Crew feel stranded by seafood strategy

Frustration is building over delays in reforming the seafood industry, writes Lorna Siggins, Marine Correspondent

ONE YEAR after his call for "decisive and radical action" at "national and EU level" to safeguard the Republic's €1 billion seafood industry, Dr Noel Cawley is clearly frustrated at delays imposed by the European Commission.

"For someone used to the private sector, where one can get things done in a week . . . virtually every element of this has to be approved by Brussels," the chair of the Government's €600 million seafood strategy told industry representatives in Dublin last week.

The former Irish Dairy Board chief executive was speaking at the publication by Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Mary Coughlan of the Government's new decommissioning plan for whitefish vessels.

It aims to remove up to 45 per cent of current capacity - some 10 per cent of tonnage having already been removed under a previous 2005/06 initiative. A sum of €42 million has been promised by Coughlan over two years.

It is one of a number of key recommendations in the Government plan, or "Cawley strategy", endorsed by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in January 2007. The irony of Cawley's remarks in relation to Brussels was not lost on a number of key fishermen present, given the history of the EU's management of the "blue pond" over the past four decades.

So while the international market for seafood is growing, scientific assessment of stock levels is bleak and the EU is importing 74 per cent of supply. Prices for many stocks have been good, but a combination of high fuel costs and the penal nature of the new Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act is forcing many whitefish vessel owners to review their future. "If we thought decommissioning would do something for stock levels for those that opt to stay, there would be some justice," Co Wexford part-fleet owner James O'Flaherty has said.

"But without an equitable quota management and monitoring system, we are competing against Belgian, French, Spanish boats that have and will continue to have larger quotas for certain species in our own waters.

"And it seems that the Government has no in interest in taking the EU on any more, and this scheme is just putting up the white flag," he says.

Even the Opposition's response to Coughlan's appears to affirm the Government's approach. Last week Fine Gael and Labour called for more money to scrap vessels, rather than better quotas or a fairer management system to permit them to survive.

To compound matters, the former marine department, now partly with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, may also have exposed taxpayers to potential multimillion-euro compensation claims for wrongfully cutting mackerel quotas and withdrawing licences from one pelagic vessel, the former Atlantean.

This follows a successful High Court action by its owner, Des Faherty, over unproven allegations of illegal landings in Scotland between 2001 and 2004. It is understood the Government may appeal.

While the Federation of Irish Fishermen has officially welcomed the decommissioning scheme, there is a palpable sense of anger around the coast - not least from crew. Coughlan made it clear that compensation for crew on vessels approved for scrapping will be a matter for owners. Chaz Bates, Kilmore Quay crewman and qualified skipper, says that this is not what was promised last year.

There's also anger over the department's approval of an expansion plan by the Atlantic Dawn empire, established by the late Kevin McHugh in Donegal and focused on the more lucrative pelagic fishery.

Although the Atlantic Dawn supertrawler has passed into Dutch hands, its quota is being transferred to other vessels acquired by the company.