MARINE TIMES NEWSPAPER FOR IRELAND'S FISHING, MARINE AND COASTAL COMMUNITIES

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MARINE TIMES NEWSPAPER FOR IRELAND'S FISHING, MARINE AND COASTAL COMMUNITIES
Marine Times
Newspaper for Ireland’s Fishing, Marine and Coastal Communities
Published Monthly               Volume 30 No. 10               ISSN 0791-1548             March 2018              Price: €3.00 - [Stg. £3.00]

The new Stella Nova launched in Killybegs - Full report inside this issue

                                                                            We Continue to Harm Ourselves
                                                                            In a hard-hitting article the Chief Executive of the Irish Fish Producers’
                                                                            Organisation says the inspection of foreign vessels landing into Irish ports is
                                                                            meaningless and that there should be an onus on the Sea Fisheries Protection
                                                                            Authority to ensure that such vessels can prove what quotas they have. He says
                                                                            that Ireland is discriminating against its own fishermen and is ignoring the
                                                                            need for controls on non-Irish EU vessels fishing in our exclusive zone. This is
                                                                            a challenge to the Minister for the Marine, the Government and the SFPA to
                                                                            explain their actions. See page 7 for full report

                                                                            Will There Be New Fishing
                                                                            Restrictions Inside Six Miles?
                                                                            Department of the Marine officials are working on proposals to introduce re-
                                                                            strictions on fishing within the 6-mile limit. There is some difference within
                                                                            the Department about whether such restrictions could or should be imposed
                                                                            because of predicted resistance in the fishing industry, the economic impact on
                                                                            pelagic and polyvalent boats above 12 metres and the political fall-out for the
                                                                            Government in coastal regions. See page 5 & 6

                                                                            Two Hundred Coast Guard Volunteers
                                                                            Apply to Trade Union for Help
                                                                            Two hundred Coast Guard volunteers from
                                                                            units at various parts of the Irish coastline
                                                                            have applied to the Communication Workers’
                                                                            Union for membership. This is the latest de-
                                                                            velopment in the on-going personnel difficul-
                                                                            ties within the Coast Guard. The number is
                                                                            one-fifth of Coast Guard volunteer strength.
                                                                                                   Full report on page 19
MARINE TIMES NEWSPAPER FOR IRELAND'S FISHING, MARINE AND COASTAL COMMUNITIES
PAGE 2 • Marine Times Newspaper - March 2018

New Website to Provide Essential
                                                                                                                               the fine Art
Information for Inshore Fishermen
                                                                                                                               of Marine Finance
     The National Inshore Fishermen’s Association’s (NIFA) has just
launched its new website which will give inshore fishermen easy access to                                                      by Art Kavanagh
all the latest information on what is going on in the inshore sector.
                                                                                                      If You Stare at a Statue for Long Enough-
                                                                                                      I Swear It Will Move!!!!
                                                                                                          I am working on a number of Bank Applications at the moment and
                                                                                                      am being plunged further and further into despair at the level of detail
                                                                                                      and reassurance being sought.
                                                                                                            There is a scene in a play by tal-          Marine Mortgages or what they are trying to
                                                                                                      ented Donegal Writer Frank McGuin-                protect themselves from. In some cases, the
                                                                                                      ness where a Quiz is being conducted and          Legal Costs can come to 5 % of the Loan
                                                                                                      where the Quizmaster clearly favours one          Amount which is cruel. A Marine Mortgage
                                                                                                      of the Teams. Let’s call them Teams A and         is a solid instrument and is registered using
                                                                                                      B. Question to Team A – How many peo-             a Statutory Form issued by the Registry. It
                                                                                                      ple attended the GAA All Ireland Foot-            needs no embellishment or improvement by
                                                                                                      ball Final Last year? Answer - 82243              anyone.
                                                                                                      Correct; Question to Team B – 82243 peo-                 In the Registry there will be no refer-
                                                                                                      ple attended the All Ireland Football Final       ence to the Collateral Agreements which the
                                                                                                      last year - NAME THEM!!!!! I think we are         Bank will insist on despite the fact that the
                                                                                                      on Team B sometimes!!                             Collateral Agreement will be basically a re-
       NIFA was set up in 2017 to represent,       members by bringing them advice and best
protect and promote the interests of Ireland’s     practice in terms of running their businesses.           I know that Credit decisions need to be     statement of the terms of the Loan Offer.
inshore fishermen. Several members of NIFF         Selling together to ensure that its members        correctly founded but how deep do you need               Maybe the Bank Legal and Loan
(National Inshore Fisheries Forum) realised        capture as much of the value they create, as       to dig?? I have always claimed that you can       Drawdown people might have a look at that.
there was a need for an organisation to orga-      it is possible to do.                              talk yourself out of anything if you spend               I have to say sadly that the over analy-
nise the inshore sector, not only to support              The main funding mechanism for the          long enough at it                                 sis and attention to over managing the Secu-
structures but to make full use of them and        fisheries sector, the European Maritime and              If you stare at a statue for long enough-   rity is an Industry malady. It is not confined
realise their full potential. NIFA now works       Fisheries Fund (EMFF) allows for an in-            I swear it will move!!!!                          to one Bank - although some are a little more
with the NIFF via a memorandum of under-           creased rate of funding for what it defines              I was thinking recently about the           difficult to please than others!!!!
standing.                                          as “Small Scale Coastal Fisheries”. That is        comparison of the perceived risks between                The atmosphere of reluctance and na-
       Other potential benefits of having an       fisheries that are prosecuted by “Vessels of       Agriculture and Fishing. They can both be         ked fear which prevails in Lending Services
organisation that allowed inshore opera-           an overall length of less than 12 meters and       savaged by the weather but the ability of         is not healthy lads. There must be some
tors to work collectively, became apparent         not using towed gear as listed in Table 3 of       a fishing project to recover far outstrips a      Trust involved
during the early developmental stages of the       Annex I to Commission Regulation (EC) No           Farming difficulty even without any Gov-                 Overdependence on Trust did not
NIFA, these benefits include improving the         26/2004”                                           ernment Assistance. Bad weather can ab-           cause the crash and there was very little neg-
profitability of its members, something that              In order for Ireland’s SSCF (Small          solutely destroy a Farm in that if Crops are      ative fallout from the crash involving the
the NIFA is very focused on.                       Scale Coastal Fisheries) operators to fully        lost not only is the Income from the mature       Seafood Sector.
       On its website, NIFA states that its pur-   avail of this mechanism the NIFA is solely         Crop lost - the farmer must then finance the
pose is to make measurable and sustainable         concerned with SSCF operators. However,            removal of the failed Crop from the Ground              The resolution of the difficulty on the
impact on the revenue and livelihood of in-        recognising that there are many operators in       and the preparation and re seeding of the         Porcupine Bank is good and now let’s make
shore fishing folk and will achieve this by        Ireland’s inshore sector that do not conform       land to create a new crop.                        sure that even if we don’t like the conditions
being focused on the needs and well-being          to the EU’s SSCF definition, and in order to
                                                                                                            In similar situation the Fisherman and      we try to abide by them and go forward con-
of boat owners and their crews involved            foster a spirit of unity and solidarity with all
                                                                                                      his crew will obviously lose their income         fidently.
solely in inshore fishing.                         of the inshore sector, a sister organisation,
                                                                                                      for the weeks lost but apart from payment
       NIFA will advocate on behalf of its         the NIFO (National Inshore Fishermen’s
members, fighting for support and resourc-         Organisation) was also established to cater        of some fixed expenses (Insurance) once the             I still claim that as a large grouping
es from State and European Institutions            for inshore operators that do not conform to       Weather allows they can get back in Busi-         you should try to evolve a management
charged with supporting rural development          the EU’s SSCF definition. Both the NIFA            ness.                                             structure to distribute the available quotas
and a sustainable industry. They will also         and the NIFO work closely together under                 In both instances I believe that the        to avoid squabbling within the Industry. You
give members insights to policy makers to          the federation umbrella of the Federation of       Lenders should be proactive in offering Pay-      are better than that lads.
ensure their members can compete effective-        Irish Inshore Fishing Associations. (FIIFA).       ment Holidays without having to re run the
ly to sustain their families and to enrich rural          NIFA and NIFO are now actively in-          complete gambit of Credit                              Hope to see many of you in Galway
Ireland.                                           viting membership applications, both organ-              How good it would be to have a safe-        in March.
       Buying together to reduce the cost of       isations are facilitated for through the NIFA      guard built in to any Loan Approvals to cov-
fishing and improve the quality of life of its     website www.inshore.ie                             er periods of non-ability to earn.                      Stay safe everyone.
                                                                                                            I’m not sure where the Banks think
                                                                                                      they are going with the process of taking

    “Voyager” heading to Kilmore Quay via the Saltees - Photo by Alan Hinchy
MARINE TIMES NEWSPAPER FOR IRELAND'S FISHING, MARINE AND COASTAL COMMUNITIES
Marine Times Newspaper - March 2018 • PAGE 3

Burren Smokehouse Recognised for Sustainable
Sourcing and Practices at Annual Green Awards
    The Burren Smokehouse in Co. Clare has been recognised as ‘Green
Seafood Business of the Year’ at the annual Green Awards. The company
run by the dynamic Birgitta and Peter Curtin is renowned for its premi-
um and award winning Irish Organic salmon and mackerel products.
      The Green Seafood Business award,          their dedication to sustainability across the
sponsored by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM),          seafood value chain. Well done to the team
recognises seafood companies that are ex-        at Burren Smokehouse and all the Green fi-
celing in sustainable business practices and     nalists’
the Burren Smokehouse’s commitment to                  The Burren Smokehouse was also
sustainable sourcing and practices is evident    nominated in three other categories at the
in their business as Birgitta explains: ‘The     Green Awards: Green Tourism & Entertain-
Burren Smokehouse team are thrilled to win       ment Award, Small Organisation of the Year
the Green Seafood Business award. We are         and the Green Food & Beverage Award
passionate about developing our business               Birgitta and Peter Curtin set up the
in a way that protects the local environment     Burren Smokehouse in Lisdoonvarna,
and supports local communities. We have          County Clare in 1989. Inspired by the smok-
made major reductions in energy savings of       ing customs from Birgitta’s native Sweden,
29% and waste reduction both in food waste       Ireland’s traditional smoking methods and
and waste to landfill by 19%. Our invest-        a unique flavour of burren oak, the Curtin’s
                                                                                                  Jim O’Toole, Chief Executive, BIM with Birgitta Heidin Curtin, Burren Smokehouse
ment in energy efficient equipment has paid      have built a hugely successful, multi-award
                                                                                                  winner of the Green Seafood Business of the Year Award.
off as well as our change in work practices      winning business over the last 30 years.
and commitment to our local community,                 The Burren Smokehouse now supplies                The Burren Smokehouse Visitor Cen-       Trail & Burren Ecotourism Network who
education and networking. Burren Smoke-          Burren smoked salmon, trout and mackerel         tre, located only 15 minutes from the Cliffs    has won two International Awards in 2015
house sources 100% Irish Organic Salmon          to customers all over the world. Only the fin-   of Moher, has become a popular tourist at-      –National Geographic Award for Leadership
from the West Coast of Ireland and we have       est salmon is used by master smoker, Peadar      traction in the North County Clare area and     in sustainable tourism, Eden Award for an
achieved Origin Green certification and the      Reilly and so the Curtin’s source their fresh    welcomes over 30,000 visitors from all over     Area of Excellence in Gastronomy & Sus-
Burren Code of Practice for the Burren Eco-      organic salmon from sites at Clare Island and    the world each year.                            tainable Tourism. The Network also won a
tourism Network and Burren Geopark’              the Iveragh Peninsula on the Ring of Kerry.             Burren Smokehouse was one of the         National Award for Foodie Town competi-
      Jim O’Toole, CEO of BIM congratu-                The Burren Smokehouse offers two           first Smokehouses to receive Organic Certi-     tion run by Irish Times.
lated the Burren Smokehouse on their win;        methods of smoking, both of which use oak        fication by IOFGA 1998 and also received              Burren Smokehouse achieved the Bur-
‘Birgitta and Peter and the entire team at       shavings to generate the smoke creating a        Naturland Certification in 2011. The Natur-     ren Code of Practice as part of the Burren
the Burren Smokehouse have consistently          distinctive flavour. Cold smoking is the tra-    land Certification certifies social standards   Ecotourism Network in the Burren Geopark.
looked at innovative ways to improve their       ditional Irish method where the temperature      as well as production & product standards.      Waste, Energy and Water usage data is re-
business and this includes building sus-         never rises above 35°C, resulting in an easily   The company is a verified member of Bord        ported annually as well as Leave no Trace
tainable practices into their operations. The    sliced product with a very smooth texture.       Bia Origin Green                                training, Community clean up and continued
Burren Smokehouse have not only looked           Hot Smoked Salmon, where temperatures                   The Burren Smokehouse also won the       training opportunities for the Team recorded.
at cost efficiencies but their commitment to     rise as high as 80°C, produces a texture more    Seafood Sustainability award at the Marine            For further information on Burren
sourcing sustainable Irish Organic salmon        similar to grilled salmon with a distinctively   Awards in 2017                                  Smokehouse please visit www.burren-
and seafood for their products is testament to   smoked flavour.                                         They are members of the Burren Food      smokehouse.com
MARINE TIMES NEWSPAPER FOR IRELAND'S FISHING, MARINE AND COASTAL COMMUNITIES
PAGE 4 • Marine Times Newspaper - March 2018

                                                                               Penalty Points System Needs to Take
                                                                               On Board Supreme Court Ruling
                                                                               Two previous attempts to introduce the Points System
                                                                               failed before the Courts
                                                                                    Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher Leas Cheann Comhairle has raised
                                                                               the issue of the Penalty Points system with the Minister for Agriculture,
                                                                               Food and the Marine Michael Creed in the Dáil, questioning the Minister
                                                                               on the matter of the two previous failed attempts to bring in this new sys-
                                                                               tem of sanctioning fishermen – it is essential that the constitutional rights
                                                                               of the citizen are protected and individual’s right of appeal is guaranteed.
                                                                                      The Supreme Court has already ruled       cepted principles of common law. The sys-
                                                                               that the two previous Statutory Instruments      tem which was attempted to be brought in by
                                                                               (SI) to be unconstitutional and unfair to the    the Government placed the burden of proof
                                                                               rights of the individual to appeal a prose-      on the fisherman – in other words they were
                                                                               cution. Any attempt by the Bureaucrats in        guilty until thy proven themselves innocent
               Ardent at Dunmore East. Photo by William Power                  Brussels to blackmail the Irish people with      – this is totally unacceptable.
           Girl Stephanie at Killybegs. Photo by Ronan Cunningham
                                                                               the withdrawal of funding under the Euro-               Pat the Cope informed the Minister
                                                                               pean Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)          for the Marine that until such principles of
                                                                               must be resisted and challenged by the Gov-      fairness and rights appeal are guaranteed
                                                                               ernment; furthermore Brussels must respect       by the Government and clearly incorporat-
                                                                               the rights of the Irish citizen under our con-   ed into the new SI on penalty points – it is
                                                                               stitution.                                       only then the Fianna Fáil party would con-
                                                                                      Pat the Cope added the Minister must      sider supporting the introduction of any draft
                                                                               stand up to the pressures from Europe to in-     Statutory Instrument dealing with penalty
                                                                               troduce a system which is in keeping with        points. I also called upon the Minister to
                                                                               the principles of common law and the rights      actively engage with the sector and consult
                                                                               of the Irish citizen under the Irish Constitu-   with the fishermen’s organisations in order
                                                                               tion, in the two previous judgements by the      to chart the best possible route forward.
                                                                               Irish Courts – the Courts were very critical     The two-previous draft SI’s fell well short
                                                                               of the attempts not to afford the right of       of what would be acceptable and after two
                                                                               appeal to the Irish Fishermen. I impressed       failed attempts to bring in the new system
                                                                               on the Minister that any new SI must al-         it is going to be important the Minister con-
                                                                               low for unrestricted rights of appeal by the     sult widely and bring on board the rulings
                                                                               fishermen, it must restore the common law        of the Irish Courts. At the conclusion of the
                                                                               principle of each party being innocent until     Dáil debate the Minister for Agriculture,
                                                                               proven guilty and most importantly no one is     Food and the Marine assured the house that
                                                                               sanctioned with fixed penalty points on their    the new SI would be fully reflective of the
                                                                               respective licences, until all appeals open to   Supreme Court decision concluded Pat the
                                                                               the individual are exhausted in line with ac-    Cope.

           Keriolet towing at Kinsale gas rigs. Photo by Patrick Healy
 Our Lass II off the Hook on her way to Dunmore East. Photo by William Power
MARINE TIMES NEWSPAPER FOR IRELAND'S FISHING, MARINE AND COASTAL COMMUNITIES
Marine Times Newspaper - March 2018 • PAGE 5

Islanders Urge Politicians to Bring Fishing Bill Across the Line
to Save Their Communities
     Island communities around Ireland are one step closer to being                                opportunities available to them, as referred     model to be used as a template for the wider
allowed to fish quota species on a seasonal basis, just as their ancestors                         to in Article 16, Member States shall use        inshore sector in Ireland and across Europe.
                                                                                                   transparent and objective criteria including            The bill formalises support for islands
did over generations.                                                                                                                               as per paragraph 20 of the Common Fisher-
                                                                                                   those of an environmental, social and
       The Irish Islands Marine Resource         will step up to the plate and get this over the   economic nature. The criteria to be used may     ies Policy (CFP) and satisfies member states
Organisation (IIMRO) have welcomed the           line.”                                            include, inter alia, the impact of fishing on    legal obligations regarding support for small
passage of the Island Fisheries (Heritage               The Island Heritage License Bill was       the environment, the history of compliance,      offshore islands and the fair allocation of
License) Bill through the second stage           initiated by Donegal Sinn Fein TD Pearse          the contribution to the local economy and        fishing opportunities (CFP Article 17).
debate in the Dáil in early February.            Doherty in support of fishermen from              historic catch levels. Within the fishing               It introduces provisions for non-trans-
       The development, if it passes through     Arranmore Island in his constituency of           opportunities allocated to them, Member          ferable island community quota for CFP
all stages and is written into legislation,      Donegal along with Martin Kenny, Sinn Fein        States shall endeavour to provide incentives     quota species and enables traditional season-
means that Ireland’s 30 offshore islands will    TD for Sligo-Leitrim and Martin Ferris for                                                         al fisheries around the islands within the six
                                                                                                   to fishing vessels deploying selective fishing
be allowed to use low impact fishing gear        Kerry. This came following recommendation                                                          mile limit and baseline.
                                                                                                   gear or using fishing techniques with reduced
and fish in a sustainable way. The move will     in a 2014 cross-party Oireachtas report and                                                               These will be non transferable heritage
                                                                                                   environmental impact, such as reduced
also help non-quota species such as crab and     it will benefit 30 island communities across                                                       licenses to be operable only when licensee
                                                                                                   energy consumption or habitat damage.“           is aboard the vessel and applies to under 12
lobster recover, which are currently fished      Ireland.                                                 This Bill is the first time that          meter vessels using low-impact, non-towed
all year round.                                         The vote was also supported by             recognition for the islands will be formalised   fishing gear.
       Recognition for the offshore islands      Fianna Fáil, The Green Party, Labour and          in Irish law by allowing island based                   It is hoped that this will be an inno-
is at the heart of the Common Fisheries          Independent TDs from all over Ireland.            fishers fair access to the fishery resource      vative partnership approach between island
Policy since 2012 with the inclusion of the             “We are delighted that this has gained     (fishing opportunities) in the inshore waters    fishermen, state agencies and scientific ex-
following text in the CFP preamble. It states:   the support of all of the opposition parties      around their communities. Successful             perts.
“Small offshore islands which are dependent      and groups and we look forward to the             implementation will allow the island heritage
on fishing should, where appropriate, be         opportunity to work with all parties at Dáil
especially recognised and supported in order     Committee Stage to ensure that we bring the
to enable them to survive and prosper.”          best bill possible forward for introduction
       Jerry Early, Chairperson of IMRO said:    into legislation,” a spokesperson from
“The introduction of measures to help return     IMRO said.
fishing opportunities to island fishers won’t           He added: “We also welcome the
come a minute too soon for communities           government’s willingness to engage
under pressure. Fishing is an inherent part of   positively with all parties to strengthen
island culture and we have been working to       the Bill, despite the simplistic negative
address shortcomings in the current system       presentation on behalf of the Department
for over ten years now. These measures will      of Agriculture Food and the Marine in the
be cost neutral to the exchequer and will go a   Minister’s absence.”
long way to help island communities survive             IIMRO have met extensively with
and prosper into the future.”                    elected representatives and EU commission
       He added: “It’s more important than       officials who have assured us that measures
ever before for communities like ours to         addressed in the Heritage License Bill meet
be able to be self-sufficient and to create      all criteria within the Common Fisheries
employment opportunities. Allowing us to         Policy, particularly Article 17. See text
fish and responsibly use natural resources       below:                                            Neil Kavanagh, Muireann Kavanagh, Seamus Kavanagh, Anthon Kavanagh. Arran-
around us will keep our community, and                  “Criteria for the allocation of fishing    more Island Fishers © IIMRO
communities like ours all over Ireland, alive.   opportunities by Member States
It’s so badly needed so I hope our politicians          When      allocating     the     fishing   Will There Be New Fishing Restrictions
                                                                                                   Inside Six Miles?
                                                                                                   Tom MacSweeney reports
                                                                                                       Department of the Marine officials are working on proposals to in-
                                                                                                   troduce restrictions on fishing within the 6-mile limit.
                                                                                                         There is some difference within the        “larger vessels,” went for fishmeal.
                                                                                                   Department about whether such restrictions              These have resulted in pressure to pro-
                                                                                                   could or should be imposed because of pre-       tect juvenile pelagic stocks in nursery areas,
                                                                                                   dicted resistance in the fishing industry, the   particularly because of the claims that such
                                                                                                   economic impact on pelagic and polyvalent        catches have been damaging inshore fish-
                                                                                                   boats above 12 metres and the political fall-    ermen and destructive environmentally, as
                                                                                                   out for the Government in coastal regions.       well as being used for fishmeal.
                                                                                                         As a result, there will be no immedi-             The BIM assessment examined the im-
                                                                                                   ate introduction of restrictions, but Minister   pact of restrictions, separating them into the
                                                                                                   Michael Creed is being pressed to begin a        effects on vessels between 12 and 18 metres,
                                                                                                   public consultation.                             regarded as dependent on access within six
                                                                                                         Some fishing representative organisa-      miles and those over 18 metres, regarded as
                                                                                                   tions have already indicated that any restric-   less so. The assessment ranged from a pos-
                                                                                                   tions will be opposed. This follows circula-     sible €2m. loss for 12-18 metre vessels with
                                                                                                   tion to them of an assessment of the impact      a figure around €1m., for over 18 metres,
                                                                                                   of restrictions. One was done by Bord Ias-       this figure mostly related to catches of sprat,
                                                                                                   caigh Mhara. There was a separate report         which have been particularly complained
                                                                                                   from the Marine Institute. These were sent to    about as being used for fishmeal. There was
                                                                                                   producer organisations and to inshore fisher-    a suggestion that potential total losses for
                                                                                                   ies representatives.                             both fleets could be much higher.
                                                                                                         In the past few months there have been            Sprat was described as only one of the
                                                                                                   several instances reported of small boat         species caught inside six miles, Nephrops
                                                                                                   owners and environmental organisations           and herring were also taken and the lack of
                                                                                                   complaining about larger trawlers fishing        replacement catch would impact on exclud-
                                                                                                   in bays and estuaries. The Shannon Estuary,      ed vessels and their economic operations,
                                                                                                   West Cork and Donegal were amongst areas         according to the reports.
                                                                                                   involved and a number of complaints are un-             Department sources have indicated
                                                                                                   derstood to have been made to the Depart-        that inshore fishermen would welcome re-
                                                                                                   ment of the Marine, claiming that some of        strictions.
                                                                                                   the catches taken by what were described as,
MARINE TIMES NEWSPAPER FOR IRELAND'S FISHING, MARINE AND COASTAL COMMUNITIES
PAGE 6 • Marine Times Newspaper - March 2018

                       THE FORUM                                                                      Marine Times Newspaper
                       Current issues in the fishing and                                                                           Editor: Mark Mc Carthy
                       marine industries discussed by                                                  Deputy Editor: Tom MacSweeney • Features / Advertising: Anne Murray
                       Marine Times Deputy Editor,
                       Tom MacSweeney                                                                   T: 074 9736899 E: editor@marinetimes.ie W: www.marinetimes.ie

Well Past Time for State to Change                                                                   ‘If you don’t want a man unhappy politically, don’t give him two sides to a question to
                                                                                                     worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none …. Cram them full of non-combusti-

from Negative to Positive Attitude
                                                                                                     ble data, chock them so damned full of “facts” they feel stuffed, but absolutely “brilliant”
                                                                                                     with information. Then they’ll feel they’re thinking, they’ll get a sense of motion without
                                                                                                     moving. And they’ll be happy, because facts of that sort don’t change. Don’t give them any
Towards Fishing                                                                                      slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with. That way lies melancholy.’

    No matter what Government Ministers, politicians, political and                                  Ray Brabury, Fahrenheit 451
economic commentators and the national media say, no matter how they
wriggle around the issue, the Irish fishing industry has been used and                               Dystopia vs Utopia
abused by the European Union for the benefit of the bigger, stronger,
more powerful fishing nations.
       The fishing industry has contributed            Why is this?                                  W      e are all guilty of it – our lives have become so chock full of information that we
                                                                                                            read a headline and consider ourselves nourished by what it is feeding us. In this
                                                                                                     dystopian society we no longer have the time to read past the first few lines of any news
more to the EU to pay for the benefits which
the Irish people have gained from Europe,              Why is it continuously alleged that           article and as Bradbury correctly forecast in his brilliant novel, Fahrenheit 451 (written
than any other section of Irish life, industry   there is one type of law being applied to           in 1953) this is what the powers that be would gladly see happen.
or economic. It is an indictment of all those    Irish fishermen and another to non-Irish?
interests that they have not stood up for or                                                         We are bombarded by so many ‘facts’ on news channels and social media platforms that
supported the Irish fishing industry and an           Why are there no politicians in                we have become apathetic to the actual story behind the headlines.
indication of their disregard for the fishing    the Dáil demanding answers to what is
and coastal communities.                         happening?                                          Take for instance the following headlines in this issue of the Marine Times: ‘We Contin-
       Those hard facts need saying and                                                              ue to Harm Ourselves’ and ‘Figures Which I Do Question’. How many of you will read
Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, who likes to speak            Why is the national media, which              past the headline? How many of you will read Tom MacSweeney’s ‘Forum’ adjacent
in support of those “who get up early in the     has focussed on several instances of                to this editorial?
morning to work…” should acknowledge             discrimination and abuse in Irish life, not
that fishermen get up very early and in more     focussing on this, but ready to highlight
                                                 any alleged transgression by the fishing
                                                                                                     What is this ‘utopia’ I have in our headline above? It is an imagined community or soci-
difficult and dangerous conditions than most
other occupations, to go to work.                industry?                                           ety that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its citizens. You could
       In this edition of the MARINE TIMES,                                                          also say that utopia is a perfect “place” that has been designed so there are no problems
you will read in the monthly column by                  Read Francis O’Donnell’s column “WE          – this is the la la land that our regulators and enforcers believe we exist in.
Francis O’Donnell, Chief Executive of the        CONTINUE TO HARM OURSELVES.”
Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation, shocking     (Page 7) It is an eye-opener about the              So, if you do one thing today as you pick up this paper – read the stories … go past the
revelations which are strong criticism of        treatment of the Irish fishing industry by          headlines. Become emotive about the contents – this is your industry we are fighting
the Government and its State agency, the         the State. And then read, also in this issue,       for. Time for everybody to become invested before we become ever more immersed in
Sea Fisheries Protection, over fisheries         about the treatment by the Department of the        this dystopia, simply translated as “not-good place”.
regulations implemented “with gusto” on          Marine over many years, of the aquaculture
Irish fishing vessels, but not on non-Irish      industry (page 12). Fish farming has taken
EU vessels which land into Irish ports
with catches taken in the Irish Exclusive
                                                 the brunt of critical media coverage. When it
                                                 has been deserved, the industry has accepted
                                                                                                    Creed Discusses the Issue of Large Trawlers
Economic Zone, he claims.                        it, but there has been a lack of balance - and     Operating in Inshore Waters with Inshore Fishermen
       “Non Irish fishing vessels are landing    I say that as a long-experienced member of
into Irish ports daily with catches of prime     the media.
fish,” he says. “Why wouldn’t they. No one              Richie Flynn, the IFA’s Aquaculture
                                                                                                         At the most recent meeting of the National Inshore Fisheries Forum
knows what quota they have if any, and for       Executive, says that he hopes never again          (NIFF) Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed
what species. The inspection of such vessels     to have to hear “the convoluted story behind       T.D., announced that he expects to publish a consultation paper to review
is meaningless. Surely there has to be a         successive Governments’ failures to meet           the options for more restricted access for large fishing vessels fishing by
legal onus on the Sea Fisheries Protection       basic EU environmental law.” Six hundred
Authority to ensure that any vessel landing      licence applications are backed up in the
                                                                                                    means of trawls inside Ireland’s six nautical mile zone. This issue has
into an Irish Port has quota, how much           Department’s system. Marine Minister               been the subject of scientific and economic reports by the Marine Insti-
and for what species. If this cannot be done     Michael Creed has promised a decision              tute and Bord Iascaigh Mhara and some preliminary engagement with
why are we allowing this to continue when        on 300 this year and the remaining 300 by          fisheries representative groups, including the NIFF.
national and EU taxpayers money is being         next year. This is after a delay of ten years
used for control purposes?”                      apparently!                                              Minster Creed said, “I recognise that      tions on conservation measures for brown
       It has been admitted previously by               Mr. Flynn reveals that, if an               this issue has been raised by the National       crab and razor clams. The consultations
the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority that      aquaculture operation wants to change even         Inshore Fisheries Forum since its inception      were held following recommendations from
they do not – and apparently have not the        the configuration of trestles it uses, it has to   and that there are concerns about the rela-      the NIFF and the measures are under consid-
resources to – check all of these non-Irish      apply for a licence review which could take        tively open access for large trawlers to our     eration for their potential benefits to protect
vessels. That was admitted to this paper when    between two and five years to process!             inshore areas. The Inshore fisheries sector      fish stocks in the long term. The Minister
we investigated reports of such landings,               What other industry is subjected to         (including Coastal and Island fisherman) is      also discussed the impact of Brexit on the
offloaded straight into trucks without           such treatment?                                    dependent on inshore fish stocks. I am open      fishing sector.
inspection and transported immediately out              It is long past the time when State         to looking at the benefits, from an economic            The National Inshore Fisheries Forum
of Ireland.                                      attitude to the fishing industry was changed       perspective for the inshore fleet of introduc-   also updated the Minister on its progress in
       Yet the SFPA appears to have enough       from negative to positive at the highest           ing some restrictions on large vessels. This     preparing a sector-specific strategy for the
inspection staff who can wait on quaysides       levels.                                            could also have a positive biological impact     first time. Supported by BIM and a steering
for Irish vessels to arrive and be inspected                                                        on fish stocks and bio-diversity. I am await-    group including the Department of Agricul-
immediately.                                           deputyeditormarinetimes@gmail.com            ing a paper from the Department setting out      ture, Food and the Marine, the Marine Insti-
                                                                                                    the issues, possible benefits and options to     tute and the SFPA, consultants are facilitat-
  Annual Memorial Service at Dunmore East Harbour                                                   inform my consideration of the issues and        ing the preparation of an Inshore Fisheries
                                                                                                    possible impacts, both positive and negative.    Strategy on behalf of the NIFF. Steps taken
      Please join us at the Annual Service                                                          I am planning to undertake a public consul-      to date include preliminary consultation, a
                                                                                                    tation on the options and to hear and under-     workshop with the Regional Inshore Fisher-
      for those who lost their lives at sea                                                         stand the diverse interests of stakeholders to   ies Forums and feedback sessions with the
                                                                                                    ensure that any new measures introduced are      Steering Group. The Minister welcomed the
            The rearranged Service will now be held on
                                                                                                    fair and balanced.”                              news that the next expected output is a draft
                    Saturday April 7th at 3pm                                                             The Minister and the NIFF also dis-        strategy document for public consultation.
            at the Memorial, The Quay, Dunmore East                                                 cussed feedback on recent public consulta-
MARINE TIMES NEWSPAPER FOR IRELAND'S FISHING, MARINE AND COASTAL COMMUNITIES
Marine Times Newspaper - March 2018 • PAGE 7

 The Francis O’Donnell View                                                                         economic disadvantage by allowing this to
                                                                                                    continue.
                                                                                                                                                       on a new policy whereby a nephrop vessel
                                                                                                                                                       will have to opt for a fishing area per trip.
                                                                                                            It’s difficult to rationalise why I or     In essence, the vessel would have to report
                        In a hard-hitting article the Chief Executive of the Irish Fish
                                                                                                    anyone is still raising this point about a         back to port before going to another area.
                        Producers’ Organisation says the inspection of foreign vessels
                                                                                                    control system that is supposed to be the                The SFPA advocated this policy
                        landing into Irish ports is meaningless and that there should be an
                                                                                                    same for all EU fishermen considering              change.
                        onus on the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority to ensure that such
                                                                                                    modern data transfer systems.                            This will have major economic
                        vessels can prove what quotas they have. He says that Ireland is
                                                                                                          The Common Fisheries Policy is               and safety issues. Moreover, it removes
                        discriminating against its own fishermen and is ignoring the need
                                                                                                    supposed to be just that and the Control           the flexibility that is essential for vessels
                        for controls on non-Irish EU vessels fishing in our exclusive zone.
                                                                                                    Regulation, the mechanism to enforce               to remain viable. Fishing is a highly
                        This is a challenge to the Minister for the Marine, the Government
                                                                                                    fisheries law on an equal basis for all            migratory business.
                        and the SFPA to explain their actions.
                                                                                                    fishermen.                                               I take you back to the spit and the
                                                                                                          As European citizens, surely the least       availability of Irishmen to keep turning it

 We Continue to Harm Ourselves
                                                                                                    we can expect is to be treated the same as         on their own people.
                                                                                                    other EU citizens. Actually, we are. It is               Will all vessels fishing in the
                                                                                                    the law and enshrined in a number of EU            Porcupine bank, French, and Spanish for
     As George Bernard Shaw once said “Put an Irishman on a spit and                                treaties.                                          example be subject to this new reporting
                                                                                                          However, in terms of fisheries it is not     measure?
 you can always get another Irishman to turn him”.                                                  happening.                                               ‘No’ is the simple answer, even
       We are a brilliant nation at harming              Surely there has to be a legal onus on           This brings me to the more substantive       though FU16 is in the Irish EEZ.
 ourselves and this is particularly true when      the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority to        issue of how we deal with this. It can only              This like many processes is arbitrary,
 it comes to managing our marine fisheries.        ensure that any vessel landing into an Irish     be done by exposing such discrimination            moreover discriminatory.
       We adopt EU fisheries regulations           Port has quota, how much and for what            on a national and European legal platform.
 with gusto for our own fishing vessels and        species?                                         Fisheries control is critical as fishermen               I think it may be time to start
 ignore the need for transparent control                 The need to have a fully transparent       need to be protected from themselves.              teasing out the bigger issue of economic
 systems for non-Irish EU vessels fishing          system to prove this to an Irish Fisheries             Fisheries control has to be equal.           discrimination that Irish fishermen are
 in our Exclusive Economic Zone. It’s a            Inspector should be of paramount                       We tend to think of ourselves as Irish       being exposed to.
 massive ‘elephant in the room,’ one no one        importance. If this cannot be done why are       Fishermen. It may be that we need to think
 wants to discuss. I am finding harder and         we allowing this to continue when national       of ourselves as EU fishermen and insist                  If we accept that we are European
 harder to ignore it.                              and EU taxpayers money is being used for         on the real harmonisation of rules and in          citizens confined by the Common
       Non-Irish fishing vessels are landing       control purposes?                                particular the interpretation of EU fisheries      Fisheries Policy and the EU control
 into Irish ports daily with catches of prime            A very significant slice of the            regulations. It’s incredible that non-Irish        regulation it might be time to make a
 fish.                                             European Maritime and Fisheries Fund             vessels are treated differently to Irish vessels   formal approach to the EU Ombudsman,
       Why wouldn’t they?                          plus Exchequer funding goes into fisheries       in Irelands EEZ. Surely this is against            on the grounds of unfair procedure in
       No one knows what quota they have           control.                                         various EU conventions to ensure equal             terms of maladministration being meted
 if any, and for what species.                           My opinion is that Ireland is              access to resources and to markets for all         out to Irish fishermen by EU institutions
       The inspection of such vessels is           discriminating against its own fishing           citizens.                                          and national authorities.
 meaningless.                                      citizens and putting them at a major                   Minister Creed has recently signed off

                                                          Letters to the Editor
Restoration of Traditional Fishing of Ireland                                                       an opportunity for bright, young seamen to
                                                                                                    learn the important skills of the trade, such
                                                                                                                                                       addressed. The traditional salmon fishing
                                                                                                                                                       has survived through the millennia. We un-
                                                                                                    as tides, splicing and the art of net mending.     derstand the seasons, the tides, and most im-
This might be our final opportunity to implement                                                    When fishing communities lose their rights         portantly, we know the pattern of the salm-
change that will save our fishing communities, and                                                  to pass on such important traditions and wis-      on. This life is now near extinction.
we must act now.                                                                                    dom, it is time to call a halt.                          We now call on our politicians to ad-
                                                                                                          Traditional fishermen are the only           dress, as a matter of urgency, the plight of
Editor                                             services such as credit unions, pubs, restau-    sector of Irish fishermen without a regional       the traditional salmon fisherman, and for the
Marine Times Newspaper                             rants, fish markets, boat builders, mechanical   and national forum supported by the govern-        restoration of our licences and rights to fish
                                                   engineers, and locally based employment.         ment, and we believe major economic op-            salmon. It would be sad to see multicultural
A Dhaoine Uaisle,                                        The traditional salmon fishermen are       portunities are being lost because of this.        Ireland kill off its own maritime culture.
       As we go into the second decade of the      the true fishermen, and from this culture              It is our contention over fishing by
suspension of our traditional fisheries, we        came great seamen, and some of the top           large foreign boats at sea, victimisation and      Yours sincerely
the fishing community are calling for a halt       deep-water fishermen of the current day.         discrimination of our fishing families and         Restoration of Traditional Fishing
to this policy. It is killing our small fishing    It was, and is, more than just a fishery, but    communities are the issues that need to be         of Ireland
communities that have survived for thou-
sands of years, and we all know the policy
is a failure. We now call for our rights to be
returned, to enable us to fish in our tradition-
al ways, and to have the right to hand down
our license to a family member. Salmon is
a corner stone species, important to us not
only financially, but spiritually. Its cultural
importance cannot be ignored. Its potential
to rejuvenate our communities is beyond
measure.

     Until our salmon licences are re-
stored, we call for a total prohibition of all
salmon fishing. We call for an impartial
management system, that will implement
any policy in a fair and considerate way.

      A sustainable, traditional fishing in-
dustry must now, as a matter of urgency, be
re-established. With the total failure over the
past twelve years, new impartial methods,
with the help of overseas expertise should be
introduced. The traditional knowledge, un-
derstanding, and culture of the legacy fisher-
man must be respected.
      We demand a change that will save
our fishing communities. Including local                                                    Lehanbeg on the Beara peninsula. Picture: John Eagle
MARINE TIMES NEWSPAPER FOR IRELAND'S FISHING, MARINE AND COASTAL COMMUNITIES
PAGE 8 • Marine Times Newspaper - March 2018

 Study Finds 73% of Deep Water                                                                  Presence of Farmed Atlantic Salmon in a
                                                                                                Number of Rivers in Galway and Mayo
 Fish Ingested Microplastics from                                                               Confirmed by Inland Fisheries Ireland
 the Northwest Atlantic Ocean                                                                   Contemporaneous reports of escapes of farmed
                                                                                                salmon not made by salmon farm owners
      NUI Galway study on microplastics ingested by deep water fish in
 the Northwest Atlantic Ocean reports one of the highest frequencies                                 Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has published a report into the
 of microplastic in fish worldwide. The study found that 73% out of                             occurrence of Farmed Atlantic Salmon in the Western River Basin
 233 deep water fish from the Northwest Atlantic Ocean had ingested                             District which confirms the presence of escaped farmed fish in a number
 plastic particles.                                                                             of rivers in the Galway and Mayo region.
                                                                                                      Escapee farmed salmon were detected       provide assurance to the State that controls
                                                                                                in the Delphi, Erriff, Kylemore/Dawros,         are in place that safeguard our heritage.
                                                                                                Newport and Bunowen rivers in counties          This does not appear to be the case in this
                                                                                                Galway and Mayo.                                instance. Inland Fisheries Ireland supports
                                                                                                      IFI has not been advised of any           sustainable fish farming but cautions
                                                                                                reports, by salmon farm owners, of escapes,     against the renewal and/or award of licences
                                                                                                coinciding with the detections, to the          where conditions are not being adhered to.
                                                                                                Department of Agriculture, Food and the         The Board recommends immediate strict
                                                                                                Marine (DAFM), the licensing authority          enforcement and audit of existing licence
                                                                                                for aquaculture. The reporting of escapes       conditions to ensure compliance and
                                                                                                to DAFM are a condition of aquaculture          ultimately a sustainable resource for all.’
                                                                                                licences                                              Speaking on the publication of the
                                                                                                      The new report by Inland Fisheries        new report, Dr Cathal Gallagher, Head of
                                                                                                Ireland says that ‘up to five hundred escaped   Research and Development, said: “While a
  Deep water Spotted Lanternfish, 4.5 centimetres in size.                                      farmed salmon may have entered western          small number of farmed salmon spawning in
  Photo: Hannah Brownlow, NUI Galway                                                            salmon rivers during the August/September       a catchment may not have a detectable long
                                                                                                period 2017’.                                   term effect on the wild salmon population,
        As part of the study the NUI Galway      concern is that many of these ingested               Furthermore, it says ‘that the presence   repeated escapes of large numbers of
 scientists participated in a transatlantic      microplastics have associated additives,       of sexually mature farmed salmon in rivers      farmed fish have the potential to cause
 crossing on-board the Marine Institute’s        such as colourants and flame retardants        poses a potential threat to local wild salmon   serious damage to vulnerable wild salmon
 Celtic Explorer research vessel. During         that are added to plastics during production   populations from interbreeding and other        populations. The large number of escaped
 this research cruise they took dead deep sea    process, and/or pollutants that are adsorbed   ecological effects’.                            farmed salmon entering into these rivers,
 fish from midwater trawls in the Northwest      onto the microplastics from the sea. There           In October 2017, the Board of Inland      with a high proportion of males likely to be
 Atlantic Ocean, such as the Spotted             is now evidence that some of these toxins      Fisheries Ireland issued the following          sexually mature, presents a potential threat
 Lanternfish, Glacier Lanternfish, White-        on the microplastics can be transferred        statement: ‘Inland Fisheries Ireland has been   to local wild salmon populations. IFI will
 spotted Lanternfish, Rakery Beaconlamp,         to animals that eat them with potential        charged with the protection of wild Atlantic    continue to monitor the situation and may
 Stout Sawpalate and Scaly Dragonfish,           harmful effects.                               salmon and continues to have concerns           need to conduct longer-term genetic studies
 from a depth of up to 600 metres using large          Dr Tom Doyle, a co-author of the         regarding the impacts of fish farms on          on the impact of the presence of these farmed
 fishing nets. The fish ranged in size from      study from the Ryan Institute at NUI           Ireland’s precious wild fish. The licencing     salmon.”
 the smallest species, the Glacier Lantern       Galway, said: “While there is clearly a        regime and best management practice should
 at 3.5 centimetres to the largest species,      concern that the ingestion of microplastics
 the Stout Sawpalate at 59 centimetres.          with associated toxins may have harmful
 Upon return to Galway the fish were then
 inspected at the University’s Ryan Institute
                                                 effects on these fishes, or even the fishes
                                                 that feed on them, our study highlights
                                                                                                       Marine Times Newspaper
 for microplastics in their stomach contents.
        Microplastics are small plastic
                                                 that these seemingly remote fishes located
                                                 thousands of kilometres from land and 600               Postal Subscriptions
 fragments that commonly originate from          metres down in our ocean are not isolated         Order online at www.marinetimes.ie to avail of special discount offers
 the breakdown of larger plastic items           from our pollution. Indeed, it’s worrying
 entering our oceans. Other sources may          to think that our daily activities, such          Annual Subscription: Ireland                        [    ] €36
 be waste water effluents carrying plastic       as washing our synthetic clothes in our           				                 N. Ireland                     [    ] £36
 fibres from clothing and microbeads from        washing machines, results in billions of
 personal care products. Due to their low        microplastics entering our oceans through
                                                                                                   				                 UK 		                          [    ] £36
 density, most of these microplastics float at   our waste water stream that may eventually
 the sea surface.                                end up in these deep sea fishes.”
        Alina Wieczorek, lead author of the            The fish were sampled from a warm           I enclose € / £ ........ cheque / postal order payable to Marine Media Ltd.
 study and PhD candidate from the School of      core eddy, which is a circular current in         or Please charge my credit card Visa / Mastercard or Lasercard
 Natural Sciences and Ryan Institute at NUI      the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Similar
 Galway, said: “Deep water fish migrate to       to ocean gyres, these currents are now            ________/________/________/________
 the surface at night to feed on plankton        thought to accumulate microplastics and
 (microscope animals) and this is likely         that the sampled fish may have originated
 when they are exposed to the microplastics.     from a particularly polluted patch of the         Exp. Date: ___ / ___                     CCV No. ___ / ___ / ___
 One of the inspected Spotted Lanternfish,       Atlantic Ocean.
 which was 4.5 centimetres in size, had 13             Ms Wieczorek added: “This would
 microplastics extracted from its stomach        explain why we recorded one of the highest        Card Holder’s Name: ___________________________________
 contents. The identified microplastics were     abundances of microplastics in fishes so
 mostly fibres, commonly blue and black in       far, and we plan to further investigate the       Please send subscription to:
 colour. Some only measured 50 microns           impacts of microplastics on organisms in
 in length. In total, 233 fish were examined     the open ocean.”                                  Name: _________________________________________________
 with 73% of them having microplastics in              The research was carried out within
 their stomachs, making it one of the highest    the PLASTOX project, a European
                                                                                                   Address: _______________________________________________
 reported frequencies of microplastic            collaborative effort to investigate impacts
 occurrence in fish worldwide.”                  of microplastics in the marine environment
        Previous studies have shown that         under the JPI Oceans framework and                _________________________________________________________
 microplastics can be ingested by numerous       supported by the iCRAG (Irish Centre for
 marine animals from zooplankton, to             Research in Applied Geoscience) project,          _________________________________________________________
 worms and fishes. The ingestion of              funded by Science Foundation Ireland.
 microplastics by these animals may cause
                                                                                                   _________________________________________________________
 internal physical damage, inflammation               To read the study in Frontiers
 of intestines, reduced feeding and              in Marine Science, visit: http://bit.             Return To: The Editor, Marine Times Newspaper,
 other effects. However, what is also of         ly/2EEmMHI                                        Cranny Road, Inver, Co. Donegal.
MARINE TIMES NEWSPAPER FOR IRELAND'S FISHING, MARINE AND COASTAL COMMUNITIES
Marine Times Newspaper - March 2018 • PAGE 9

                                                                                                 crystal clear. It is no wonder that a signifi-   Elise Uberoi.)
The South - West View                                                                            cant number of people would decide to vote              In short, representatives of the Irish
                                                                                                 to regain sovereignty over the renewable         South and West Fish Producers Organiza-
                       Patrick Murphy, Chief Executive of the Irish South and West Fisher-       natural resource that is our fishing waters.     tion have asked our UK neighbors to con-
                       men’s Organisation, reveals startling figures about landings                    Castletownbere recorded fish land-         sider their own disillusionment at the way

                       Figures Which I Do Question                                               ings to a total of € 111 million in 2016. This
                                                                                                 made CTB into the largest port in Ireland in
                                                                                                                                                  in which the CFP has been implemented
                                                                                                                                                  and the way UK fish stocks have been al-
                                                                                                 2016 but 65% of the landed fish valued at        located to other Member States who fish
                           This month I ONCE AGAIN find myself                                   €72,150,000 was by foreign vessels.              in Europe’s North West Waters. When ne-
                       writing for the Marine Times with a feeling of                                  Brexit is the most                                             gotiating on reciprocal
                                                                                                 spoken about topic in                                                access for UK vessels to
                       “Déjà vu”.
                                                                                                 the Irish media lately but                                           EU waters and stock we
      I have JUST seen the recent Fisher-      WATERS and 0% in the rest of EU wa-               Irelands fishing Industry,                                           believe that those who
ies Factsheet (February 2018) presented        ters.                                             as part of any discussion                                            contribute the most to
on the Department of the Marine website              I wish to highlight the real figures that   gets very little mention.                                            fish stocks should bene-
detailing the landing figures for fish taken   we as a people should be fighting for.            So I wish to address it in                                           fit most on access.
from UK and Irelands EEZ, a phrase I was             Below is a clear picture of the impor-      a small way here. Ireland                                                  If at all possible we
told no longer applied, as our waters are      tance of fishing to a coastal area, thus we       catches 61 different stocks                                          would ask for a two-year
now deemed to be EU waters.                    should be demanding proper representation         of fish and of these 59                                              transition period to be
      Regardless of how some people be-        from those paid well to give proper figures       are shared with the UK.                                              introduced where all will
lieve that this is the case, I wish to point   so we can get a fair deal in Europe.              The UK fleet has the sec-                                            have time to adjust to the
out that under Ireland’s Treaty of Acces-            Importance of fishing for the Castle-       ond-largest total catch (in                                          changes that will inevi-
sion to the EEC in 1972, we the people         townbere local Economy                            terms of landed weight)                                              tably come post-Brexit.
retained ownership over Irish waters                                                             and the second-largest                                                     This Industry is
and fish stocks within our waters but                                                               fleet size (in gross ton-                                         primarily        composed
we gave away to Europe the power to                                                                 nage terms) in the EU.                                            of family-owned busi-
control and decide what fish should be                                                                     A study by the                                             nesses with some of the
caught and landed and also who could                                                                NAFC Marine Centre at the University of       members of the IS&WFPO able to go back
catch and land this Irish fish, from Irish                                                          the Highlands and Islands suggests that       six generations of fishermen.
waters.                                                                                             the majority of fish and shellfish taken             What this Industry is facing I be-
      Startling is the word I choose to                                                             from UK waters was caught by EU boats.        lieve could mean the end for many in the
describe the figures portrayed in this                                                                     The total value of landings for UK     Industry - the Landing Obligation; Brexit,
document. Two stated facts that jump                                                                fishermen was £936 million in 2016,           changes that are currently flagged by our
from the page: Spain apparently catch-                                                              in comparison to Ireland’s % share of         Government and Department to create a
es 7% of fish landed from Irish Waters                                                              the EU TAC, where Ireland has a share         6-mile zone for under 10 metre vessels,
while Ireland catches accounts for 42%                                                              which estimated value is €226,364,247         changes in Track record and KW rules that
of that same landed fish.                                                                           (£200,000,000) and the estimated val-         will allow I believe an open gate policy to
      Using these figures which I do ques-           As is evident by the graphs, the Beara      ue of the EU TAC is €1,442,983,925               vessels that may be kicked out of UK wa-
tion, illustrates Ireland gives away 58%       Peninsula socio-economic survival is almost       (£1,273,000,000) giving the Irish fleet a        ters in the near future to gain full access to
of their fish, in return, we have access to    entirely dependent on the local fishing indus-    15.6% share whereas the UK have a 42%            Irish EEZ waters.
1,300,000 tonnes, but our catch of this is     try. The unfairness of the CFP to Beara’s in-     share.                                                  Unfortunately, the list goes on but
80,000 tonnes, a share that gives us a re-     digenous community with regard to the share             (The above figures copied from the         until when?
turn of only 6% in UK and Irish EEZ            out of Ireland’s European fishing resource is     UK Sea Fisheries Statistics compiled by                 When will our Industry say ‘Enough’?
MARINE TIMES NEWSPAPER FOR IRELAND'S FISHING, MARINE AND COASTAL COMMUNITIES
PAGE 10 • Marine Times Newspaper - March 2018

             news from
                                    Castletownbere
                                                                  Helen Riddell

Busy morning in early February in Castletownbere port. On the left is “An T-Oileanach” barge salvaging the submerged green perch rock which had fallen from it’s plint
on Monday. On the right is the “Dawn Ross” trawler which had temporarily ran aground on her entrance to the Castletownbere harbour on Wednesday morning. In the
centre is the “Sancta Maria” ferry passing through on her way out to Bere Island. (Photograph: Seán Moriarty).

Beara Person of the Year                            diocese of Kirkwell in Scotland. In 1958        Castletownbere Development Association           viewing, digital photography and mosaics.
      For the first time in its history the Beara   he joined the RAF as chaplain served in               Following lengthy negotiations, the        See brochures and posters around the area
Person of the Year Award has been won by            a number of locations including Yemen,          Castletownbere Development Association           for further details.
a group, the Castletownbere Development             Singapore and Australia. On returning to        (CDA) have purchased the disused Church of
Association. The awards ceremony to                 Ireland, he served as parish priest on Bere     Ireland, St Peter’s Church in Castletownbere.    Promotion Beara
recognise community involvement in the              Island until his retirement in 1990. He was     The CDA will now consult with the local                Promotion Beara, a group of
local area during the past year was held last       involved in so many local community groups      community as to how the building can best        businesses in Beara and Kenmare who are
Friday February 2nd at the Beara Coast Hotel.       and when the Castletownbere lifeboat was        be used. The CDA’s monthly bingo event           working together to promote tourism in
The CDA were one of four nominees who               established in 1997, Fr Sean was appointed      was the main fundraiser to facilitate the        the area have been working closely with
also included Bill Griffin, Fr Gearoid Walsh        as lifeboat chaplain. Castletownbere RNLI       purchase, however the group also expressed       the Three Heads Tourism Group and Failte
and Sr Patrick Lowney. Money raised on the          expressed sympathy on the news of his death     their thanks for an anonymous donation,          Ireland over the past months to develop
evening was in aid of the Irish Community           and commented that he had been a constant       which helped to finalise the sale. The           a Visitor Experience Development Plan.
Air Ambulance.                                      presence visiting the station regularly,        CDA expressed their thanks to Murphys            The Three Heads Tourism Group, covers
                                                    supporting fundraising events, tending to       SuperValu Castletownbere who arranged            the Mizen, Sheeps Head and the Beara
Father Sean O’Shea RIP                              those brought ashore and nothing pleased        for an SEAI grant to help with installing a      Peninsula. The main objective of the plan is
     Fr Sean O’Shea, chaplain to the                him more than to tell a good yard or sing one   heating system in the building. A series of      to give tourists and visitors to Beara the best
Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat passed away            of his songs at the lifeboat station’s social   public meetings will now be held to discuss      possible experience while in the area and to
on February 19th. A native of Castletownbere,       events. Following requiem mass at the           the future use of the building for the town.     highlight the many attractions and services
Fr Sean was ordained into the priesthood            Church of the Sacred Heart, Castletownbere,     In conjunction with Cork County Council          available on the Peninsula. Promotion Beara
in 1949 after which he was posted to the            Fr Sean was laid to rest in Droum Cemetery.     the CDA have secured funding to upgrade          have also been working with KMEG on
                                                                                                    the playground in Castletownbere and are         ways to improve tourism numbers visiting
                                                                                                    also working with the council to replace a       both the Beara Peninsula and Kenmare
                                                                                                    derelict building in the west end of the town    in the off peak season. TUI Travel Group
                                                                                                    with a new public car park.                      will be visiting the Beara Peninsula over
                                                                                                                                                     the coming weeks and months with a view
                                                                                                    BIM Training                                     to including Beara and Kenmare in their
                                                                                                          A three day basic safety training course   travel itineraries. They are looking for
                                                                                                    will be held at the National Fisheries College   accommodation providers and self catering
                                                                                                    Castletownbere from 13th-15th March. The         properties and activity providers, anyone
                                                                                                    training consists of three elements: personal    is would like to get involved with the TUI
                                                                                                    survival techniques, elementary first aid and    Travel Group or contribute to the Visitor
                                                                                                    fire prevention and safety awareness. A one      Experience Development Plan is asked to
                                                                                                    day enhanced safety course will take place       email promotionbeara@gmail.com
                                                                                                    on 7th March. For further details and to book
                                                                                                    contact della.osullivan@bim.ie or call 027       St Patrick’s Day Parade
                                                                                                    71230.                                                 The annual St Patrick’s Day Parade
                                                                                                                                                     will take place in Castletownbere on
                                                                                                    Lifelong Learning Festival                       Saturday March 17th starting at the earlier
                                                                                                          The Beara Lifelong Learning Festival       time of 2pm. Any groups, organisations or
                                                                                                    2018 will run from Monday 19th to Monday         individuals who wish to take part are asked
                                                                                                    26th March and will include classes in           to contact Anne Marie on 087 2386068.
                                                                                                    everything from seaweed foraging, moon
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