Tag Archives: Sea Fisheries Protection Authority
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
Irish trawler owners asked to install cameras for EU fishing regulations project
Irish trawler owners are being asked to voluntarily install remote onboard monitoring cameras that will one day be used to record potential breaches of EU law. The request has been made by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA), which wants to see how remote CCTV systems work on trawlers as part a Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) pilot project the fishing industry watchdog is launching. However, the scheme has been compared by a leading fishing industry representative to asking “turkeys to vote in favour of Christmas.” Irish South and West Fish Producer Organisation CEO Patrick Murphy also said: >click to read< 08:51
Another blow for Killybegs fish processors in weighing debacle
Two Killybegs fish processors have had their in-factory weighing permits suspended by the SFPA amid the weighing debacle. The action was taken by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) after it reportedly refused to recognise Derry as part of Ireland. Earlier this month, a Norwegian vessel was prevented from landing its catch of blue whiting in Killybegs due to the approach which has been taken by the SPFA in regard to the weighing of fish. The weighing system would have rendered the fish unfit for human consumption. >click to read< 12:55
Fishermen say weighing system rendered catch unfit
More than 1,000 tonnes of high-quality blue whiting were rendered unfit for human consumption in Killybegs, Co Donegal last weekend because of the weighing system used by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, according to the Irish Fish Processers and Exporters Association. The IFPEA said the ‘MFV Lauren’ returned after her maiden voyage to her home port of Killybegs and was subjected to a “full monitor” or control weighing by the SFPA. The ongoing row over the weighing regime has seen a number of vessels leave Killybegs with their catch rather than comply with the weighing system, which skippers and processors say would damage their catch. >click to read< 14:54
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
EU is getting tangled in a net of its own making with Killybegs row
Whatever else is happening in the fishing port of Killybegs, Co Donegal, openness and transparency is not part of the playbook. Killybegs may be a long way from Dublin, or Brussels for that matter, and fishing may be Ireland’s forgotten industry, but rules of fairness and justice should still apply. A huge row over the weighing of fish is threatening to make unviable an industry that is already facing huge challenges. On one side is the EU. In 2018 it identified what it claims were serious deficiencies in the Irish fisheries control system. >click to read< 22::30
High Court rules SFPA breached law withholding approval of new industry owned and operated conveyor/fish-weighing system
The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority had argued it had not refused, but rather “deferred”, approval for the weighing system, known as a flowscales, last December after the European Commission informed it the use of an industry-owned, operated and maintained weighing system would not be appropriate and the system must be owned, operated and used by a public body. In a judgment, Mr Justice Garrett Simons said there was no legal basis for the “ownership” concerns raised by the Commission about the system and it was significant the Authority had not sought to argue otherwise in the proceedings. >click to read< 12:48
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
High levels of compliance found in Irish Fishing Sector
The country’s marine watchdog has said that it has carried out almost 4,000 sea-fisheries inspections this year and found high levels of compliance with regulations. Independent regulator Susan Steele, who heads the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority, said controls and inspections of trawler owners, fish farmers, and factory processors are designed to support Ireland’s international reputation for the highest standards in food product. People can be confident that the Irish seafood they are consuming is safe and traceable, she said. Ms Steele said: “We are finding low levels of non-compliance which is testament to the real efforts of the majority of fishermen, fish farmers and fish processors to work within the law. Read the story here 12:38
