More than 40,000 Irish people rely on the fishing industry for employment, writes Cormac Burke
It appears that once again, the knives are out for Ireland's commercial fishing industry. It seems that all media articles are determined to attack what is perceived as a "cowboy" industry solely bent on exhausting the seas of all species of fish purely in the name of profit. This is simply not the case but the facts and positive aspects of the industry are rarely presented to the public.
Between vessel crews, salmon and shellfish farming facilities, onshore processing industries, retail outlets and various training and marine research bodies, in excess of 40,000 people in this country rely on the fishing industry for employment. Irish seafood exports and domestic markets for 2004 were valued in excess of €700 million. The overall importance of the marine sector in coastal communities is further emphasised with even the often forgotten Irish seaweed industry bringing in €5 million per annum.
Strict quotas, based on scientific stock monitoring research by the International Congress for the Exploration of the Seas are handed down every year to each member state by the EU Fisheries Commission in Brussels. These quotas are closely monitored by the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources in co-operation with the Naval Service.
Therefore, while politicians over the years are guilty of ignoring the plight of the fishing industry, it is not correct to blame them, as Green Party TD Eamon Ryan does ("Fishing industry must be overhauled", The Irish Times, January 16th) for "ignoring scientific advice and allowing massive exploitation". The industry accepts certain stocks are in difficulty and has been complimented by the EU Commission for taking innovative conservation measures such as seasonally closing certain areas containing spawning stock and using gear which allows juvenile fish to escape capture.
Despite Mr Ryan's assumption that Ireland's entire mackerel quota could be caught by 24 Irish supertrawlers, he neglects to consider the massive private investment which has gone into the Irish fishing fleet - not just supertrawlers costing over €12 million each but all the way down to an inshore half-decker owner fishing crab and lobster pots who, by the time he buys gear, licence, tonnage and insurance, will need in excess of at least €100,000 to get started. This figure can quickly jump to €2.5 million for a 65ft boat, which certainly cannot be considered a supertrawler. Making a profit from these ventures has become increasingly difficult with decreasing quotas and fuel costs which have doubled in less than three years.
Fishing is the only industry that cannot simply pass on an increase in operating costs to the consumer and prices paid to fishermen have risen very little in the last 10 years.
Quotas, fuel costs and an ongoing Garda investigation have combined to see serious loss of employment in many fishing ports, with Killybegs topping the list with approximately 1,200 jobs lost in the processing sector. Other ports relying on the industry also felt the effects, with Castletownbere, Howth and Dingle badly hit. If this was in any other industry, it would have hit the headlines and televised news with horrified politicians calling for assistance but, as it was only the fishing industry, it was barely worth a mention. In 1987 Irish bank lending for private investment in fishing vessels was €43 million, in 2002 €286 million and last year reached €400 million.
Many of these investments are not being made by multinational organisations but by ordinary young fishermen with families, who are putting their entire future, homes and livelihoods on the line.
A large portion of these fishing ventures operate from rural coastal communities where one or two fishing boats can represent an entire network of onshore employment in an area where employment is at a premium.
Although somewhat guilty of overlooking the needs of the industry over the years, the Irish Government in recent years has invested in the marine sector, with extensive infrastructure improvements to piers in the main ports.
Since 2001, investment of €116 million has also been made in assisting new vessel purchases, as well as grant aiding equipment to improve safety standards on existing vessels.
To meet EU requirements to reduce "effort" and "capacity", Ireland is currently investing €45 million in a decommissioning scheme to remove older vessels, representing 25 per cent of the current fleet.
Mr Ryan's belief that the proposed new Sea Fisheries Jurisdiction Bill will "tighten up our enforcement regulation" is yet further proof of his lack of understanding of the industry. One section alone of this Bill proposes fines of €200,000 for a fishing offence such as an incorrectly filled logbook, on top of a criminal conviction. A similar offence in Denmark, for example, draws a fine of €393. This Bill, deemed poorly thought out and unfair, has been fought at every stage by industry representatives, most politicians and MEPs and even the EU commissioner, Joe Borg, suggested that it was not indicative of a "level playing field" across the EU.
Mr Ryan refers to the "disappearance of the cod in Grand Banks of Canada" as an example of how stocks can be overfished. This event is often quoted but I have visited Newfoundland and have spoken to fishermen there. There is a suggestion that allowing the Japanese fleet to come in and catch all of the squid stock, the staple diet of the cod, had as much to do with the disappearance of the stock as mismanagement and overfishing had.
It is time Ireland's politicians stood up and supported one of the country's oldest traditional ways of life - instead of constantly approaching it with an attitude of disdain and contempt.
Cormac Burke is editor of The Irish Skipper