Livelihoods of Irish fishermen at risk

Sunday February 09, 2003 12:09

by Republican

The invasion of Spanish fishing fleets into Irish waters off the Kerry coast will have a detrimental effect on the livelihoods of fishermen throughout the county, the local branch of Republican Sinn Fein claimed today.

RSF spokesman John O’Shea from Ballylongford said that
the opening up of Irish fishing grounds to the Spanish is a
retrograde step and it will devastate Irish fish stocks.

“While there is little the ordinary people can do to
highlight our concern, the fact remains that our elected
representatives are silent on the issue,” said Mr. O’Shea.

“This invasion by the Spanish will be akin to the days of
the Armada when they wrought havoc along the Irish coastline.

“For generations the Irish fishermen have fished within set
quotas and as a result made a positive contribution to the
conservation of fish stocks.

“Now with the arrival of the Spanish all this positive effort is doomed in an onslaught of over fishing that is bound to decimate stocks.

“There must be some restraint imposed on the Spanish, other
wise the livelihoods of Kerry fishermen will be seriously
undermined. We are now calling on the elected representatives to protest in relation to this latest setback for the Irish fishing industry.”

(End)

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Comments (1 of 1)

perhaps you didn´t notice the Prestige disaster?

by iosaf

Sun Feb 09, 2003 14:59

It would be a better use of activist energy to work on saving our Sea resources from Flags of Convenience. Gallician fishermen have seen their fisheries destroyed. Galizia is destroyed. They are still picking up crude from the beaches. Meanwhile the largest fishing vessel in the World operates on Irish investment, is Irish owned and has "invaded" the waters of Western Africa.
Or do you not care what happens beyond Valencia?
Ordinary workers which is what ordinary fisherman are need to come together and stop the plundering of the Seas which has been allowed and fostered by governments such as that in Dublin and Madrid.
If the prestige had sunk off of Cape Clear or Dingle Harbour where do you think Irish fishermen would be fishing now? And who do you think would be cleaning the beaches?
This NIMBYism belies a type of crypto fascism that is loathesome.
Why not do something about Irish involvement in Flags of Convenience?
Why not learn from recent moves made by the Morrocans to help the fishermen of Galicia, Cantabria and the Basque countries to survive the greatest ecological disaster Europe has seen.
Afterall the Basque fishermen whom are fishing Irish waters who you so ignorantly dismiss as "Spanish" and the Morrocans are the traditional "foe" of Madrid are they not?

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Livelihoods of Irish fishermen at risk

Comments (1 of 1)