Tag Archives: O’Flaherty’s Brothers Limited

Why this Irish trawling company missed out on the big Blufin Tuna money

trevor%20devereuxDue to Ireland’s fishing quotas, fishermen are not permitted to catch and sell Bluefin fish, which are protected under Irish law. Employees of O’Flaherty’s Brothers Limited, based in Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford accidently caught eight of the fish which have been frequenting Irish waters. In Japan, they can fetch up to €100,000 due to high demand, as the Bluefin is a popular form of sushi. The Sea Fisheries Protection Agency granted a waiver to allow O’Flaherty’s to sell them for a total sum of €5,000. However, Seamus O’Flaherty, one of the owners of the company, says Ireland’s economy could be benefitting a lot more from the influx of the “extremely valuable” fish. “These fish are worth a fortune. While we got some money for them, we got nothing compared to what we could have done if we sold them to an established market in Japan, which we’re not allowed to do,” Mr O’Flaherty told Independent.ie. “It’s a tragedy because there is a very valuable fishery off the Irish coast and the only people who are allowed to partake in it are the Spanish and French. Read the story here 11:07