Minister to receive fishermen’s wrath in Killybegs

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, is expected to be confronted by fishermen at a public meeting in Killybegs on Thursday night.

Minister McConalogue is due to attend what has been billed as a ‘local community meeting’ in the Tara Hotel.

Worried people within the fishing industry are set to demand answers from the Minister, in the wake of revelations that Icelandic crews may be given access to Irish waters.

The news emerged last week that Irish trawler men could be allocated a further 15 million blue whiting quota, but on condition that crews from Iceland can fish here.

Glencolmcille man Brendan Byrne, of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association has already demanded that the government ‘come clean’ about the talks.

“We fail to understand why the Minister and his officials are negotiating an agenda driven by the EU Commission,” he said recently.

"This agenda is not in Ireland’s interest but benefits Iceland as a non-EU member. Have we not learnt any lessons from the past?”

Minister McConalogue is due to be accompanied by Senator Niall Blaney and Councillor Michael Naughton to Thursday’s meeting in the south Donegal port.

Among the items on the agenda for the meeting is an ‘update on fishing negotiations’.

Also on the menu are updates on the Killybegs 2040 Regeneration Project, the Killybegs pier refurbishment update, new agricultural schemes and housing issues.

Fishermen are understood to be rallying their numbers to form a protest that will coincide with the meeting.

Just last week, it was confirmed by Minister McConalogue that the Killybegs Fishery Harbour Centre was granted €5,045,000 of funding.

The Donegal facility is one of Ireland’s six state-owned fish harbour centres that are to receive a total investment of €29.7 million for capital projects in 2024 and this latest allocation brings the total amount of investment in Killybegs since 2020 to €32.5 million.

In recent days, the Donegal Deputy launched a public consultation on fishing with trawls inside the six-nautical-mile zone and the baselines.

“Five years ago, in December 2018, a transition to a ban on vessels over 18 metres trawling in inshore waters, inside the six-nautical-mile zone and the baselines, was announced following a previous public consultation,” he said.

“This ban had a strong support base but was overturned following legal challenge. In view of changes in activity and issues concerning the marine space since then, I think it is important that this issue is reviewed and reflected on in an open, inclusive process.”

The Minister said he is ‘conscious of the dependence of our inshore fleet, compared to larger vessels, on fishing resources within the six-nautical-mile zone.’