Fishermen call for compensation hike

THE €9 million allocated by the Government to reduce the number of fishing boats because of a shortage of whitefish will have to be trebled, the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO) warned yesterday.

Under the scheme just announced by Junior Marine Minister Pat “The Cope” Gallagher, fishermen will be given compensation for taking their boats out of commission.

This scheme is needed because whitefish quotas have been steadily decreasing and the huge increase in imports into the EU are combining to make the business unviable for many members, IFPO chief executive Lorcáin Ó Cinnéide said.