The future of Castletownbere’s fishing industry was widely discussed at a recent public meeting held in the Berehaven Golf Club , which was hosted by Ireland South Fianna Fáil MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú.

Oihane Agirregoita, an MEP from Spain who sits on PECH, the European Parliament Committee on Fishing, also attended the discussions.

Members of the fishing community expressed their concerns about quota shares, the Common Fisheries Policy and the sustainability of Irish fishing.

Speaking with The Southern Star, John O’Sullivan, a fisherman from Castletownbere who attended the meeting, said he  was satisfied that locals had ‘got the message across of how bad things are within the fishing industry.’

Reiterating concerns expressed during the public discussion, he pointed to the knock-on effects the decline of the industry is having on the community.

‘It’s just like Armageddon, really’, he said. ‘All the backup systems ashore are losing workers because they don’t have enough boats to keep them going.’

Patrick Murphy, ceo of the Irish South and West Fish Producer’s Organisation reported that he felt concerns raised about the future of the industry had been acknowledged during the discussions.

Without change, he said, Ireland would not be able to maintain a fishing fleet. Despite being an island, Ireland only has access to 15% of the fish in its waters, with the rest of the fishing quotas going to other countries.

‘We have an industry that should be worth billions to the Irish people, and instead of it being worth billions to us, it’s worth billions to others’,  he said.

The loss of the Hague preferences was cited as a major factor behind the industry’s recent anxieties.

Castletownbere’s Tony Browne speaking at the meeting.

 ‘The safety net that we had to protect the downfall of our industry has been ripped from us,’ he added.

Ní Mhurchú described the meeting as frank and constructive, saying that ‘members of the fishing community were clearly appreciative of the honest, open, and listening ear afforded to them.’

‘Many feel they have been ignored for far too long, and morale is understandably very low given the severe blows fishing communities have suffered in recent years, months and particularly weeks,' she said.

Highlighting that the meeting must mark the beginning of renewed political focus, she urged for the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.

Separately, both ministers Timmy Dooley and Martin Heydon attended the Agrifish Council in Brussels earlier this week, where Minister Dooley said he raised the issue of the ‘unfairness’ of the mackerel quota assigned to EU fishermen and women, compared to Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and the UK. These third countries have a 40% higher allowable catch than EU members states.

‘This is not a level playing field at all’ said Dooley, ‘and it must be resolved as it is having a devastating impact on our coastal communities’.

Speaking before the meeting, he had called for the EU to take a strong position in advance of the Coastal States consultations, which will be held in Denmark on March 5th and 6th.

‘We need a positive outcome that addresses the EU’s needs in terms of a fair, comprehensive sharing arrangement, and the setting of the total allowable catch for mackerel that allows for the recovery of the stock while providing a level playing field for our fishermen and women.’