Gardaí in four-county blitz on overfishing

GARDAÍ swooped on fishing vessels and factories across four counties yesterday as they continued investigations into overfishing.

Fishing organisations said they cooperated with special Garda units who boarded vessels, and who are believed to have been probing quotas on the fishing of pelagic species, like mackerel and herring.

Early-morning raids were carried out by members of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation in counties Donegal, Cork, Kerry and Galway regions.

Local officers also took part in searches, which included up to 100 gardaí.

The Garda Press Office refused to specify why the searches were carried out or whether any items were seized, nothing only: “These searches formed part of an [ongoing] investigation into alleged irregularities in the fishing industry.”

Fishermen, however, said it was a sensitive situation. Reports from coastal fishing groups also suggested that gardaí were circulating a list of possibly under a dozen vessels on which their investigations are centred, and asking what fish had been sourced by processors, and who they came from.

Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation said investigating officers had not explained the purpose of the raids.

“We had fraud squad all over the county at fish processors and fishing vessels, but we didn’t know what it was related to. We don’t think any Donegal vessels are involved though,” said chief executive Sean O’Donoghue.

Further south, a larger scale operation involving Garda searches took place.

“It’s a very difficult situation when people are subject to this type of investigation. They could be investigating quotas, but there are no charges pending,” said Gerard O’Flynn with the Irish South and West Fish Producers’ Organisation.

Files and fishing vessel logbooks were seized in ports in the same four counties in 2004, during similar Garda searches.

In a similar fashion, court warrants were obtained for yesterday’s searches.

Then Marine Minister Noel Dempsey began the current inquiry after a Donegal fisherman Pat Cannon claimed there was widespread collusion with department officials over widespread fraud, including overfishing of quotas and misreporting of catches.

Mr Cannon passed his complaints on to the European Commission.