#FishFarm - While the proposed Aran Islands fish farm remains in limbo after plans were halted by Brussels, The Irish Times reports that Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) is to seek a licence for a second large-scale salmon aquaculture project off the Galway-Mayo coast.
The new scheme, to be located between the islands of Inishturk and Inishbofin, would be a third of the scope of the controversial 500-hectare proposal for Galway Bay, which still has the backing of BIM - though its future is unclear until at least later this summer.
According to The Fish Site, the latest proposal is the second of three announced by BIM in 2012, the third being an offshore site off Donegal that is still in the early planning stages.
As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the IFA argues that delays in the licencing of fish farm projects are hampering Ireland's ability to compete with Scotland and other organic salmon producers.
But any organic salmon farm scheme off the West Coast is likely to face strong opposition in the region, with the Galway Advertiser reporting that the recent local elections have filled Galway's city and county councils with a majority of members holding concerns about the impact of such developments.
