Sea bass too vital a resource to be left to trawlers focused on short-term financial gain

I WISH to highlight the alarming news that the Department of Fisheries is considering allowing commercial fishing of bass to resume.

In the past Irish trawlers devastated the stocks of bass in this country and the species was almost wiped out due to shortsighted tactics employed by commercial boats.

The Irish fishing fleet has proven it is incapable of self-regulation and seems determined to focus on short-term financial gains resulting in total destruction of our bass stocks. Angling tourism contributes significantly to the economy, bringing in much-needed tourism to small communities and helping to sustain local economies. Bass angling is an €8 million industry in Ireland which directly and indirectly employs hundreds of people. Those jobs must be protected.

The fish in our seas are a national asset. The number of Irish anglers exceeds the number employed in commercial fishing and we too should have a say in the future of our fisheries. Long-term thinking has never been a hallmark of Irish politics and the new Minister of State at the Department of Fisheries, Sean Connick, does not inspire confidence in Irish anglers. He is a representative in the south-east – the home of trawler fishing at Dunmore East and surrounding areas. At a recent meeting with the EU fisheries commissioner he said he wanted to “protect and maximise jobs in the Irish finishing industry and see further development of the industry around the Irish coasts”. This is to the detriment of bass stocks in this country. Keeping sea bass as a recreational resource is the right thing to do as commercial fishermen have already proved they cannot sustainably manage this species. They already have access to dozens of other species and if they cannot make a living from those, bass will not solve their problem.

Gerard Horgan

Donscourt

Bishopstown

Cork