NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE
The Office of the Taoiseach has responded to say that our correspondence expressing concern about the devastation to fishing stocks caused by so called super trawlers has been passed to the Minister of Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, for direct reply.
At the time we wrote a four of these vessels of between 10,000 and 13,000 tonnes were congregated in the area to the South and West of Donegal. They each have a catching and processing capacity of several hundred tonnes a day.
In our letter to Mr Kenny we said:
“At a time when Ireland is trying to developing lasting tourist potential from ‘The Wild Atlantic Way’ and the marine mammals that live along you western seaboard that vessels which can scoop up immature whales, dolphins and seals should be allowed this kind of untrammelled access.
They are in effect destroying the livelihood of the indigenous fishing fleets that use more sustainable catching methods and also a long term marine tourism potential for western Ireland.
Will the Irish government as a matter of urgency press the EU to apply the same type of restrictions on these vessels as have been applied elsewhere e.g. Australia.
Please can I urge you to take action before it is too late!”
Latest tracking indications seem to show the vessels heading south out of the area now so presumably the fish stocks off Donegal have been well ‘hammered’.
As indicated in our correspondence such vessels are now banned from many sea fishing grounds off Africa and in Australia.
The Celtic League has also lobbied the EU Fisheries Commissioner on the issue a response is awaited.
Related links here:
https://www.celticleague.net/news/super-trawlers-ban-them-call/
https://www.celticleague.net/news/irish-government-urged-to-ban-foreign-flagged-super-trawlers/
BERNARD MOFFATT
Issued by: The Celtic News
24/11/15
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