Big catch: Fresh fish handed out free to locals in West Cork

Hundreds of bags of fresh haddock and hake were given away for free on Saturday by West Cork fishermen, whose operations have been brought to a halt by the effect of the coronavirus.

Fish landings at Castletownbere have completely stopped as local trawlers have tied up in ports, following the collapse of markets in Italy, Spain and France over the last week.

The fish was given away from a makeshift stall outside the local Downey’s SuperValu, with people arriving in cars to take advantage of the free offering.

“We were of course extremely mindful of social distancing,” said shop owner Chris Downey. “Anything we can do to support our local community, who are struggling now, we will.”

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"We've organised that the elderly in our community will be able to get the fish first," said Damien Turner, the chair of the Irish South and West Fish Producers' Organisation (ISWFPO).

“A lot of people have lost their jobs and if this fish provides an extra meal for families that are struggling right now, then all the better,” he said.

Closure orders

Markets held in Italy, France and Spain by the Castletownbere Fishermen’s Co-Op, worth more than €60 million annually, have collapsed in the wake of closure orders.

"Every restaurant, hotel and bar is closed and Italy, France and Spain are in virtual lockdown," said the co-operative's manager, John Nolan.

“The market has collapsed, and this is happening to every fishing community right round our coastline. Right now we can’t keep a fishing fleet at sea without a market for our fish,” he added.

Our fishermen and the communities need supports now as we face into the unknown

However, the decision to stay in port will not impact on domestic supplies. “[Once] we know what is needed for the home market we will be able to send boats to sea,” Mr Nolan said.

“We can’t send the entire fleet as the home market for us here in Castletownbere is just over 5 per cent of our total exports to the continent each year.

“Our fishermen and the communities need supports now as we face into the unknown over the next few weeks or months,” he said.

The export collapse has proven disastrous for the fishermen, who were unable to go sea for most of the last few months because of storms and bad weather, said Mr Turner.

“Then when we can go to sea, we are hit by the coronavirus and the collapse in markets. We need support to keep fishermen going and to support the supply chains.”