IRISH FISHERMEN have begun to tie up their boats in support of a Europe-wide industry protest over rising fuel costs and the impact of non-EU imports.
Federation of Irish Fishermen chairman Michael Walsh said that port blockades or other forms of protest could not be ruled out as part of the action later in the week.
The federation said that similar initiatives were being taken by British, French, Spanish and Italian counterparts to highlight the need for intervention in the lead-up to the next EU fisheries council on June 23rd.
A formal position on the Lisbon Treaty has not yet been adopted, Mr Walsh said, but it was “no secret” that federation members had little or no experience of any benefits of EU membership to date, he added.
The federation is an umbrella organisation representing some 90 per cent of Irish fishing vessels over 12 metres in length.
“We realise every industry is being affected by the fuel price rise, but the fisherman is paying for both the cost of catching and delivering fish – and is trying to compete with cheaper non-EU imports at the same time,” Mr Walsh said.
“Skippers are being paid €5 to €6 a kilo for cod retailing at €22 a kilo, and so both the catcher and consumer are being ripped off,” he said.
Late last week, when southeast fishermen staged their own protest in Dublin, EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg acknowledged that there was a crisis. Mr Borg confirmed that there had been a 240 per cent hike in the price of fuel since 2004, but ruled out fuel subsidies or higher quotas as “false solutions”.
However, he did signal that EU member states could provide “rescue aid”, which should be “limited to the minimum necessary” or no more than six months. It should be applied as a short-term measure “to keep an ailing enterprise financially afloat for the time necessary to work out a restructuring or liquidation plan,” he said. National aid for certain types of modernisation and equipment may also be possible within a restructuring framework, he said, and he signalled that support would be available for a one-off change in fishing gear or engine replacement for less fuel-intensive fishing methods.
“I remain convinced that there is a future for European fisheries, but only if member states, the sector and the commission work together to create a smaller, more fuel-efficient fleet that is better matched to fishing possibilities,” the commissioner said.
The Federation of Irish Fishermen, which met the new Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Brendan Smith last week, said it welcomed these aspects of Mr Borg’s statement. It supports a subsidised tie-up for fleet owners and crews caught by the spiralling cost of diesel. However, it says that any such initiative should be taken on an EU-wide basis to ensure equity.
Labour marine spokesman Senator Michael McCarthy has called on Mr Smith to set up a task force on the issue.
