MARINE TIMES NEWSPAPER
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Regular news and views from Ireland’s leading maritime newspaper. The printed March edition is in all good shops soon and available online now as a digital download, covering all the major developments as reported by Ireland’s leading maritime newspaper. Click on links above to purchase your annual subscription!
MARINE TIMES EDITOR'S PODCAST
WHERE IS THE TAOISEACH’S PROMISE NOW?
The headline story in the March edition of the MARINE TIMES is a shocking revelation of how an Oireachtas Committee has disregarded the fishing industry.
All the major Irish national fishing industry representative organisations have been ignored by the Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage that is carrying out pre-legislative scrutiny of Marine Protected Areas legislation.
The Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation, the Irish South and East Fish Producers, the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Organisation, Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation, the Irish South and West Fish Producers’ Organisation and the Aquaculture Committee of the Irish Farmers’ Association have joined in lodging “our strongest objection at the failure to include the representative bodies in consultation.”
The consultation, they say, is now a “flawed process.” When the fishing and seafood sector is excluded how can the Oireachtas Committee be carrying out a proper consultation.
These and other issues raised in the MARINE TIMES pages this month are discussed in the Editor’s Podcast, which you can listen to by clicking the banner above
WHO CAME UP WITH THE NAME ‘FISHERS’?
The Chairman of the National Inshore Fishermen’s Association is highly critical of “whatever academic or politically correct person” forced the change of the title “fishermen” to “fishers” as is commonly used in modern communications. “We didn’t ask for it and no one that I know in the industry did,” says Michael Desmond, who adds that a dictionary description describes a “fisher” as being an animal that “goes after fish” Fishermen were mentioned in the Bible he says and “now someone decides we might offend people outside the industry by calling ourselves fishermen. So are being described as animals,” he says on this month’s edition of the MARITIME IRELAND Podcast and Radio programme, presented by Marine Times Deputy Editor, Tom MacSweeney. Listen to the programme here on the marinetimes.ie website and read more from Michael Desmond in the March edition of the MARINE TIMES.
News 27th March:
Fishing Industry Cautious on Nor-EU Deal
Norway’s gains under their latest EU deal allows them to catch 4.5 times our blue whiting quota in our own EEZ. That’s according to Irish fishing industry leaders who welcome Norway’s exclusion from the Irish Box but say Ireland still lacks an equitable arrangement.
“Norway have been allocated an extra 36,000MT of blue whiting in the Irish EEZ, compared to just 4,800MT extra blue whiting for Ireland,” says Aodh O Donnell, chief executive of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation. (IFPO). O Donnell says fishing representatives took time to carefully consider the new deal, ironically struck on St Patrick’s Day, before responding. Full story here
News 24th March:
Minister Criticised for Allowing Increase of Norway's Access to Irish Fish Stocks
Minister's move to allow Norway to take 226,855 tonnes of blue whiting in Irish waters while limiting Irish fishermen to just 53,776 tonnes in 2023 draws strong condemnation from Rural Independent TD for Cork South-West Michael Collins
Deputy Collins, speaking from his Cork South-West constituency, issued a scathing statement regarding the recent quota allocation deal, stating: “How could Minister McConalogue issue a self-congratulatory press release claiming that this deal was a victory for Irish fishermen? The reality is that Norwegian boats will be permitted to catch over four times the blue whiting stock that Irish boats can in Irish waters.” Full story here
Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority Seek Participants for Pilot Remote Electronic Monitoring Project
The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) is seeking a number of Irish registered fishing vessels to participate in a Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) pilot project, which is part of a larger European Union, North-Western Waters (NWW) REM initiative.
REM is a technology that allows for the remote monitoring of fishing vessels, providing valuable information on fishing activity and compliance with regulative requirements, including the landing obligation. The SFPA has written to Fisheries Producer Organisations to encourage participation in the REM pilot project. Full story here
News 17th March:
McConalogue welcomes 89% increase in Irish Blue Whiting fishery
Irish quota up from 28,438 tonnes in 2022 to 53,776 tonnes in 2023
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue T.D today welcomed the conclusion of the prolonged negotiations between the European Union and Norway, resulting in a bilateral fisheries agreement for 2023.
The Minister said “These are always difficult negotiations with different Member States having different interests. For Ireland, I am satisfied that the final outcome is the strongest possible one for our fishers. They now have a quota of 53,776 tonnes for 2023 worth in excess of €13m.” Full story here
News 15th March:
Fethard RNLI in search of new volunteers as station prepares to host open day over St Patrick’s weekend
Fethard RNLI is in search of new people to join its volunteer team in a variety of lifesaving roles. The station will host an open day over St Patrick’s weekend, from 11am-1pm next Saturday morning (18 March) and want anyone who has an interest in volunteering to come along and find out more.
The station is particularly keen to recruit new volunteer lifeboat, shore crew and enhance its fundraising crew. Full story here
Supertrawlers should be banned from Irish and EU Waters
Dutch super trawler is an annihilating force destroying the Irish fishing fleet
TD's Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Michael Collins have come out objecting to the appearance of 'super trawlers' in Irish waters.
The presence of the 447ft super trawler and factory ship, the FV Margiris, in waters off the south west of Ireland in recent days has been heavily criticised. Full story here
News 9th March:
Sligo Bay RNLI Helm chosen as a finalist for inaugural Captain Dara Fitzpatrick Award
A Sligo Bay RNLI Helm has been celebrated as a finalist in the inaugural Captain Dara Fitzpatrick Award, hosted by the Irish Paramedicine Education and Research Network (IPERN).
Eithne Davis was nominated for the award by her lifeboat station team and having been selected as a finalist, she attended a special ceremony at the University of Limerick yesterday (Wednesday 8 March) on International Women’s Day. Five finalists were shortlisted by the IPERN Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Special Interest Group to award and recognise an inspirational female colleague working in the Irish pre-hospital community. Full story here
News 8th March:
Achill Island RNLI crew member in first call out ahead of International Women’s Day to medical evacuation
Achill Island RNLI responded to a request for assistance with the medical evacuation of a man on Inishturk yesterday, (Tuesday 7 March).
The volunteer crew launched the station’s all-weather lifeboat Sam and Ada Moody, shortly before 11am following a request from the Irish Coast Guard in Malin Head to assist the Sligo based Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 118, with the medical evacuation of the man on Inishturk. The crew were undertaking some training with three trainee crew members on the lifeboat’s moorings when the pagers went off. The trainees, Karen Arnold, her husband Andrew Arnold and Alex Blackmun were then able to participate in the call out with three other crew members. Full story here
News 6th March:
Dun Laoghaire RNLI celebrates lifesaving role of volunteers as charity marks International Women’s Day
For generations, women have saved lives, launched lifeboats, and raised millions for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). At Dun Laoghaire RNLI, seven women are continuing this lifesaving legacy.
Hazel Rea, Moselle Hogan, and Helm Laura Jackson - Dun Laoghaire RNLI
As an example of women saving lives, last July an all-female lifeboat crew from Dun Laoghaire RNLI rescued four teenagers after they were overcome by the outgoing tide and found clinging to The Wooden Bridge at Dollymount. The crew launched the inshore lifeboat at 5.08pm and arrived on scene at 5.25pm. The lifeboat was helmed by Laura Jackson with crew members Moselle Hogan and Hazel Rea onboard. The crew brough all four casualties safely ashore. Full story here
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