Minister approves 31 new vessels for whitefish fleet

The Minister for the Marine, Dr Woods, has heralded a "new beginning" for the Irish whitefish fleet with the approval of 31 new vessels under a £12 million grantaid programme.

The new vessels will be encouraged to fish for "non-quota" deepwater species, such as Greenland halibut, orange roughy, redfish and grenadier, the Minister said yesterday in Dublin Castle when he emphasised that the original funding for the scheme had been increased by £5.2 million.

Overall investment for the initiative administered by Bord Iascaigh Mhara is estimated at £50 million.

Seven coastal counties will benefit, with 16 of the vessels approved for Donegal, seven for Cork, two each for Galway, Kerry and Mayo, and one each for Waterford and Louth. Thirteen of the vessels will be between 25 and 45 metres in length, nine between 15 and 25 metres, and the remainder will be under 15 metres.

The new craft will be eligible for special tax reliefs contained in the 1998 Finance Act, including a 50 per cent write-off in the first year. Applicants are investing £38 million, with BIM administering £12 million in State and EU grant-aid.

Dr Woods estimated that the initiative, which is the first major expansion of the fleet in 15 years, should add almost £30 million annually to the value of the whitefish sector's output. The marine food sector currently realises about £300 million a year and employs 15,000 people in commercial fishing, aquaculture and processing.

Fine Gael's marine spokesman, Mr Michael Finucane, welcomed the announcement of additional funding and urged a continuing financial commitment by the Government to improve and replace older vessels. A 1996 report on fishing vessel safety said 64 per cent of the vessels surveyed in the fleet had "serious deficiencies".

Mr Finucane said Ireland had 16 per cent of EU waters, 5 per cent of EU catch levels, only 2.8 per cent of the total fleet tonnage and supplied only 3 per cent of the European market requirement for fish. "There is considerable scope to improve this situation," he said.

Mr Pat Ridge, chairman of BIM, said the programme represented a "major breakthrough" for the industry. "These vessels will maintain on-board employment for more than 200 crew," he said, and would provide a "solid platform for a truly viable whitefish processing industry".

Mr Pat Keogh, BIM's chief executive, said the scheme would be supplemented in the months ahead by decisions on other aspects of the Government's fleet renewal programme, catering for safety improvements, modernisation of existing vessels and introduction of modern second-hand vessels.

All of the 31 vessels are expected to be active by 2001, with a significant number joining the fleet as early as next year.

Mr Joey Murrin, chief executive of the Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation, paid tribute to the Minister for the new scheme. "If people are prepared to dish out criticism on other issues of importance to the fishing industry - and I am one of these people - they must be also big enough to acknowledge the biggest single initiative on the fleet side over the last 20 years," he said.

In the North, the Anglo-North Fish Producers' Organisation yesterday appealed for help from the Republic on exploitation of Irish Sea haddock. Some 3,000 tonnes of fish, worth £5 million, might have to be dumped next year unless a realistic quota is set, the organisation said in a statement.