The high incidence of fatal fishing accidents will probably continue unless tougher safety standards are introduced, according to one of the authors of a new report drawn up after a series of three fishing tragedies.
The Review Group on Fishing Vessel Safety presented its report to the Minister for the Marine, Mr Barrett, yesterday.
The group was appointed last January following three serious fishing accidents with the loss of 10 lives. On The Carrickatine off Greencastle in Co Donegal, six crew members were lost. On The Jenalisa off Dunmore East, Co Waterford, three crew members drowned, and one fisherman died on The Scarlet Buccaneer, wrecked off Howth.
Mr Donal O'Mahony, chairman of the review group, said if action was not taken then the present high rate of casualties could continue.
The group was made up of Department members, fisheries organisations, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, the Department of Defence, the Naval Service, the Commissioners of Irish Lights and the Department of Finance.
Mr O'Mahony said the fact an agreed conclusion was reached was a tribute to the individual members of the group. In February the Irish Fishermen's Federation warned that the Minister must not use safety as an excuse to cut the size of the whitefish fleet.
Mr Barrett said it was estimated that the recommendations would cost £10 million to implement, with around £4 million coming from the EU, £3.5 million from the Exchequer and the remainder from the industry.
He said the report was a comprehensive study and praised the group for completing it in a short time.
Following the accidents the Killybegs harbourmaster, Capt Philip McParlin, said he had lobbied five ministers for improvements in safety.
Capt McParlin said yesterday he agreed with the main recommendations. "But how effective will they be? It's a question of the political will and the co operation of the fishermen." He said successive governments had failed to find the money to implement safety regimes. And the policing of the regulations would be an added and ongoing cost.
Mr Barreti said the report represented a unique sharing of experiences between various viewpoints and said he would treat the matter with urgency, setting dates for the implementation of those recommendations that can be effected immediately.
He said he had presented the report to Cabinet yesterday morning. "I did make them aware also that it was going to cost money." He said the report would represent the "gospel and guidelines towards safety and towards introducing a safety culture into the whole industry". A copy would be given to every skipper and boat owner. He promised there would be "no dragging of feet".
Mr Frank Doyle, general secretary of the Irish Fisherman's Organisation, said the recommendations should reduce the number of accidents. However, he said there could be operational difficulties attached to the proposal that untrained people only work on vessels for up to six weeks.
The chief executive of Killybeg's Fishermen's Organisation, Mr Joey Murrin, said the European Commission would have to rethink its plans to cull the Irish fishing fleet. "Until the fleet has been brought up to standard, it is pointless to talk about cutting back on capacity."
He said the report proved that the bulk of the fleet was "old, under equipped and poorly maintained". Only 6 per cent of the registered fishing fleet was under 10 years old.
