Organisation warns of ‘apartheid’ in fishing industry

A fish producers’ organisation has warned of a policy of apartheid in the fishing industry which affects the bulk of the fleet.

Marine Minister Michael Creed’s decision to allocate 87% of an additional mackerel quota to 23 vessels in the Donegal fleet has been compared, by angry counterparts on the western seaboard, to the closure of a huge factory in an urban area.

The Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation (ISWFPO), headquartered in Castletownbere, claimed 700 jobs in Galway, Kerry and West Cork ports were at risk due to the minister’s decision over an additional quota allocation, with a likely monetary value of €10m.