Galway Bay fm newsroom - The Marine Institute is refuting suggestions that a deadly disease is to blame for the loss of huge quantities of farmed salmon in Connemara.
It follows allegations that Cardiomyopathy Syndrome could have ravaged stocks at three aquaculture sites - Killary, Kilkieran and Bertraghboy.
While the exact number is unknown, it's believed thousands of farmed Salmon died at the three aquaculture sites earlier this year.
However, the Marine Institute has always maintained this was due to an influx of lethal jellyfish swarms, which stung huge quantities of the caged fish to death.
The institute has now released a fresh statement reaffirming the incident - in response to suggestions it could have been a deadly disease that ravaged the salmon stocks.
Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages is raising concerns over degenerative heart disease Cardiomyopathy Syndrome - which was responsible for fish mortalities at a site in Bantry Bay earlier this year.
However, the Marine Institute says the disease did not cause a single death at the salmon farms at Killary, Kilkieran and Bertraghboy.
It further adds that clinical cases of the disease have only been reported in farmed Atlantic salmon - and has no impact on human health.
