Biological Warfare: Salmon Farming, Angling Tourism and the Sea Trout Dispute in the West of Ireland, 1989–1995

Abstract

After the 1989 sea trout collapse in the west of Ireland, the angling community (which includes private fishery owners) attributed the collapse to coastal salmon farms, but the salmon farming community linked the sea trout collapse to environmental factors. The contending parties raised issues which are assessed here through the literature on environmental protests and the sociology of science. This paper then provides an analysis of the sea trout dispute as a conflict between angling interests and fish farming interests over the legitimate use of aquatic resources in rural Ireland. By drawing upon interview data, and government and industry publications, it will show that the dynamics of the sea trout conflict delineates the sociocultural context of science in the disputing process, as well as the nature of social change in rural Ireland.