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Greencastle fishermen hand out
free fish
10.02.09
ANGRY fishermen handed
out free fish in Greencastle on Saturday in protest
at new EU days-at-sea rules that drastically affect
their livelihoods.
The protest by the local whitefish fleet, their
families, friends and local businesses, was
organised to coincide with a visit to the village by
Minister of State for Fisheries, Tony Killeen.
During his visit to the National Fisheries College
in Greencastle, Mr Killeen met with fishermen, fish
processors and representatives from Inishowen's
fishing co-operatives.
The minister was told that Donegal had the highest
rate of unemployment in the State and was now being
penalised further by swinging fishing cuts. |
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Foyle Fishermen's Co-Op
manager John O'Kane, who met the minister, warned
that 400 local jobs in fishing, fish processing and
the ancillary spin-off sector were now at risk.
He said the new EU regulations, introduced on
February 1 - has severely cut the number of days
Greencastle skippers can go to sea this year. |
The EU ruling will be
applied on a three-month trial basis by the
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
"Basically, the boats that fish off the Donegal
coast haven't been issued with enough days at sea to
make their businesses viable," said Mr O'Kane. "We
need an increase in the 'bucket of days' our
fishermen can go to sea," he said, using the
industry terminology for the days-at-sea
allocations.
The new measure applies to the North West coast -
Area 6 - and the Irish Sea and relates primarily to
the conservation of cod. Minister Killeen was told
that the new regulations penalised fishermen who had
fished less over the last ten years.
But the EU Commission says if stocks are not
protected, the cod quota will be reduced by a
quarter and more in Area 6 in the coming years.
Local fishermen say they the latest ruling gives
them no credit for observing the cod conservation
measures over the last decade.
They are now pushing Minister Killeen to interpret
the latest measures more favourably for Donegal
fishermen.
"We have put forward six or seven proposals that
will allow the minister to interpret the new
measures in a pro-industry way without breaching the
regulations. We feel it's within the Department's
gift to do so," added Mr O'Kane.
Meanwhile, Senator Cecilia Keaveney, who accompanied
Minister Killeen locally on Saturday, confirmed that
he had initiated a new national steering group of
Department officials, fishing and marine
representatives, to examine the Greencastle
proposals. "The setting up of a steering group is
not to long finger but to drive a process of
examining how feasible each solution offered, would
be. The goal was agreed by the Minister that as
these solutions were agreed he would sign off on
them rather than delay action," said Senator
Keaveney.
To see more photos of the protest
click here . |
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