Fishing leaders await investigation over quota flouting claims

FISHING leaders insisted yesterday they were waiting for a garda investigation to be completed before commenting on claims the industry was extensively flouting EU and national laws.

Fraud squad officers, it was claimed in a Sunday newspaper, had unearthed evidence of "massive overfishing", during raids last October, in all major ports on the western seaboard.

It was also claimed that trawlers had illegally landed about three times more fish than quotas permitted.

Jason Whooley, who heads the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation, said yesterday: "It would be inappropriate to comment on the claims until the investigation is completed."

The article claimed that there was extensive illegal fishing involving the industry in the four major ports on the west coast Castletownbere, Dingle, Rossaveal and Killybegs.

Mr Whooley said he was not aware of any members of his organisation being advised by gardaí that they faced prosecution for any alleged fraud.

A further industry source acknowledged that a number of premises in the southwest had been raided late last year.

"Files were removed from some premises but, until such times as the garda inquiry is completed, the industry as a whole should not be prejudged by the media."

The Sunday newspaper further suggested that, in anticipation of a backlash from the EU about the alleged fraud and the "huge embarrassment" to the department of marine, the Government had recently announced a 45 million decommissioning package for the industry.

However, Mr Whooley dismissed the suggestion that the decommissioning package was a knee jerk reaction by the Government to an impending scandal.

"The industry, and our organisation in particular, have sought for a number of years a suitable decommissioning package to assist fishermen to leave the industry. Decommissioning was also an integral part of department policy as far back as the year 2000," he said.

Industry spokesmen have regularly claimed that diminishing quotas, conservation concerns and increasing regulations, along with the unsociable image of the job, had all contributed to concerns for the long-term future of fishing, with trawlers finding it difficult to recruit new crewmen.

Meanwhile, gardaí declined to comment on claims that files relating to fishing industry fraud were being prepared for the DPP.