Irish fishing leaders are in Brussels tomorrow to call on MEPs to fight to prevent the collapse of their industry.
The leaders have formed a new alliance, the Seafood Ireland group, to collaborate on a way forward together.
The members are the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO) , Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO), the Irish South & West Fish Producer’s Organisation (IS&WFPO), the Irish South & East Fish Producers Organisation (IS&EFPO) and the Irish Fish Processors & Exporters Association (IFPEA).
Landings by Irish vessels fell by €37m last year, compared to 2022, according to figures from the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA). This represents a reduction of 12% from 2023. Statistics from Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) statistics show a similarly bleak picture with gross profit of the fishing fleet down by a massive 82% in 2023.
Aodh O Donnell of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO) says the future viability of the fishing and seafood industries is under serious threat. “We are witnessing adverse impacts across the board, from inshore boats to the largest vessels, targeting pelagic species such as mackerel and herring. This includes the entire onshore fish processing sector which has suffered huge losses in turnover.”
“Unless immediate action is taken, there are fears of widespread business closures and that many Irish fishermen will permanently leave the industry. Meanwhile, non-EU members such as Norway, persistently overfish our shared migratory stocks of mackerel.”
KFO chief executive Dominic Rihan says they will be presenting a position paper on the key challenges facing the Irish fishing industry during their meetings with MEPs from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin, and Independent MEP, Ciaran Mullooly.
The alliance will also be making clear calls for action on mitigating the impacts of Brexit and reforming the Common Fisheries Policy.
“It’s time our share of EU quotas reflected our 12% share of the waters,” they said.
Brendan Byrne, chief executive of the IFPEA says 2024 is set to be “the worst year in the history of Irish fish processing. This reflects extremely poorly on EU policy and on the overall unfairness of the CFP towards Ireland. The reality is that over 85% of the fish caught in Irish waters is caught by EU vessels.”
Patrick Murphy, chief executive of IS&WFPO says they will also be raising concerns about what they say is a te lack of representation of the fishing industry at EU level.
Murphy said: “We want the Government to appoint a dedicated Minister of State for the Marine. We also want them to establish an integrated hub and point of contact at the heart of Europe in Brussels to act as a conduit for information between the administrative officials and the industry. “
