'This is the death rattle for Irish fishing': dozens of trawlers to be decommissioned in State scheme

'People don't realise the costs that are involved in fishing, or the fact that we have nobody who is really fighting our corner in Europe.' File picture: Andy Gibson

Up to 80 trawlers from the country’s 180-strong offshore fishing fleet could be destroyed if all their owners are accepted onto the Brexit Voluntary Decommissioning Scheme.

According to leading fishing industry representatives, this is the number of ships their owners say they plan to decommission.

The scheme, which is worth €60m, was set up as a result of the Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) which led to cuts agreed between the Irish Government and the EU to the amount of fish Irish fishers could catch.

The deal has made it harder for Irish fishers to earn a living.

The additional sharp rise in costs has added to the extra pressures facing the industry.

Cork South TD Michael Collins has been told 24 applications have been submitted to the Department of Agriculture while a further 30 are at “various stages of preparation”.

Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation CEO Patrick Murphy said he had been told the numbers would be higher by the time entry to the scheme ends on November 18.

“I have been told that as many as 82 are going to go for it,” he said.

“People don’t seem to realise what is happening here.

“This is the death rattle of the Irish fishing industry.

“If all those 82 ships are taken out of the fleet, that will leave just 78.

“But this isn’t just 82 ships being taken out of the fleet, this is not just families leaving the industry, this is also going to have a knock-on effect on associated industries.

“The remaining boats are going to struggle to find welders, painters, carpenters and other tradespeople because there just won’t be enough work to go round.”

You are now seeing in real-time, the destruction of Ireland’s fishing industry.

“It has all been allowed to happen on this Government’s watch.”

Alan Carleton, who has applied to decommission his family’s trawler Syracuse, said he could no longer afford to be a fisherman.

“My income has gone down slightly over the past few years, but my costs have shot up,” he said.

“The margins are now just too narrow.

“Two years ago, I would spend around €2,360 for fuel for an eight-day fishing trip.

“That cost is now €13,200 for the same trip.”

Although he expects to get about €800,000 to decommission, most of that will go to pay off bank loans.

"People don't realise the costs that are involved in fishing, or the fact that we have nobody who is really fighting our corner in Europe," he added.

"We see other nations fishing in our own waters and being able to catch far more than we can.

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"That's because they have governments who are prepared to stand up to the EU and fight for their rights to catch more fish."