Small fishermen to benefit from inshore fisheries measures

Fine Gael TD for Mayo, Michelle Mulherin, has today (Friday) welcomed measures to develop the inshore fisheries sector announced by Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

“Over 80% of the fishing fleet are part of the inshore sector; these fishing boats are less than 12m in length and they are predominantly active within 6 nautical miles of the shore. Up until now the inshore fishermen have been very poorly represented and have therefore had difficulty in having their point of view expressed.

“It is essential that these fishermen, who represent such a significant proportion of the industry, use this opportunity to engage and to influence fishing in Ireland.

“The measures introduced today by the minister will establish a National Inshore Fisheries Forum supported by a network of Regional Inshore Forums in each of the FLAG regions. They will make up to €1 million in funding available and these measures will also prioritise support for lobster and shrimp stocks.  

“Supporting our fishing industry is extremely important and this is very clear in our own county of Mayo. The funding announced today is aimed at providing financial assistance for sustainable, environmentally friendly fishing practices. We want fishing in Ireland to grow and flourish in a way that is effective and will be successful into the future.

“In addition a supplementary Shellfish Pot Replacement Scheme will be launched to provide extended assistance to fishermen who lost pots during the exceptional winter storms. We know that during stormy weather, when fishermen cannot take to the seas, they simply have no income for that day. Replacing pots on top of lost revenue has been difficult for fishermen so I am delighted that funding has been provided to alleviate this cost.

“We also recognise the importance of conservation. Large lobsters are essential for reproduction of stock so a new maximum landing size will be introduced and during the first two years of this operation fishermen will be paid up to 75% of the market price for v-notching ‘oversize’ lobsters and returning them live to sea.   A revised closing date for the shrimp fishery of 15 March instead of 1 May will commence from 2015 to provide stock protection during the spawning period.

“The importance of the fisheries sector to the West coast cannot be over-estimated. In particular it is essential to support and protect the smaller operators who up until now have been so poorly represented. Today’s announcement marks positive progress.”