Deal will destroy our livelihoods: fishermen

SEAN RADFORD says the bank will repossess his trawler and he will lose his home if the Government fails to help scallop fishermen.

Sean spoke of his financial troubles as fishermen from Kilmore Quay fishing port in Co Wexford protested outside the National Fisheries Exhibition in Co Galway yesterday.

They are demonstrating against Department of Marine policies which they say will destroy their livelihoods.

The fishermen are angry that the department’s fishing plan for scallop fishery only provides for three boats to remain fishing in Kilmore. There are 18 fishing in the region now.

A delegation of fishermen yesterday demanded a meeting with Marine Minister Pat the Cope Gallagher.

Since 1998, Sean said, licences have continued to be issued to high-powered vessels. There are no restrictions on the time they are allowed to work at sea.

But fishermen like Sean, a 57-year-old father of two, say they need a 300% to 500% increase in time that they are allowed at sea to stay in business.

But they only got a 20% increase under the EU Western Waters Agreement last year. The time limits can not be renegotiated.

The only solution now, scallop fishermen say, is to compensate them and allow them to either decommission or else restructure their fleet. “I’ve been fishing since I was 16,” Sean said. “It’s too late now for me to retrain and I’m too old to work with any of the European crews. The department wants us to share out the fishing time between all of us. It just won’t pay.”

A Marine Department spokesman said the minister had received letters from the group and his officials had met with them. “The minister is awaiting a complete report from department officials before progressing the matter,” he said.