.
"This victory is a testament to the power of local activism and the importance of protecting our natural resources for future generations. It has been a long and arduous journey, but our collective efforts have shown that grassroots advocacy can make a significant difference,” he said in a statement.
Breda O'Sullivan, a local resident, expressed her delight at the outcome.
"I am overjoyed that we have won. Now, my grandchildren will be able to enjoy Bantry Bay as my forebears have since time immemorial. This bay is a part of our heritage and our way of life,
and it is wonderful to know that it will remain protected for future generations," O'Sullivan said.