The Irish Naval Service this week boarded a super trawler off the coast of Donegal to carry out an inspection as concerns mount about the presence of the FV Margiris in Irish waters.
The Lithuanian-registered Margiris, the world’s second-largest fishing boat, is actively fishing 50 kilometres off the Donegal coast.
Crew members from the Irish Naval Service vessel, the LÉ James Joyce, conducted an inspection on board the Margiris on Tuesday as part of their fishery protection patrol duties.
Earlier this year a high volume of dolphin strandings were feared to have been caused by super trawler activity.
The number of deaths and the discovery of rope marks on dolphins led to concerns that they had been caught by trawlers and subsequently disposed.
The Margiris can process up to 250 tonnes of fish a day and has been banned from fishing in Australian waters.
The Irish Wildlife Trust welcomed the intervention this week of the Irish Naval Service, but has repeated calls for full-time, independent observers to be placed on board super trawlers like the Margiris.
In a statement the IWT outlined: “Earlier this year the IWT and IWDG wrote to Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries outlining our concerns.
“In April his office responded, saying: ‘I have taken good note of the information you provide about an assumed observed increase in numbers of strandings of cetaceans, which you state may be caused by the fact that these animals are being by-caught in pelagic fisheries.
‘The issue you raise merits further examination, and we will further analyse cetacean by catches in pelagic fisheries in Irish waters. We will contact you again after we have contacted the relevant Member State authorities and industry representatives.’
“However, despite further enquiries by ourselves, we have yet to receive any additional communication.”
Pádraic Fogarty, the IWT campaign officer added: “The European Commission have had all year to digest the evidence and yet we are now entering another winter with nothing done. As super trawlers gather in our waters we are once again faced with the prospect of a slaughter of our marine life.”
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