Angry Cork fishermen blockade Dinish Island port in protest against Naval Service arrests

South-west fishermen blockaded Dinish Island in Castletownbere, Co Cork, last night in protest at the arrest of another Irish tuna vessel by the Naval Service.

The gardai were called to the island late yesterday evening, when at least 30 cars owned by fishermen formed a barrier to stop fish landed by Spanish vessels being taken off Dinish Island - base for Spanish flagship vessels.

An unsigned statement by the fishermen said the action would continue as long as was necessary, or until such time as the authorities recognised that action had to be taken against other EU vessels, rather than targeting Irish boats.

The Irish South and West Fishermen's Organisation (IS&WFO), which did not instigate the action, said that it could understand the fishermen's concerns, and had already passed these views on to the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources. The IS&WFO chairman, Mr Donal O'Driscoll, who supported the protest, said it was "well justified", if this was the only way that fishermen could convey their frustration.

The "spontaneous" protest came after the arrest of a Dingle vessel on Thursday night, some 400 miles south-west of Fastnet rock.

The detention of the Golden Feather for allegedly having more than the regulated 2.5 km of driftnet was made by the LE Aoife just hours after the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, had denied that the Irish tuna fleet was being targeted.

The vessel is currently under escort by the Aoife to Cobh, Co Cork, where it is due to arrive this evening. This brings to four the number of Irish vessels arrested since the tuna season started, and is the Naval Service's 27th detention this year.

The Minister for Defence, who spent some hours on board the new patrol ship, the LE Roisin, on Thursday, had insisted that there was no crackdown on Irish vessels, in spite of recent arrests by the Aoife and LE Deirdre.

The Irish South and West Fishermen's Organisation yesterday criticised the "blanket control" of Irish movements on the fishery.

Mr Jason Whooley of the IS&WFO said that illegal fishing, taking place just 12 miles away from his port of Castletownbere, Co Cork, was being ignored. One Irish vessel had been inspected before and after leaving port, and had been boarded twice during fishing - wasting five hours of working time, he said.

Under international regulations, the Naval Service can only inspect Irish vessels outside the 200-mile limit. French and Spanish vessels working on the lucrative tuna fishery can only be boarded by their own fishery protection services.

Driftnetting for tuna, which is currently restricted to an uneconomic 2.5 km, will be banned by the EU in 2002.