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

In this month’s edition - SFPA Landings Report “Shows a System Weighted Against Irish Vessels …”

It has been a busy month, particularly in the fishing industry, so in this month’s edition of the MARINE TIMES we report on the perilous state of mackerel stocks… the abuse of quotas by Russian, Faroese, Greenland, Icelandic and Nowegian fleets… examine why Ireland continues to be blocked from fishing Bluefin Tuna, though other EU fleets can do so in Irish waters – leading to a question raised about the unfairness of the Common Fisheries Policy and whether it is wiping out Irish fishermen…. The MARINE TIMES asks how the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority will respond to the criticism of its operations voiced at the Oireachtas Fisheries and Marine Committee.. In other maritime-related issues, we report on the controversy about the new Coast Guard helicopter fleet and the Public Accounts Committee – the PAC as it is known in the Dáil – to ask the Department of Transport for information about issues raised by critics … With our regular columnists the MARINE TIMES brings you the broadest, best news coverage, comment, analysis and reports on the marine sphere .... all of this plus so much more in our September issue

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

Buy the MARINE TIMES in the shops or online now and listen to our extra service - the OCTOBER edition of Executive Editor Tom MacSweeney’s SEASCAPES Podcast, which this month hears from the Chairman of NIFA, the National Inshore Fishermen’s Association, who talks to Tom MacSweeney on this month’s edition of SEASCAPES for the MARIME TIMES, explaining why he has been thinking about leaving the fishing industry because it has become so difficult to make a living.

.... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above.

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

MARINE TIMES NEWS October 3rd:
Aran Islands RNLI co-host Emergency Services Day on Inis Mór

Aran Islands RNLI in partnership with An Garda Síochána & Aran Fire and Rescue held the first ever Emergency Services Day on Inis Mór.

Schools across the three Aran Islands gathered at Cill Rónain pier on Inis Mór to learn firsthand how emergency services on the island respond to everyday emergencies. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS October 1st:
Minister Dooley Signs Six-Mile Legal Restriction

The Minister of State with special responsibility for Fisheries, Timmy Dooley, signed Policy Directive 1 of 2025 on the last day of September, giving legal effect to restrictions on trawling by larger vessels inside the six nautical mile zone.

These restrictions were announced by him and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, on July 22. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS September 30th:
Stark scientific advice for key pelagic stocks released

KFO urges the Minister to support the industry

Amid much speculation, today ICES released stark scientific advice for several key pelagic stocks for 2026. The advice confirms the worst fears of Irish pelagic fishermen. For three key pelagic species, ICES has advised massive cuts of 70% for mackerel, 41% for blue whiting and 22% for boarfish. Combined these cuts, if translated into fishing opportunities for 2026 will result in losses for the Irish industry of more than €50 million compared to 2024. Such an economic shock to any industry will test its resilience in the extreme. Full story here

Devastating 70% mackerel cut to cost Irish fishing over €66m

EU Must Act Against Coastal States’ Overfishing

Ireland’s fishing industry is bracing for a catastrophic 2026 mackerel quota reduction of 70 percent, a move that could collapse the Irish fishing sector and devastate major fishing communities. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS September 29th:
Galway RNLI is looking for former crew

As the lifeboat station and crew get ready to celebrate 30 years in Galway, the call is going out to past crew to get in contact.

Shane Folan, who was one of the first lifeboat crew volunteers with Galway RNLI and is now a Launch Authority, said: ‘It’s been 30 years since the start of crew training which was one of the early steps towards getting the lifeboat service and the lifeboat station off the ground in Galway. Full story here

MARINE TIMES Seafood Recipe of the Week September 26th:
Smoked Haddock Fish Cakes

This recipe appears in ‘From Tide to Table’ by Georgina Campbell. It was published in 2008 in association with BIM and it is a must have for all budding seafood chefs if you can get your hands on it.

For this recipe you could use a mixture of fish for this recipe, or you could just use one variety, and increase the quantity. Don’t over-process the fish cake mixture, as it’s nice to see chunks of fish when you cut the fish cake open. Full recipe here

MARINE TIMES NEWS September 24th:
Mackerel at Tipping Point

Seafood Ireland Alliance Slams Failure of Coastal States to Act

The Seafood Ireland Alliance (SIA) has warned that the future of Europe’s most valuable pelagic stock is in jeopardy after Coastal States once again failed to agree on a plan to save mackerel. Despite stark warnings from scientists on the state of the stock, negotiations in Clonakilty reached an impasse. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS September 23rd:
Inshore Fishermen Allege Wide Discrimination

The Chairman of the National Inshore Fishermen’s Association told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs at Leinster House on Tuesday, September 23, that he was thinking of leaving the fishing industry because things had become so difficult for inshore fishermen.

Michael Desmond, who fishes in West Cork, said he had made a successful application for involvement in tourism and was considering it. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS September 22nd:
Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs to discuss Issues affecting Inshore Fishing with National Inshore Fisherman’s Association

The Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs will meet tomorrow, Tuesday, 23 September, to discuss Issues affecting Inshore Fishing with representatives of the National Inshore Fisherman’s Association (NIFA).

Speaking ahead of the meeting at 11am in Committee Room 2 of Leinster House, Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Conor McGuinness said: “This is a new Committee, a much-needed Committee, with knowledgeable and driven members, and now, a weekly slot that can give time and energy to what has been a neglected aspect of our society. This week, the Committee can finally give the time, long sought, by inshore fishermen and women. Full story here

Big Beach Clean volunteers remove over 60 tonnes of litter from Ireland’s Coastline and Inland Waterways

Close to 11,000 volunteers lightened the load of marine litter during the Big Beach Clean weekend with over 520 clean-ups organised by Clean Coasts Groups and individuals nationwide.

Members of Clonakilty Community Resource Centre after their Big Beach Clean at Inchydoney Beach Cork

An estimated 60 tonnes of marine litter was removed from Ireland’s coastline this past weekend, as thousands of dedicated volunteers across the country rallied for An Taisce’s Clean Coasts Programme’s Annual Big Beach Clean. Full story here

MARINE TIMES Seafood Recipe of the Week September 19th:
Cider Braised Mussels with Bacon and Crème Fraîche

Mussel in on the action with this hearty big pot of goodness blending the freshest of shellfish with salty bacon, a match made in seafood heaven … to be honest when cooked it's lucky it gets to a bowl for serving such is the need to dive in straight away! Recipe courtesy of Bord Bia.

So make sure you visit your local fishmonger for the freshest of shellfish and your local shop for the other ingredients (plus a copy of the latest Marine Times Newspaper). Full recipe here

MARINE TIMES NEWS September 18th:
Port of Waterford release Social History Podcast Episode for Culture Night

Voices of the Quay: New Podcast Episode Captures Waterford's Living Maritime History

Pictured at the Port of Waterford is Anne Cusack (Granville Hotel, June Darrer ~(Dooley’s Hotel) and Tony Fitzgerald (Fitzgerald’s Menswear), who feature in the fifth episode of ‘Port of Waterford 1111’, A podcast series launched by The Port of Waterford, as Waterford and the Port of Waterford celebrate 1,111 years this year. Anne, June and Tony are pictured with the host of the podcast series, veteran maritime journalist Tom MacSweeney.

Just ahead of National Culture Night and as the Port of Waterford celebrates an extraordinary 1,111 years of maritime legacy, a new episode of the Port of Waterford 1111 podcast shines a spotlight on the personal stories that bring that history to life. Hosted by veteran maritime broadcaster Tom MacSweeney, the series continues to explore the cultural, economic, and social threads that have made Waterford a cornerstone of Irish port life since the Viking era. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS September 15th:
Howth RNLI welcomes home endurance runner after epic 6-week coastal challenge

Vini Cardoso set off from Howth Lifeboat Station on 2 August and over the past six weeks has visited every RNLI lifeboat station on the coast of Ireland and Northern Ireland, covering thousands of kilometres.

Endurance runner Vini Cardoso with the volunteer crew of Howth RNLI after he returned to Howth having completed his 6 week coastal running challenge.

He completed his journey at 12 noon on Saturday 13th September, where he was greeted by friends, supporters, and the volunteer crew at Howth RNLI. Full story here

MARINE TIMES Seafood Recipe of the Week September 12th:
Chunky Fish Soup with Leeks and Bacon

The weather at the moment is enough to drive anyone to distraction – where is our Indian Summer now that the kids are all back in school? Instead the winter woolies are getting dusted off and trying to get the washing dried indoors is causing ructions in homes everywhere … what we need is something like a warm hug in a bowl and this recipe courtesy of Bord Bia is the right fit.

So make sure you visit your local fishmonger for the freshest of fish and your local shop for the other ingredients (plus a copy of the latest Marine Times Newspaper). Full recipe here

MARINE TIMES NEWS September 9th:
EU Fishing Leaders Warn of Red Tape Threat at Killybegs Summit

European fishing leaders gather in Killybegs this week to challenge new EU control rules threatening the sector’s future. The leaders represent 10 EU States including Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, France and Spain.

The AGM of the European Association of Fish Producers Organisations (EAPO) opens tomorrow (10th Sept) at Ireland’s largest fishing port. The meeting is hosted by the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO) and the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO). Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS September 6th:
EU agri and fisheries policies now an economic pincer movement on Ireland's lands and seas

Leader of Independent Ireland Michael Collins has said there is now a “genuinely frightening sense that Irish agriculture and Ireland’s fishing communities will be pushed beyond the point of recovery as the impact of a raft of EU trade, fishing quota and climate change policies take full effect.”

The Cork South-West TD was speaking as controversy regarding the proposed adoption of the EU Commission's Mercosur trade deal continues to generate widespread alarm within the Irish beef sector. Full story here

MARINE TIMES NEWS September 1st:
Commissioner Meeting Crucial for Irish Fishing Industry

Seafood Ireland Alliance urges EU to ensure fairness in quotas, workable rules, and protection for coastal communities.

The Seafood Ireland Alliance said its meeting in Brussels this morning with EU Fisheries Commissioner Costas Kadis was a crucial step in pressing for fairer quotas and workable fishing rules to protect coastal communities. Full story here

New round of EMFAF funding announced at BIM Strategic Product Development conference

A new programme to boost Irish seafood product innovation will be opening shortly according to Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Timmy Dooley TD.

Speaking at the opening of a Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) Strategic Product Development Conference in Co. Kildare, Minister Dooley said applications will open next month for a Seafood Innovation Programme to provide seafood companies with the expertise, resources, and infrastructure needed to innovate and adapt to meet market demands and seize new opportunities. Full story here

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

Buy the MARINE TIMES in the shops or online now and listen to our extra service - the SEPTEMER edition of Executive Editor Tom MacSweeney’s SEASCAPES Podcast, which this month hears from a sailor who spent ten years restoring a boat and then sold it – and that there ar 750,000 seabirds in Ireland; the RNLI needs more volunteers for its lifeboats and, how part of an original Naval Service shipwreck has become part of a house renovation on Cape Clear Island

.... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above.

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

.... Has the Government Got the Backbone to Fight for Irish Fishing? That is a tough question, but it is asked on this month’s SEASCAPES Podcast. Also on the Podcast – Fish farmers need help; Searching for Songs of the Sea; There is also a housing crisis on the offshore islands and – when a submarine blew itself up off Dunmore East. There is always something interesting in and about the sea.

The Podcast is presented by Executive Editor, Tom MacSweeney .... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above.

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

.... you can hear from a man who has taken upon himself the task of widening maritime knowledge amongst young people and about a son who succeeded where his father failed, becoming the first person to cross the Irish Sea in a balloon. There is a lot more also to listen to – voices from the fishing industry and the leisure sector. There is always something interesting in and about the sea.

The Podcast is presented by Executive Editor, Tom MacSweeney .... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above.

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

Where family heritage meets daily life - That is the theme of this month’s SEASCAPES Podcast on the MARINE TIMES, presented by Executive Editor, Tom MacSweeney..

The podcast features two families, one from Cork which has invested in a multi-million Euro seafood centre and the other whose members have given 140 years of service driving cranes in Waterford Port.

The Good family traces its maritime history back to running a ferry boat in Cork Harbour. The O’Hanlons work high above ships in Waterford to keep exports and imports moving. Donagh Good has taken over the running of the Good Fish Company from his father Denis, who started it with one fish shop in 1988. He is one of the youngest company Managing Directors in the country. His family has invested millions with confidence in the future of the seafood industry. Donagh outlines why and says that the ‘mood music’ is changing for the better in the fishing industry.

The Podcast is presented by Executive Editor, Tom MacSweeney .... Listen to the podcast by clicking on the image above.

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.

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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