Tag Archives: Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation
Storm Kathleen ties up Irish trawlers amid lucrative prawn fishery
It is the first weekend of April and the lucrative prawn fishery on the Porcupine Bank closes in three weeks for Irish trawlers. The bank is 200km off the west coast. Porcupine prawns are a prized catch, a delicacy. Irish trawlers should be flat out, but Storm Kathleen has forced them to tie up in ports like Castletownbere. Around 40 Irish boats fish for prawns on the Porcupine Bank. This weekend, two dozen of those trawlers are tied up in Castletownbere in west Cork. The remainder are taking shelter in other ports along the west coast. Video, Photos, more, >>click to read<< 09:35
Only three owners out of 57 paid in full months after fishing boat decommissioning scheme starts
Eight of the 57 fishing boats accepted for decommissioning have been scrapped but just three of their owners have received their money in full from the State. According to Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), which administers the government scheme, another six boat owners are still waiting for 50% of the monies they are due. As the decommissioned boats have to be destroyed, there is now a waiting list for the country’s two specialist recyclers, in New Ross and Limerick. As of May 2, BIM says there were 11 boats waiting to be destroyed under the decommissioning scheme, which was set up to cut the size of the national fishing fleet because of reduced quotas in the wake of Brexit. >click to read< 10:16
Trawlers scrapped over quotas ‘end a lifetime of fishing’
Work on scrapping a number of Irish fishing vessels is under way in an effort to rebalance fish quotas following post-Brexit agreements. The Catherine R is among the first vessels to be decommissioned. She was a steel trawler built in 2005 and fishing from the port of Greencastle in Co Donegal. Her owner Cara Rawdon has been fishing for 46 years. He said that he chose to accept to decommission his fishing boat,,, On seeing his ship being ripped apart for the scrap heap, he said: “It’s like seeing your home being torn apart. I saved the money to buy her and make her safe for the crew. It was a very difficult decision because not only had I to decide my own future I also had to think of my crew. It’s a very hard decision to make to end a lifetime of fishing.” >click to read< 07:51
Trawler decommissioning scheme ‘needs to be better funded’
Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue needs to put additional funding into the State’s decommissioning scheme for fishing trawlers to make it viable, industry representatives have said. His comments follow the news that the owners of just 20 fishing boats had so far accepted State offers to decommission. The scheme was originally capped at €60m, before Mr McConalogue later increased that to €75m. However, Mr Murphy said the funding is inadequate. “Europe was originally told the scheme could cost €96m but he went for a smaller amount. The decommissioning scheme has proved unpopular as boat owners accepted for decommissioning will only get a proportion of the total value of their boats back. >click to read< 09: 47
Ireland: Only 20 fishing boat owners accept State’s decommissioning offer
Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) has admitted the low uptake in a statement issued to mark the opening of today’s Skipper’s Expo trade show, which it sponsors. Although the statement centred around the publication of its two-year study on the fishing industry’s carbon footprint, it mentioned the controversial decommissioning scheme in passing. Of the take-up and the fact that less than half have gone for it, BIM simply said: “Some 57 letters of offer have been issued with total funding of €75m. To date 20 owners have accepted.” The current scheme and a number of tie-up schemes over the past two years were designed to help mitigate against the quota and financial losses Irish fishers sustained because of Brexit. >click to read< 10:16
From facing off with the Russian navy, to giving up a five-generation fishing tradition
For a brief moment, Alan Carleton was at the centre of a bizarre stand-off between Irish fishermen and the Russian navy. Back in January 2022, he and other fishermen had threatened to peacefully disrupt Russia’s naval plans to hold live firing exercises 240 km off the Cork coast. Himself and the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation CEO Patrick Murphy even met the Russian ambassador to demand the exercises be called off. Fast forward a year and a man who was prepared to stand up to the Russian navy is on the verge of giving up his own fight to stay in the Irish fishing industry. >click to read< 07:41
‘Another nail in the coffin of Ireland’s indigenous fishing industry’
That Norway wants more access to Ireland’s fish than it already has is something that has probably passed most people by. So too the fact that this became a red-line issue for the Irish fishing industry. At stake is the future of thousands of jobs in fishing villages and towns across the country. Also at stake is ultimately the chance of the average punter getting fresh Irish fish with their chips. Why? Because if the Norwegians succeed in their bid, it will cement a perception in the industry that Ireland cannot protect its own waters at EU level and the current exodus from the industry will, according to industry chiefs, continue as a consequence. >click to read< 09:32
‘This is the death rattle for Irish fishing’: dozens of trawlers to be decommissioned in State scheme
Up to 80 trawlers from the country’s 180-strong offshore fishing fleet could be destroyed if all their owners are accepted onto the Brexit Voluntary Decommissioning Scheme. “People don’t seem to realise what is happening here. “This is the death rattle of the Irish fishing industry. “If all those 82 ships are taken out of the fleet, that will leave just 78. Alan Carleton, who has applied to decommission his family’s trawler Syracuse, said he could no longer afford to be a fisherman.“Two years ago, I would spend around €2,360 for fuel for an eight-day fishing trip. “That cost is now €13,200 for the same trip.” >click to read< 17:54
Cork fishermen reveal concerns over Russian submarines as they head off to sea
Kenny Oates, captain of the F/V Anders Nees, headed to sea last night with his six crew members for their first expedition of 2022 in search of hake, which swim close to the ocean floor. But Mr Oates admitted he is concerned that Russian subs could get caught in deep-sea fishing nets and pull down a trawler. He said: ‘We have seen it happen in Ireland, we have seen it happen in Scotland. It makes all fishermen very, very nervous.’ ‘You have all these international war games going on at sea and the fishermen are just trying to do their job, not knowing what is really going on,’ he said. >click to read< 09:09
Irish Fishermen plan to peacefully disrupt Russian drills
Irish fishing boats are planning to peacefully disrupt plans by the Russian navy to conduct military exercises off the coast of Cork next month. Patrick Murphy, chief executive of the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation said that the area was very important for fishing and that they wanted to protect biodiversity and marine life.,, Mr Coveney had said that the naval exercises were “not welcome”. Mr Filatov said that he had relayed the Minister’s concerns to Moscow. >click to read< 08:08
Ireland: Future of fish industry is very ‘bleak’ – ‘We ask for no more than equal rights,,,
The future of the fishing industry remains very bleak, with scientific advice not matching the reality of what fishers are witnessing, an abundance of fish in our Irish fishing grounds. That’s according to Patrick Murphy, head of the Irish South and West Fish Producers’ Organisation. Mr Murphy said there was ‘clear evidence’ showing many stocks in our zone could allow for far higher catches and sustainable quotas for Irish fishers ‘many of whom will be forced to leave the industry if the Common Fisheries Policy remains in favour of our visiting fleets.’ ‘We ask for no more than equal rights and equal opportunities for Irish fishermen in Irish waters,’,,, >click to read< 07:13
Fishing protest: ‘This isn’t about fishermen; this is about every single citizen of the State’
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, dozens of fishing boats cruised quietly up the river Liffey in a kind of stealth assault on the capital. The silence would not last long.,,, Children held placards demanding their futures be protected; fishermen wore baseball hats insisting being allowed catch 15 per cent was not enough, a reference to the proportion of fish available to them in Irish waters. Patrick Murphy, chief executive of the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation,“The Irish people have to understand this isn’t about fishermen; this is about every single citizen of the State,” photos, video, >click to read< 08:39
Tired of being “ignored” by politicians, Irish Fishermen to set up political movement
There is no name yet for the movement, but organisers are planning to hold a series of public meetings in coastal towns and villages. Patrick Murphy, CEO of the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation, said the ambition is to organise a national “roadshow” to gauge opinion and to promote the need for more TDs dedicated to rural Ireland. He said: “We are sick of politicians promising us the earth while in opposition, only for them to ignore us when they get into power. >click to read< 16:57
Protest “Steam-In” – Fishermen Will ‘Show & Tell Crazy Scenario” in Cork Port
Fishing vessels are due to steam up the river Lee to Cork city on Wednesday in protest over serious issues affecting the Irish industry. The protest fleet will assemble off Roches Point, Cork Harbour at 7 am on Wednesday, >click to read< “We are not being treated fairly by either the EU or the government who are not protecting the natural resource of Ireland to which Irish people should have the major rights,,, “Fishermen don’t want to be in this situation. It is not what they want to be doing, but they are left with no choice; things are so bad. >click to read< 09:41
As Rockall Simmers, McConalogue’s Department Accused of “Chaotic” Response to Brexit Permits
Only a fraction of the entire Irish fleet has been given permits to continued access to British waters – albeit with a reduced quota as a result of Brexit. “Rockall is not the only issue – the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine had no plan B,” Irish South and West Fish Producers’ Organisation chief executive Patrick Murphy has said. Mr Murphy described the past week as “chaotic”, and said he was shocked at how unprepared the department was. Mr McConalogue’s department has confirmed that only 141 vessels out of the full list of 1900 Irish vessel have been given temporary permits to date. >click to read< 09:31
Concern as trawler crew get Covid-19
The crew on board a Spanish trawler that landed fish in Castletownbere have tested positive for Covid-19, prompting major concerns for the safety of the community, and supply lines to Europe. Six crew and the skipper have been confirmed as having the virus since returning from landing their catch in the West Cork port on April 21st. It’s also believed that another crew member who had felt sick en route from Spain, has tested positive for the antibodies, showing he had the virus, but has recovered. The skipper of the ship informed Spanish authorities that none of the crew went ashore in Castletownbere. However, head of the Castletownbere-based Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation, Patrick Murphy, said the situation raised a major red flag,,, >click to read< 17:34
Tributes paid to fishing industry leader Donal O’Driscoll – A champion of the Irish fishing industry
“A champion of the Irish fishing industry” is how the Irish South and West Fish Producers’ Organisation (IS&WFPO) described him yesterday (sun), as plans were made for a guard of honour in his home port of Castletownbere, Co Cork today. The RNLI Castletownbere lifeboat station, Castletownbere Fishermen’s Co-op and the IS&WFPO are among organisations which Mr O’Driscoll was instrumental in founding. Mr O’Driscoll was one of a family of 14 and was born on Sherkin island in 1933. He learned his first fishing techniques – seining for mackerel – from his father, Dan William O’Driscoll. >click to read< 14:10
Castletownbere fishermen give away fish to locals in West Cork
Over the last number of days communities across the country have come together to support each other and the latest story of goodwill comes from Castletownbere. Skippers and fishermen from the town filleted and bagged 40 boxes of fish to give away to the local communities in Castletownbere and Bantry. Several boats brought the fish to shore and they were then taken to Castletownbere Fishermen’s Co Op where they were filleted under hygiene controls by fishermen and their families. Video, >click to read< 14:08
