A NORTHSIDE fisherman has warned that he may be the last generation of his family to work out of Howth Harbour if the Government doesn’t take immediate action to protect the industry.
With rising oil prices, depleted fish stocks and EU quotas all restricting fishermen’s incomes, John Lynch, from Howth, has issued a stark warning that the industry is simply on the verge of extinction.
John, whose family has been fishing out of the harbour for several generations, said there are now only a few decent sized fishing vessels left operating from the pier and that with rising costs, the future looks very uncertain for him.
“Fishermen are being hit from all angles these days,” John told Northside People.
“I work with my two brothers on my boat and it’s something my whole family has being doing all their lives.
“We don’t want to be forced out of our jobs because we are only allowed to catch a small percentage of our own fish.
“We have to pay e7,000 a week for fuel when fishing for prawns and we dump about e3,500 worth of cod on each trip because of restrictive EU quotas.