Is Ireland’s inshore fisheries sector ‘destined to fail’?

“The Irish inshore fishery is on the brink of collapse due to a lack of proper policy and regulation. Going as far back as the 1990s, BIM produced a number of reports outlying in clear terms, pathways to deal with this issue. Those blueprints have gathered dust in the interim, in tandem with the decline in economic potential of the crab and lobster fisheries.

“The Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) and others have made this point clear when making submissions to a joint subcommittee on fisheries in March 2013,” Francis O’Donnell, CEO of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation and former chair of the FIF has told Inshore Ireland.

Inshore fisheries is vital to the survival of coastal communities such as Roundstone in Connemara. Photo Gillian Mills

Also speaking to this paper, Eamon Dixon of the Erris Inshore Fishermen’s Association said it was only in the last two years that the Sea-fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has been in a position to address the problems.

But he cautions that the current level of control is not a deterrent as the agency is under-resourced, with too many areas to cover: food safety, sampling, EU audits and fisheries control.

“Unlicensed fishing is the norm in the inshore fishery, posing market risks and biological instability and a significant black market economy has developed. If we are serious about tackling this problem, Ireland needs to put real and robust long-term management plans in place on a species by species basis.” 

Eamon Dixon’s comments follow the recent publication of a report compiled by the Joint Sub-committee on Fisheries: Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities which is calling for government policy to focus on the survival of rural coastal and island communities by promoting a diverse range of activities. 

INTERVIEW WITH EAMON DIXON AND DEPARTMENT RESPONSES TO INSHORE IRELAND QUERIES  (MARCH/APRIL ISSUE) AVAILABLE FROM FEBRUARY 22