Ireland’s leading maritime newspaper covering the Coastal, Fishing and Maritime Communities

In this month’s edition - “Fishermen Are Tired of Being Targeted…”

Government funding of NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and of environmental organisations which have targeted the fishing industry has been questioned by the Chief Executive of one of the biggest fish producer organisations in the country; “Our maritime resource is not something to be neglected, but something to be cherished, invested in and made to work for all the people of Ireland…” - Tom MacSweeney interviews Chair of the new Oireachtas Committee for Fisheries and Marine, Conor D McGuinness .... all of this plus so much more in our May issue

Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast MAY:
On this edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......

On the May edition of SEASCAPES from the MARINE TIMES – the Chairman of the new Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and the Marine outlines how he intends to focus the work of the Committee. First-time Sinn Fein TD from Waterford, Conor D. McGuinness, who comes from a fishing family - his father being the well-known South East Coast fisherman, Brian McGuinness, says it is a Committee with a broad remit and he will examine regulations affecting the industry where it seems at times that policing is too severe and Irish boats are boarded more often than foreign. And Finian O'Sullivan, Chairman of the National Committee of IFA Aquaculture assess the sector and its future. The Podcast is presented by Executive Editor, Tom MacSweeney .... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above.

MARINE TIMES NEWS May 21st:
European Maritime Day and ‘European Maritime Days to Play’ bringing a €2 million uplift to Cork’s hospitality and tourism sector

Over €2 million will be spent in Cork as more than 1,000 players in European maritime sector arrive in the city this week for Europe’s premier maritime conference. The European Maritime Day (EMD) conference is the annual flagship community showing the latest developments in the EU blue economy and is being hosted by Cork City Council, Government of Ireland and the European Commission.

Delegates from over 40 countries are registered for the three-day flagship event including from China, Canada, Japan, Africa, Denmark, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece France and Germany which is a major boost to the city’s hospitality sector. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS May 20th:
BIM Business of Seafood Report states that Ireland’s seafood economy worth €1.24 billion in 2024

Investments in processing technologies, stronger exports, and record prices achieved for mackerel contributed to growth of 4%

The value of Ireland’s seafood economy increased to €1.24 billion in GDP terms last year, an increase of 4% compared to 2023. This was largely driven by increases in exports (+9%), stronger domestic sales (+3%) and an increase in landings to Irish ports (+11%).Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS May 19th:
EU-UK Fishing Deal Fails Ireland - EU Must Address Historic Imbalance for Irish Fishing Industry

EU Must Address Historic Imbalance for Irish Fishing Industry Irish fishing leaders say the Government must meet the EU Commission to determine how our fishing industries can survive on reduced quotas. The call comes as the EU announces plans to extend their current post-Brexit UK fishing deal to 2038, despite the fact that a staggering 40% of the value of quotas transferred to the UK come from Ireland alone.

There was no justification first time round for Ireland to be singled out to pay such a high price for the UK fishing agreement,” says Aodh O Donnell, CEO of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation. “There is even less reason now, as we have loudly and clearly outlined how damaging this deal was for Ireland. It has already cost our industry an estimated €180 million to date. Full story here

RNLI Lifeboat coxswains with almost a century of volunteering retire

Two RNLI volunteer lifeboat coxswains have bid an emotional farewell to their stations in Wexford and West Cork after retiring with almost a century of lifesaving behind them.

The RNLI paid tribute to the incredible service of the two men as National Volunteer Week begins in Ireland and the charity relies on volunteers to continue its lifesaving work, as it has done for over 200 years. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS May 18th:
Bangor RNLI names new lifeboat Ruby Robinson as station’s volunteers mark 60 years of saving lives at sea

A new inshore Atlantic 85 class lifeboat has been officially named Ruby Robinson during a special naming ceremony and service of dedication held at the lifeboat station on Saturday 17th May. The event coincided with Bangor RNLI’s 60th anniversary.

The lifeboat which went on service in June last year was funded by a legacy from Dennis Filby from Norfolk in England. His family members Richard and Jason Clarke who were in attendance, and the family had the honour of officially naming the new lifeboat at the end of the ceremony. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS May 16th:
New Oireachtas committee calls for assertive and ambitious approach to fisheries and maritime affairs

Sinn Féin TD and chairperson of the new Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Conor D. McGuinness, has said the state must finally give coastal communities the voice they deserve, and put an end to decades of neglect, mismanagement and policy failure in the fishing and maritime sector.

Speaking as Chair at the inaugural meeting of the new Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Deputy McGuinness said the state’s relationship with its coastal communities and marine resources must change, and that the committee would serve as a platform for fairness, scrutiny, and action. Full story here

Port of Waterford celebrates 1111 Years with New Podcast Series Sharing Stories from Ireland's Oldest Port

Today, (May 16th), on St. Brendan’s Day (the patron saint of seafarers), the Port of Waterford announced its brand new podcast series. As Waterford and the Port of Waterford celebrate 1,111 years this year, and to mark the occasion, Ireland’s oldest Port has launched a brand new podcast series ‘Port of Waterford 1111’ which explores the Port’s rich and varied maritime heritage.

Episode 1 features the O'Hanlon family, for whom crane driving isn't just a job—it’s a legacy. For four generations, they have been an integral part of the Port of Waterford's daily operations, manoeuvring towering cranes with precision and skill high above the bustling docks. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS May 8th:
EU policies are subjecting Irish fisheries to catalogue of catastrophic outcomes

Leader of Independent Ireland Michael Collins has said he is of the clear view that “the EU and successive Irish Governments have engaged in a de facto war of attrition on Irish fishermen and woman through their insistence on the maintenance of post-Brexit quota cuts and EU Common Fisheries Policy allocations that have subsequently resulted in a catalogue of catastrophic outcomes.”

The Cork South-West TD was speaking following his contribution to a Dáil debate to mark Europe Day. During the debate, Deputy Collins noted that many boats are now able to access their entire annual EU allocated quotas in 9 weeks while boats operating out of Killybegs can catch their entire mackerel fish annual quota in 17 hours. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS May 7th:
Classic Car Run Supports Aran Islands Lifeboat Station for the 10th Consecutive Year

On Sunday night (4 May) the organisers of the Classic Car Run presented a cheque for €1010 to the Aran Islands Lifeboat Station.

Seventeen vintage cars, driven from across Ireland, began their journey on Friday (2 May) and headed West towards Inis Mór for the long weekend. Full story here

Arrival of le Biche - Celebrating Galway and Lorient’s enduring maritime relationship

The high seas, whiskey, and 230-year-old maritime links to be celebrated in May

Galway and Lorient’s enduring maritime relationship, stretching back almost two and a half centuries, will be celebrated when the historic Breton sailing vessel, le Biche, sails into Galway Harbour. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS April 25th:
Baltimore RNLI launched to search for missing fishing vessel

Baltimore RNLI were requested by the Irish Coast Guard to search for an overdue fishing vessel this afternoon (Friday 25 April) in Crookhaven in West Cork.

The volunteer lifeboat crew launched their all-weather lifeboat at 12.55pm, following a request from the Irish Coast Guard who had received reports of an overdue fishing vessel which couldn’t be reached. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS April 22nd:
Coastal Community Development Scheme Opens for Applications

Fisheries Local Actions Groups (FLAG) Coastal Community Development Scheme Opens

Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland’s Seafood Development Agency in conjunction with the seven Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs), today (Tuesday 22 April 2025) confirmed that the Coastal Community Development Scheme is now open for applications. This follows the recent launch by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Fisheries, Timmy Dooley, T.D., of the Scheme.

Over its lifetime, 2025-2029, the Scheme will provide funding of €15 million to successful applicants under the community-led local development initiative, whose primary focus is to enhance the economic opportunities and social sustainability of coastal areas, many of which are dependent on fisheries and aquaculture. A total of €2.1 million funding has been allocated for 2025. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS April 11th:
The alternative "Easter Egg" hunt

This Easter, Clean Coasts is encouraging families, friends, and local Clean Coasts Groups across Ireland to take a break from the traditional chocolate egg hunt and get involved in a meaningful outdoor activity. Beachgoers are invited to participate in a #2MinuteBeachClean at their local beach, while also taking part in a fun and educational Egg Case Hunt.

Live Nursehound Shark Eggcase, Warren Beach, Inver, Co. Donegal plus a Small Spotted Catshark

This initiative aims to inspire kids and adults of all ages to enjoy the outdoors, engage with nature, and help protect Ireland’s beautiful coastlines by removing litter and identifying egg cases along the shore for an exciting citizen science action. By tracking findings with The Ray Project, or the National Biodiversity Centre’s Explore Your Shore programme, this citizen collected information allows marine scientists to gain understanding of these species and identify nursery areas. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS April 9th:
IFPEA welcome the creation of an Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs

The Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association welcomes the news that the Oireachtas is to create a full dedicated Committee of both houses Dáil Eireann and Seanad Eireann on all matters relating Fisheries and Maritime Affairs.

"Following the creation of the Fisheries and Marine Minister, an appointment that gave the sector a Minister for the first time in 14 years, this is viewed as an extremely positive development and one which we have long lobbied for in the IFPEA. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS April 3rd:
New rescue figures reveal RNLI came to the aid of over 1,000 people last year as the lifesaving charity puts out its own Mayday call

The RNLI has released its rescue figures for 2024, which show the charity’s lifeboats across the 46 stations in the Irish region, launched over 881 times last year. Volunteer crews brought 1,007 people to safety, 22 of whom were lives saved*. Some 234 of those launches were carried out in the hours of darkness.

With demand for its lifesaving services at a high, the charity is putting out its own ‘Mayday’ call, and urging the public to get involved with its national fundraising event, the Mayday Mile. Participants are challenged to cover a mile a day for the month of May, with every cent raised helping to make sure that the charity’s lifesavers have everything they need to keep people safe this summer and beyond. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS April 1st:
Volunteers remove a skip full of marine litter in just one hour from Blacksod Bay Beach

A group of 25 people including 8 local school children turned out in the rain to take part in a pier and beach clean at Blacksod Bay Beach on Sunday 30th March as part of the Clean Coasts Roadshow events.

Volunteers and Clean Coasts Officer Olivia Jones with the Litter removed from Blacksod at their Beach Clean on Sunday 30th March

The event was supported by Bord Iascaigh Mhara’s (BIM) Co-ordinated Local Aquaculture Management Systems (CLAMS) initiative. Others in attendance included, members of the local community, local fishers, businesses such as Blacksod Sea Safari, Dúlra Iris Seaweed, and organisations such as the Mayo Irish Whale & Dolphin group, Mayo Volunteer Centre and the local interpretive center Solas Eachléim Centre - where light refreshments were served following the clean-up. Full story here

Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast April:
On this edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......

On the APRIL edition - “There’s a wonderful vibrancy around the marine sector at the moment ...” So says Minister of State Timmy Dooley in his first radio interview in his dual maritime and fisheries post, on this month’s SEASCAPES Marine Times Podcast, presented by Executive Editor, Tom MacSweeney. There is also a discussion between the two sides of wind farm development and its effects on the fishing industry; a visit to a €25m ship bought by a Cork company and the question – Is the Irish public ocean literate? is considered .... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above

Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast March:
On this edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......

On the MARCH edition - Fish farming will be a vital supplier of food to future generations; Are whales changing which parts of Ireland they visit? Once Navy – Always Navy’ and the Waterford Estuary harbour which has changed, but not for the better .... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above

Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast February:
On this edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......

The “insane” treatment of Ireland’s fishermen is discussed on the February edition of the Podcast, highlighting the way the Irish fishing industry is treated about Bluefin Tuna. John Shine, a leading figure for 20 years in the marketing and selling of Irish fish, highlights the way that Irish fishermen are prevented from catching Bluefin Tuna in Irish waters, while other nations are allowed to do so. He says that proper management of the industry is lacking and, unless its demise is stopped and the industry sustained, he is doubtful and concerned about its future. .... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above

Tom MacSweeney's SEASCAPES Podcast January:
On this first edition of our maritime programme, SEASCAPES, presented by Tom MacSweeney .......

The Polish solo sailor who is Ireland’s only representative in what is being described as “a world first event, never attempted before …” explains why he intends to spend over a year sailing 26,000 miles alone around the world on a 19-foot plywood boat which he has built himself….. The Managing Director of a Valentia Island boatyard discusses how it has built the first Naval vessel in Ireland for forty years…. and a sailmaker explains why he built a maritime cannon .... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above

MARINE TIMES PODCAST December:
New government must end naivety towards fishing

Tom MacSweeney talks to Brendan Byrne, Chief Executive of the IFPEA

The Chief Executive of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association says there has been naivete amongst policymakers who thought that the fishing industry would reconfigure itself, despite the losses caused by Brexit.

The entire sector, catching and processing, is in a once-in-a-lifetime crisis, according to CEO Brendan Byrne. He also challenges the rigour of controls enforcement on Irish fishing by the SFPA, at a level which does not happen in other Member States, he says in this Podcast interview with Marine Times Executive Editor / News, Tom MacSweeney. Listen to the Podcast here

Tom MacSweeney's MARITIME PODCAST - DECEMBER

On the December edition of Tom MacSweeney's Maritime Podcast, Ireland’s only maritime broadcast:
Why does Ireland, an island nation, not have a traditional fish dish for Christmas? Other nations do, so why not Ireland? Appropriately, this month being Christmastime, that question is raised in the December edition of my Podcast by historian Antoin O’Callaghan. While other nations make fish a Christmas dish, he wonders why Ireland does not and suggests The Feast of the Seven Fishes. But, will Ireland have enough fish to meet its needs? Perhaps not. The Chief Executive of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters, Brendan Byrne, says this has been a very bad year for processors. That’s all on the December edition, with a look back at storylines from previous editions.

MARINE TIMES PODCAST September:
Does the Government want a fishing industry or does it want to let it continue into terminal decline?
“The Government must be clear --------The industry needs real help…”

Tom MacSweeney interviews Dominic Rihan, Chief Executive ofthe KFO

Our main News story in the September edition reports a fall of more than €37m in landings by the Irish fleet. All sectors of the industry are united in opinion – it is in its worst crisis ever and the Government is not doing enough to support it.

In this month’s Marine Times Podcast the Chief Executive of the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation, Dominic Rihan, discusses the situation with Marine Times Executive News Editor, Tom MacSweeney. A strategic review is needed of where the industry is going, he says and raises the question - does the Government want a fishing industry or does it want to let it continue into terminal decline?

“That is a stark reality,” says Mr.Rihan, “but it has to be recognised.” Listen to the Podcast here

MARINE TIMES PODCAST August:
Do you accept that the fishing industry is in a very serious crisis situation, Minister?

Tom MacSweeney interviews Minister Charlie McConalogue

In the August issue of the Marine Times, Tom MacSweeney interviews Minister McConalogue - challenging him on a number of aspects affecting the fishing industry, asking him questions on why he insists on putting accross the EU oinion to the industry rather than voicing Irish concerns sufficiently, asking him how is it realistic to encourage young people into the Irish fishing industry ....

Listen to the full MARINE TIMES interview with Tom MacSweeney. Listen to the Podcast here

PODCAST 3rd July:
Government and EU must deal with how offshore wind campaigners and biodiversity campaigners are squeezing the fishing industry says leading fisheries CEO

The Chief Executive of the Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation has warned of potential conflict between fishermen as traditional marine users and the new users of the blue economy.

In the front page leading story of the July edition of the MARINE TIMES, Aodh O’Donnell says there is an impending serious ‘spatial squeeze’ on Ireland’s fishing industry due to the way offshore renewable energy strategy is being implemented nationally, because there has been a failure to co-ordinate the roll-out of ORE and biodiversity strategies with the need to protect the fishing industry and its traditional fishing grounds..

He says that “the fishing sector fully supports the need for climate change measures, but there is a need for balanced thinking and understanding that fishing is a source of food security.

In this MARINE TIMES interview he outlined fishermen’s concerns to Tom MacSweeney. Listen to the Podcast here

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