Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board (ALAB)

The Board operates under the aegis of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.


The function of the Board is to provide an independent authority for the determination of appeals against decisions of the relevant Minister on aquaculture licence applications.

A person aggrieved by a decision of the Minister on an aquaculture licence application, or by the revocation or amendment of an aquaculture licence, may make an appeal within one month of publication (in the case of a decision) or notification (in the case of revocation/amendment).

The Board is an independent body with its own funding provided for by the Oireachtas under Section 36 of the 1997 Act

ALAB Board


Section 23(2) of the 1997 Act provides that the Chairperson of the Board shall be appointed by the Government.

In accordance with Section 23(3) of the 1997 Act, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (“the Minister”) may make regulations prescribing not less than two organisations to nominate members of the Board.

Those organisations should, in the Minister’s opinion, be representative of the following groupings:

(a) organisations concerned with the promotion of the development of aquaculture or representative of persons carrying on the business of developing aquaculture;

(b) organisations concerned with the conservation, development and protection of wild fisheries;

(c) organisations representative of persons whose professions or occupations relate to physical planning and development;

(d) organisations representative of persons concerned with the protection and preservation of the environment and amenities;

(e) organisations representative of persons concerned with the promotion of general economic development and

(f) organisations representative of persons concerned with the promotion of community development.

ALAB commission technical advice, most recent list of advisors (for 2019) is:

List of persons engaged by the Board during 2019 pursuant to s.35 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act


Technical Advice


Graham Saunders, Marine Ecologist and Environmental Consultant, 13 Princess Road, Haddington,
EH41 HE UK

Aquafact International Services, 12 Kilkerrin Park, Liosban Industrial Estate, Tuam Road, Galway,
H91 FW7V

Modelwork5, The Old Courtyard Newtownpark Ave., Blackrock, Co. Dublin

Dr. Tom Gittings, Ecological Consultant, 3 Coastguard Cottages, Roches Point, Whitegate, Co. Cork

Marie Louise Heffernan, Aster Environmental Consultants, Rosleague, Letterfrack, Co Galway.

Bryan Deegan, Altemar Ltd Marine&Environ mental Consultants, 50 Tern plecarrig, Upper
Greystones, Co Wicklow.

Eoin Cussen BSc, MSc, /John Thompson EcoEireann, Acorn Business Centre Blackrock, Cork, T12 K7CV

Dr. Louise Scally MCIEEM/Nick Pfeiffer MCIEEM/ Jackie Hunt, MERC Consultants Ltd., Loughaunbeg lnverin, Co. Galway

Richard Barker, Macro Works, Hibernia House, Cherrywood Business Park, Loughlinstown, Dublin 18

William Kavanagh, 81 Rowan Hill, Rochestown, Co. Cork

Hamish Rodger, B.V.M.S., M.Sc., Ph.D., Dipl.ECAAH, M.R.C.V.S, VAI Consulting, Unit 1C, Deerpark Business Centre, Oranmore, Co. Galway, Ireland

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