Over 200 people gathered in Killybegs to question European election candidates on how they plan to tackle the "crisis" facing the Irish fishing industry.
Photo: The Irish Fish Producers Organisation.
Ireland's fishing industry associations have launched the "Fight4Fishing" campaign in response to a "crisis" marked by shrinking catches, a reduced fleet, job losses, and a decline in Irish-caught fish for the seafood processing industry. The situation is severely impacting coastal communities and related service industries, the campaigners say.
The campaign was launched at a political hustings event held in Killybegs on 22 May, in advance of the forthcoming EU elections. The meeting featured 10 European election candidates, including current MEPs, who faced questions from the public on how they intended to tackle the problem.
The event, which attracted a crowd of over 200 people from across the catching, processing, and services sectors, was hosted by the "Fight4Fishing" campaign coordinators The Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO), the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association (IFPEA), and Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO).
“Ireland has 12% of EU fishing waters but just 5.6% of EU fishing quotas and this huge disparity has to be addressed,” said Aodh O Donnell, CEO of IFPO, in a press announcement. “For too long, the Irish Government and the EU have ignored this injustice, and we need elected representatives who will demand change.”
The impact of Brexit on the Irish seafood industry is one of the main issues under focus. According to the campaign, following the UK's departure from the European Union, 40% of the fishing quotas allocated to the UK came from Ireland, resulting in a 26% reduction in Ireland's mackerel quotas and a 45% decrease in pelagic exports last year.
KFO chief executive, Dominic Rihan said the cumulative value of Irish fishing quotas will have dropped by around €140m by 2025 due to Brexit. “The biggest share – 40% – of what the EU transferred to the UK after Brexit was taken from Irish quotas. There was no assessment of the far-reaching impacts this would have on an industry which was already struggling," he said.
The campaigners say projected losses include an estimated €8.2 million annually in Dublin Bay prawns by 2026.
“Basically, the EU is allowing non-EU countries to catch more than 3 times as much fish as us this year alone… in our very own waters. Other EU and non-EU countries see growth in fishing, while our catches are shrinking," added IFPEA chief executive Brendan Byrne.