Publication
Shellfish waters
From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Published on
Last updated on
We are responsible for protecting and improving the quality of shellfish waters in order to support shellfish life and growth.
One of the ways we do this is by fulfilling our commitments under the European Union Shellfish Waters Directive. This is designed to protect the aquatic habitat of bivalve and gastropod molluscs, including oysters, mussels, cockles, scallops and clams. The directive has a number of different strands:
Following public consultation, 64 sites in the Republic of Ireland are designated shellfish areas. Taking into account the consultation and a strategic environmental assessment that was carried out, pollution reduction programmes were put in place for the sites.
The designated areas are set out in the following regulations:
For further details on the European Union shellfish waters directive, please email waterquality@housing.gov.ie or contact us in the Water Quality section at LoCall 1890 20 20 21 or +353 (0)1 888 2000.
The rates charged for the use of 1890 (LoCall) numbers may vary among different service providers.