Negotiations 'in the dingey corners of Brussels' failing fisherman over super trawlers

The fisherman behind a petition to have super trawlers banned off the Irish coast, says the sector is being failed by EU policies.

The petition was sparked by the presence of the vessel, Margiris, off the coast of Donegal which is nearly 140 metres long and has the capacity to catch more than 9,000 tonnes of fish.

Jerry Early, chair of Irish Islands Marine Resource Organistion, says the Margiris is still fishing today, when small local fishermen cannot sail due to poor weather conditions.

He says public representatives are failing Ireland's fishermen at EU level.

Mr Early said: "It's negotiations that happen at the higher levels, in the dingey corners of Brussels, that are made up between the select few where the small inshore fisherman does not have equal representation.

"We do not get the chance to go in there and argue our point.

"That's what we employ a lot of people to do, but you know what? They are failing us, shamefully failing us."

The Irish Wildlife Trust has said the supertrawler is "likely to be having a devastating affect on marine life".

The group has written to the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency (SFPA) and Minister for the Marine Simon Coveney, saying they are particularly concerned with the potential this type of fishing can have on non-target species, frequently referred to as by-catch.

They said: "By-catch can include marine mammals such as whales and dolphins but also turtles, sharks or indeed anything else that is in the way. A study by Dutch researchers has found that this can result in significant impacts to marine life."

IWT Campaigns Officer Pádraic Fogarty said: "Irish waters were designated as a whale and dolphin sanctuary by Charlie Haughey in 1991.

"It is simply unacceptable that enormous boats like this can move into our waters and hoover up marine life. We need to know whether EU law is being adhered to in this matter."