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

MARINE TIMES NEWS November 21st:
Seafood Ireland Alliance Welcomes Political Support in Upcoming General Election

The Seafood Ireland Alliance, comprising five organisations have welcomed the strong support by a number of political parties in the upcoming General Election following the publication of manifestos by all the major parties and Independent candidates.

They have welcomed the support from Sinn Féin for the seafood sector and the commitment to robustly defend Irelands marine interests as outlined in their manifesto. The Seafood Alliance have also welcomed Fine Gael’s manifesto support for a dedicated Minister of State for Fisheries and a review of the EU Common Fisheries Policy. The Seafood Ireland alliance say they are delighted that the manifesto reflects most of what they recently outlined to the party in a joint industry 10-point plan.

The Sinn Fein manifesto acknowledges the crisis facing the seafood industry and gives a clear commitment to appointing a dedicated Marine Minister. Brendan Byrne Chief Executive of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association commented, “The provision of a dedicated Minister for the Marine is key to revitalising the sector and providing an economically sustainable future for the 16,500 working in seafood”. He went on to say, “The creation of a ‘Fish Ireland’ office in Brussels to place the Irish fishing and seafood industry front and centre in the EU is also an important initiative that the Alliance has advocated previously”.

The Alliance also welcomes the proposed initiative to carry out an independent root & branch review of the Irish fishing and seafood industry. Dominic Rihan, CEO of the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation said, “Commissioning the development of a long-term rebuilding and growth strategy for the industry is long overdue. This will provide a clear direction for the industry going forward, which it has sadly lacked for many years”.

The Sinn Féin manifesto commitment to establish an ‘independent oversight and complaints body for the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA)’ also makes sense to the Alliance. Aodh O’Donnell, CEO of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation of the IFPO and a member of the SFPA Consultative Committee highlighted, “The legislation relating to this control authority is outdated. Effective oversight is needed to ensure public accountability. Effective and fit for purpose policing of our waters is welcomed by Irish fleets to provide a level playing field for all fishermen operating in Irish waters”.

Speaking of the Fine Gael manifesto, Aodh O Donnell, says that “Should the party return to Government, we will work with them to establish a 5-year strategy for developing the fishing sector,” says O Donnell. “This strategy should enable the sector to harness our ocean wealth on a sustainable long-term basis.”

Dominic Rihan of the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation says the alliance shares Fine Gael’s ambition to deliver a plan for the sector within 100 days of the new government taking office. “We have the vision to help them develop a workable strategy to underpin coastal employment. This employment should cross all sectors of the industry, from catching to processing and service enterprises”.

Brendan Byrne of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association described the manifesto as “an assertive stance to protect our waters and this vital sector of the Irish economy. The seafood sector has been the Cinderella industry for far too long.”

Patrick Murphy of the South and West Fish Producers Organisation welcomed the FG undertaking to have more effective liaison and improved engagement with the industry at Department levels. “We also welcome the promise to boost Ireland’s presence in Brussels, which is needed to increase our bargaining power.”

John Lynch of the South and East Fish Producers Organisation said the manifesto commitments need to be implemented in order to revitalise a sector which currently accounts for 16,500 jobs. “Ireland has the richest waters in Europe so we are uniquely placed to develop the sector, if the political commitment is there.”

The Sinn Fein manifesto also highlights the need to engage with EU fisheries ministers and Irish industry representatives to identify, negotiate and secure new fishing and quota opportunities. Patrick Murphy, CEO of the Irish South and West Fishermen’s Organisation said, “Given that Ireland has 12 % of the EU Waters and less than 6 % of fishing quotas, this long-term injustice needs to be addressed and the ‘fight for a fair share of the fish’ needs a focus to address the decades of neglect suffered by the industry”.

John Lynch of the Irish South and East Fish Producers Organisation complimented Sinn Fein on their commitment ensure that fishermen and their representatives are actively engaged in the process of establishing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and in designating sites for offshore renewable energy developments. Lynch stressed,

“The fishing industry is not against offshore wind farms or the creation of MPAs, but we do want to be treated fairly and the impacts on our livelihoods of such developments fully acknowledged and properly evaluated”.

Aodh O Donnell says Ireland needs to “emulate our Nordic neighbours and be ambitious for our fishing and seafood sectors. They have grown their blue economy at significant rates for the last 20 years. This has often been at the expense of exploiting access to Irish waters and overfishing our shared marine resources. It’s time to end this overfishing and give Ireland a fair share of fishing access to our own waters.”

He says the alliance see the Fine Gael manifesto as a solid basis for a programme for government “that would serve coastal communities well. This is a vital first step and a sea change in political support for our seafood communities.”

In concluding Aodh O’Donnell acknowledged the Sinn Fein manifesto as providing solid grounds for securing a viable future for the Irish fishing industry. He said, “That while we may not agree with everything, it is a good start point for discussion”.

Having welcomed the manifestos issued by Fine Gael and Sinn Féin, the Seafood Alliance Ireland has further commented on the relevant part of the manifesto release by Fianna Fail.

While not as comprehensive as the other parties, nonetheless there are positive elements contained in the Fianna Fáil document. Speaking on behalf of the Alliance, Aodh O’Donell of the IFPO highlighted, “It is positive to see Fianna Fáil acknowledging the need for a dedicated Minister of State for the Marine who will work closely with the Cabinet Minister. This is badly needed to re-invigorate the seafood sector that has been neglected for many years”.

Patrick Murphy of the ISWFPO went on to say, “It is encouraging that Fianna Fáil will advocate for CFP reforms that better reflect Ireland’s share of fish species caught in its waters, ensuring fairer quotas. Given that Ireland has the most productive fishing grounds in Europe, but less than 6% of the EU quotas, it is vital that the Government argues robustly and makes a more equitably sharing of quotas in Europe during the negotiation of a new CFP”.

The Alliance also welcomed the other elements of the manifesto regarding innovation and promotion of education within the marine sector. John Lynch commented, “While these are both positive initiatives, they will only be useful if the existential challenges facing the industry can be addressed”.

On the final commitment made by Fianna Fáil to explore incentives for boats to land their catch in Irish ports, stimulating the domestic processing sector, Brendan Byrne of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters commented, “This is an interesting proposal given our processors have been starved of fish in recent years. While there are obvious benefits, the detail on how this work in practice and the types of incentives that could be put in place to encourage boats to land in Ireland need to be carefully considered”.

Seafood Ireland would like to acknowledge the assistance of MEPs Billy Kelleher, Barry Cowan and Cynthia Ní Mhurchú who took time to meet the sector and have followed up on some of the issues highlighted to them. Dominic Rihan of the KFO said, “The constructive engagement we have had with the Fianna Fáil MEPs is very much appreciated as political support for our seafood communities is needed more than ever given the many challenges the seafood industry is facing”.