NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE
We reported earlier this week on the massive super trawlers hovering up fishing stocks off Western Ireland.
First there was Margaris the second largest in the world (10,000 tonnes crew of fifty). She was joined by the Annelies Ilena the largest trawler on the planet 13,000 tonnes with a crew of sixty she can catch and process 250 tonnes of fish a day.
Later when they moved to the Mayo coast we spotted the Jan Maria another trawler leviathan.
All these ships have something in common they all have tremendous catch and processing capacity and they all have been ‘pulled’ at sometime for nefarious practices. The Annelies Ilena was fined earlier this year in Ireland.
Most sensible countries ban these fishing juggernauts but the EU which unbelievably has a so called sustainable fisheries policy gives then free rein.
This morning the three had vanished, no tracking updates were coming in, so I thought that the hard pressed fish stocks of the west of Ireland (not to mention small marine mammals – immature whales, dolphins and seals) would get some respite.
But unfortunately it’s worse! I have recently tracked them just north of Belmullet – again today’s bad weather doesn’t stop these titans and now they are joined by yet another super trawler the Maartje Theadora (just under 10,000 tonnes). You don’t have to guess Maartje Theadora has also been in the fisheries ‘naughty corner’ fined and detained in France in 2012 (595,000 Euro) for replacing her nets.
So much for Irelands ‘Wild Atlantic Way’ and its tourist potential for whale and dolphin watching by the time this lot have sated their appetite there will not be much left out there. Long term its not just damage to Irish grounds the whole marine eco system is interdependent and this will of course knock on to other areas. It has happened before with the North Sea then the Irish Sea it takes years to recover and it seems lessons are never learned.
Meanwhile the four sea wolves fish on!
Link to a Dutch Greenpeace video on the Maartje Theadora this was filmed when these vessels were being driven out of waters off Mauritania:
BERNARD MOFFATT
Issued by: The Celtic News
18/11/15
THE CELTIC LEAGUE INFORMATION SERVICE. The Celtic League established in 1961 has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It promotes cooperation between the countries and campaigns on a range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, military activity and socio-economic issues https://celticleague.net