D-Day looms for older fishing vessels

D-DAY is at hand for the Irish fishing fleet with a multi-million-euro scheme for the permanent removal of older and larger vessels.

Five o’clock on Wednesday afternoon is the closing date for applications under the voluntary decommissioning scheme that aims to remove 75 boats from the whitefish fishing fleet, which has more capacity than fish stock to catch.

If that target is reached, an estimated 400 fishermen will be out of work and a way of life will end for some people whose families have worked on fishing boats at sea for generations.