A meeting will take place in Berehaven Golf Club in Castletownbere on Thursday, February 19th to address concerns around pressures on the fishing industry.

Hosted by Ireland South Fianna Fáil MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, the meeting will be addressed by local fishing representatives as well as Irish and EU officials on the threats that the Irish fishing industry is facing.

The future of the Irish fishing sector will be discussed, as well as how various stakeholders can work together to support it.

‘In 2004, we had around 400 boats fishing in Ireland. By 2025, this had fallen to around 140 boats. Ireland has already lost too much. We cannot afford another hit. I will use every lever available at EU level to fight for quotas, our coastal communities, and the future of our fishing industry’ said Ms Ní Mhurchú.

The sector sustains up to 17,000 jobs in coastal communities around Ireland, both directly and indirectly.

The Ireland South MEP described it as a pivotal time for the Irish fishing community, pointing out that foreign fishing fleets continue to catch around 85% of the fish in Irish waters, leaving Irish coastal communities shouldering the consequences of shrinking quotas.

The meeting takes place in Berehaven Golf Club in Castletownbere on Thursday February 19th at 6.30pm.