Tag Archives: Castletownbere
The last fishermen of Castletownbere?: ‘We are in extinction mode’
“I suppose it was death by a thousand cuts,” Jason Sheehan says from his upstairs office on the harbour. Outside, it’s squally, leaden-skied, and the afternoon holds a children-still-at-school feel. He wears a grey hoodie and a small cut on his nose – a souvenir from a recent fishing trip in the Hebrides. He is one of the younger fishermen in the community. “Yeah. A hundred per cent. If I had my time back, there is no way on God’s earthly hour I’d have gone fishing. Now, I have great childhood and teenage memories but the way the job has gone… it is just horrible, like. Every day – and I mean every day – there is a drama. There is somebody on your case about something. Fuel hikes, quota counts, additional red tape, lack of young local men going fishing is a big one. And that boils down to the fact that the money is not in the job anymore. If you go back, the money at sea was probably five times what it was on shore. Now it is about even. There was a reward for the effort. >click to read< 08:24
‘People must know how serious fishing offences are’
A Spanish-owned trawler was allowed to leave Castletownbere this week after its owners paid a bond of €245,000 into court. Juan Pablo Docal Rubido (55), master of the German-registered Pesorsa Dos, was brought before a special sitting of Bandon District Court at the weekend following the detention of his vessel by the LE George Bernard Shaw for alleged fishing offences in Irish waters. Mr Rubido, with an address at Ciudad de Lugo 5, Third Floor, Coruna, Spain, was charged with 12 fishing offences on various dates between January 5th and January 24th while fishing within the exclusive fishing limits of the State. >click to read< 07:50
Skipper in court on 12 fishing regulation charges
The skipper of a Spanish-owned fishing vessel which was detained by the Irish naval authorities has appeared in court in relation to 12 alleged breaches of fishing regulations. The appearance in court by 55-year-old Juan Pablo Docal Rubido, from Coruna in Spain, followed the detention last Monday of the German-registered, Spanish-owned, Pesorsa Dos in Irish fishing waters. The vessel was detained by the LE George Bernard Shaw off the southwest coast and escorted to port at Castletownbere in west Cork, where it remains at the moment. >click to read< 08:04
Naval service detains Spanish trawler off the south-west coast
A German-registered Spanish vessel which was involved in a confrontation off the Scottish coast over two years ago German-registered Spanish vessel has been detained by the Naval Service off the south-west coast. The 26m Pesorsa Dos was detained last Saturday, January 21, by the LÉ George Bernard Shaw, but it took several days to haul its gear before it could be escorted into Castletownbere, Co Cork today. The same vessel from La Coruna in northern Spain was previously detained in the Irish exclusive economic zone, 250 miles north of Donegal’s Malin Head, in July 2020. It’s understood the 1974-built 27m long fishing vessel, which left the Spanish port of La Caruna on January 2, had shot gill nets and was fishing in deep water for monkfish. >click to read< 17:32
Work stoppage by Sea Fisheries Protection Authority officers to cause disruption
Barring last-minute efforts to resolve issues, the stoppage is expected to cause disruption in designated fishing harbours around the coast. Lack of consultation with staff over the implementation of a new strategy and organisational changes are among the key reasons cited for the industrial action. The union served notice last week of 24-hour work stoppage by all Fórsa members from midnight Wednesday, January 19 to midnight Thursday, January 20. This may be followed by a 48-hour work stoppage by all Fórsa members from midnight Tuesday,,, >click to read< 17:38
Racing Pigeon News! Lost racing pigeon gets lift home to Ireland on Cork trawler
Lady Ann’s owner thought she was lost forever when bad weather made her fly off course during a 405-mile race,,, However, the pigeon landed on a trawler fishing for prawns 180 miles of the west coast of Ireland where she stayed with the crew for two weeks. Patrick Diver, skipper of the ‘Alannah Reilly’ boat, says the crew grew very attached to the pigeon,,, “We are based out of Castletownbere and there were nine of us out on a 26-day fishing trip for prawns, about 180 miles from the coast. “The pigeon landed on the boat and was quite cheeky in that she’d make her way inside the wheelhouse anytime she’d see the door open. >click to read< 09:37
UNITE TO FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE – On 23rd June, Irish fishermen plan to take their campaign to Dublin
A flotilla of over 60 fishing vessels steamed into Cork City last month to protest over quota cuts, the Brexit Deal, SFPA failures and the disastrous EU Common Fisheries Policy. The flotilla consisting of boats from Dingle, Castletownbere, Baltimore, Union Hall, Ballycotton, Kinsale, Dunmore East, Crosshaven, Kilmore Quay and other fishing communities steamed in single file from Roches Point, at the mouth of the harbour, to the docks in Cork city centre for a rally that was attended by nearly a thousand fishermen, friends and family. On 23rd June, Irish fishermen plan to take their campaign to raise public awareness of the plight of the industry to Dublin, building on the profile raised by the recent Cork Show & Tell demo by increasing the number of fishermen and families involved to include more inshore vessels and community groups from around Ireland’s coastal communities. >photos, click to read< 12:12
Ireland: Fishing’s struggle to stay afloat
All of them are based in Castletownbere, Co Cork, and all are integral to a fishing community they believe is dying. Damien Turner, who is the skipper and owner of the MFV Roise Catriona, has been fishing for more than 30 years. video, >click to read< 08:24
Spanish Fishermen Who Crept Into Ireland, Under-Recorded, Got Pinched, Issued €9,000 Fine!
A Spanish fishing boat has sparked outrage in Ireland after it was caught deceptively under-recording the amount of fish it caught, in a move that is sure to set fuel to another debate about the EU’s unpopular Common Fisheries Policy. F/V Armaven Tres, was temporarily detained by inspectors in Castletownbere, a fishing town in West Cork, where the master was ‘fish slapped’ with a fine of €9,000 (£7,739). Castletownbere is located on the Beara Peninsula by Berehaven Harbour and is also known as Castletown Berehaven. A regionally important fishing port, the town also serves as a commercial and retail hub for the local hinterland. >click to read< 10:44
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
Skipper celebrating clean bill of health with trawler Robyn
Castletownbere fisherman Daniel Healy is not only celebrating the launch of his new trawler, but also the 11th anniversary of his kidney transplant. Skipper and owner Daniel purchased the 20m Robyn RJ late last year, and, following some modifications, is now fishing with his crew of four, landing their catch into Castletownbere where he lives with his wife Maureen and their three children. >click to read< 21:22 
The Kings of Crab from Castletownbere – The Shellfish Ireland Story
It’s 1987 and sitting in a kitchen in the small town of Castletownbere in the west of Cork, two young friends with a keen interest in fishing founded what would later become Shellfish Ireland. Friends Richard Murphy and Peter O’Sullivan combined their love of fishing and worked together to catch and supply brown crab to local seafood buyers. As the years progressed, Shellfish Ireland grew to become a respectable and reliable seafood producer. Speaking to co-founder Richard, he fondly recalls the beginnings of the company, “Shellfish Ireland first began in 1987 in my father’s kitchen. I used go fishing with my friend Peter in the mornings, cooking and process the catch in the afternoon and then delivering to our customers that evening. They were long days full of hard work, but we enjoyed the challenge.” Enjoying the challenge would prove successful for the determined Castletownbere duo, who recognised a gap in the local market. click here to read the story 12:14
