Tight quotas ‘put fishermen’s lives at risk’

MORE fishermen will die at sea during the coming winter if the Department of the Marine does not take a more “realistic” approach to fish quotas, a national safety conference was told yesterday.

Fisherman John O’Mahony, a skipper of 25 years experience, claimed the department was putting fish quotas above the lives of fishermen because of its policies which forced trawlers to operate and land catches at designated ports.

Nine fishermen have been lost this year, including seven in the Pere Charles and two in the Honey Dew 11 tragedies.