Tag Archives: SFPA
Ireland’s Regulator in Eye of Storm Over Weighing System
An Irish parliamentary committee may summon the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) before it to explain its weighing system, reports Lorna Siggins. This follows a recent parliamentary (Oireachtas) agriculture, food and marine committee debate when Independent TD for Cork South-West Michael Collins called for an independent review of the current system run by the SFPA. Collins referred to a “crisis” in the system and quoted from an Irish Examiner newspaper report, which claimed that a recording system initiated by the SFPA in December 2022 may be flawed and that 40% of by-catch sampling could be out by as much as 80%. >>click to read<< 09:21
Inspectors checked on just 6% of Irish trawlers in 2022
Only 6% of Irish-flagged trawlers were subjected to checks by this country’s fishery inspection officers last year compared to far higher numbers for many other countries, according to official figures supplied by the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency (SFPA). Last year, the SFPA said it used a “risk-based methodology for inspection” of fishing boats to carry out checks on catches and Norwegian-registered vessels came top for inspections at 92%. The SFPA said 41% of Spanish-flagged vessels, which have for a long time had a significant presence in Irish waters, were inspected. A similar percentage of British and French-flagged vessels were inspected, while 33% of Belgium-flagged trawlers were also checked. >click to read< 17:45
Donegal Sinn Féin TDS call for urgent intervention in Killybegs fishing debacle
Speaking today, Deputy Pearse Doherty said: “The Taoiseach promotes the ‘Shared Island’ brand, aiming to provide public money to break down the borders and barriers to trade on this island. How then can he stand over the situation in Killybegs? “The SFPA (Sea Fisheries Protection Authority) have punished the fishing community there by removing in-factory weighing permits because landings happened to take place in Derry and, according to them, ‘outside of Ireland’? “This obviously comes after a series of vessels have been turned away from Killybegs harbour over the last number of weeks which had already caused widespread outrage. >click to read< 14:19
