Fishing organisations give cautious welcome to €80m EU funding

IRELAND has secured around €80 million in EU funds to redevelop the fishing sector over the next six years.

Fishing organisations welcomed agreement on the €3.8 billion European Fisheries Fund, but said they need the Government to contribute about €300m more.

A department spokesman said last night the funding requirements of the fish sector would be considered but suggested the industry’s calculations “appear to be unrealistic”.

Ministers spent the last two years haggling over the fund, designed to stop depleting fish stocks while giving the industry a sustainable future.

It focuses on four priority areas:

* Measures for the adaptation of the community fishing fleet.

* Funding for aquaculture, inland fishing and the processing and marketing of fisheries products.

* Funding for measures of common interest such as investments in fishery ports and the promotion and development of new markets.

* Sustainable development of coastal areas.

There will be funding for projects such as eco-tourism, regeneration of coastal areas along with protecting and enhancing natural heritage.

Other areas eligible for funding which are particularly relevant to the Irish seafood sector include financial support for socioeconomic measures to benefit small-scale coastal fishing communities around the coastline.