Engineering
The Engineering Division of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food provides an advisory, inspectorial and design and construction service on all aspects of Marine Engineering to the Department and to Central Government generally.
The service provided by the Engineering Division ranges across environmental work in the marine and fresh-water environments, fisheries related work in rivers and lakes, aquaculture related work, work on foreshore development applications, coast protection work and harbour work.
Harbour Developments
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has statutory responsibility under the Fisheries Harbour Centres Acts, for the Fishery Harbour Centres at Killybegs, Rossaveel, Castletownbere, Dunmore East and Howth. The Minister is also responsible for fisheries related development at Local Authority Harbours and for maintaining 1902 Act and ex-Congested District Board Piers, Lights and Beacons on the State's coast.
The Engineering Division provides an advisory and design and construction service on the above work. This work involves reporting on proposals, consulting with fishermen's groups, local interest groups and Local Authorities, carrying out surveys, preparing designs and contract documents and carrying out dredging and construction works. Because of its specialised nature much of the design and construction of capital and maintenance works at both Department and Local Authority Fishery Harbours is carried out directly by the Department's Engineering Division.
Examples of Recent Harbour Developments
Castletownbere Mainland Quay Works Killybegs Harbour Development
Foreshore
The State is the owner of the Foreshore around the nation's coast.The Foreshore consists of the seabed from the highwater mark seawards. It has a length at the coastline of 5800km and comprises an area equivalent to almost one-fifth of the land area of the State.The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has the responsibility under the Foreshore Acts for granting leases for areas of Foreshore and for granting licences to place structures on or remove material from the Foreshore.
Engineering Division assists the Department in exercising proper management and stewardship over this state property. The Engineering Division carries out surveys, draws up legal maps for leases or licences, acts as planning advisors to the Department on the appropriateness of proposed developments, assesses Environmental Impact Statements, deals with ongoing queries from prospective developers and reports on unauthorised developments.
Aquaculture Work
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is responsible for the licencing of fish farms under various Fisheries Acts, and for regulating the aquaculture industry generally.The dominant types of aquaculture in this country are marine finfish installations for salmon and rainbow trout production, freshwater installations for smolt rearing and rainbow trout production, and marine shellfish installations for the cultivation of mussels, oysters, scallops and clams. All applications for aquaculture licences are assessed by the Department's Aquaculture Licence Vetting Committee (ALVC). The Engineering Division provides an inspectorial role and advice on the appropriateness of aquaculture applications to this committee.
Coastal Protection Work
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is the Government Department responsible for Coastal Protection.The Department's Engineering Division provides an advisory service on Coastal Protection and Coastal Zone Management and designs and constructs Coast Protection schemes at priority areas targeted by the Department. The Engineering Division also carries out on-going maintenance work at all Coast Protection schemes undertaken under the Coast Protection Act, 1963.
Coast Protection schemes proposed by private interests or Local Authorities are examined by Department Engineers as to their suitability as poorly designed schemes can have adverse effects on adjacent areas. In the case of grant aided schemes, expenditure monitoring is carried out by the Department's Engineers.
Bray Promenade Prior to Coastal Protection Works
Bray Promenade after Beach Nourishment
Environmental Work
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is responsible for issuing permits under the Dumping at Sea Act, 1996, and for implementing EU directives on the quality of shellfish waters.Licences are processed by the Department's Marine Licence Vetting Committee (MLVC). The Engineering Division provides a service to this Committee. The work of the Engineering Division consists of assessing the environmental impact of the various applications from an environmental and general fisheries perspective. Detailed examinations are made of all applications and follow-up site inspections and local consultations are frequently necessary.
