Dublin People - Northside fisherman fears for livelihood

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Northside fisherman fears for livelihood

Thursday, 03 July 2008

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.

“All we want is to be able to fish in Irish waters and for the Government to negotiate a better quota in what are our own waters.”
According to John, fishing is more than just his livelihood. His wife, Sharon, and two children help out and will be affected if he can no longer make a profit from his catch.
“Fishing is something we love to do,” he stated.
“I guess we do it because we are stone mad. I can’t think why anyone else would bother anymore.
“I have done it all my life; it grew on me and it’s so addictive.”
John recently took part in a peaceful protest in the waters outside Dublin Bay while fishermen across the country blockaded ports to demand a meeting with Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Brendan Smith.
He said fishing boats had been ready to blockade Dublin Port. However, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Brendan Smith, agreed to meet with the Federation of Irish Fishermen to discuss their concerns.
John’s wife, Sharon, said her family were becoming frustrated at having to dump thousands of euro worth of dead fish back into the sea once they reached their quota.
“Globally there is a food shortage and here we are having to throw our own fish caught in Irish waters back in to the sea - it’s a waste,” she told Northside People.
“Almost 80 per cent of our expenses go towards fuel costs and then we have to pay the crew. The wages have completely collapsed in our industry.”
Sharon said she has a family to feed and pointed out that her husband and brothers have to take more risks by going out in bad weather just to keep things going.
“I would like to see a Government allowance for people who work at sea, like they currently give to the navy and the merchant navy, a seafarers’ allowance,” Sharon added.
Meanwhile, Dublin North East TD Tommy Broughan (Lab) is throwing his full support behind the fishermen and is urging the Government to intervene.
Deputy Broughan told Northside People that Howth fishermen and their families have been in contact with him to outline the difficult situation they have found themselves in.
“Families of young skippers cannot make ends meet,” he declared.
“The cost of fuel, quota restrictions, cheap fish imports and over-fishing by some foreign vessels has contributed to the present conditions of drastically falling wages, the impoverishment of fishing families and the loss of many maritime jobs.
“Many fishermen simply cannot afford to put to sea now because fuel costs are so high with the result that boats are left tied up for weeks on end.”
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Tony Killeen, said progress has been made on a number of key issues affecting Irish fishermen.
“Measures to deal with fuel prices, illegal fishing and the possibility of increased access to cod stocks in the Irish Sea were all pursued with the European Commission,” Minister Killeen explained.
“We firmly believe that we must introduce short-term measures to complement the decommissioning underway in our fleet and address the immediate financial hardship faced by vessel owners and crew.
“We are seeking additional funding from the European Community.
“There is a requirement for the Commission to source additional funding, and we would urge them to do so urgently to support the industry during this period of restructuring and put it on a firm and sustainable footing for the future.”

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