With the election manifestos of the three main parties of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin now in the public domain, the people of the Irish fishing and seafood industry will be looking closely at who seems willing to genuinely make an effort to halt the decline and reverse the crisis in this industry.
Report by Cormac Burke, IFSA
Please note that while some of these party election commitments are brief whilst others are lengthy and detailed, the following is an unbiased and independent examination of the ‘fisheries element’ from each of the three parties’ manifestos and has not been edited nor shortened in this IFSA editorial and appear in full as is in their document publications:
FIANNA FÁIL
Re-establish a dedicated Minister of State for the Marine who will work with the Cabinet Minister;
Promote innovation in fisheries and aquaculture;
Explore incentives for boats to land their catch in Irish ports, stimulating the domestic processing sector;
Advocate for CFP reforms that reflect Ireland’s share of fish species caught in its waters, ensuring fairer quotas;
Promote the uptake and development of marine education courses and degree programmes.
FINE GAEL
Establish a dedicated Minister of State for Fisheries;
Publish a five-year Fisheries Sector Strategy;
Conduct a review of (seafarers) tax allowances;
Improve communication and engagement between fishermen, State agencies and the EU;
Examine fleet adjustment measures;
Activate the Seafood / Offshore Renewable Energy Working Group;
Review the Common Fisheries Policy;
Advance the interests of the Irish fisheries sector;
Support the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).
SINN FEIN
Reform
Increase the current government annual budget for fisheries by €10m to ensure contingency funding is in place to quickly support the incomes of fishermen when needed;
Increase the existing capital funding for harbour developments by €10m;
Appoint a dedicated Minister of State for Fisheries to oversee a reformed Department (DAFM) that would be headquartered in Dublin;
Establish a ‘Fish Ireland’ office in Brussels to place the Irish fishing and seafood industry front and centre in the EU;
Carry out an urgent review of the DAFM’s operations including all State bodies that operate under its aegis; their record in implementing agreed Action Plans; and the relationship between the DAFM, those State bodies and the coastal communities they serve;
Initiate an independent root & branch review of the Irish fishing and seafood industry that supports the development of a long term rebuilding and growth strategy for the industry;
Ensure that the DAFM’s representative in Brussels is fully resourced, staffed and skilled to deliver results that can rebuild and grow the Irish fishing industry;
Engage with Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia and BIM to establish a permanent office in Brussels to work in partnership with the Irish fishing industry;
Ensure that DAFM representatives based in Brussels are available to appear before future Oireachtas Committees;
Undertake an audit of all State and local Authority operated harbours to establish the financial resources required to meet the needs of the industry in these harbours;
Establish an independent oversight and complaints body in relation to the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority.
Offshore
Engage with EU fisheries ministers and Irish industry representatives to identify, negotiate and secure new fishing and quota opportunities;
Ensure that the EMFAF fund is primarily used to support the Irish fishing industry;
Examine the current fisheries policing approach in Irish territorial waters and in the Irish EEZ to ensure fairness and balance towards all fishing vessels in these waters;
Seek a complete ban on huge factory vessels registering and fishing within EU waters under the jurisdiction of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP);
Make available a fuel support scheme based on turnover that can be put in place quickly when needed.
Inshore
Revisit, re-launch and implement the Irish Inshore Fisheries Sector Strategy 2019-2023;
Adequately resource the NIFA and IIMRO;
Work with all sectors of the industry to ensure fair and reasonable distribution of herring and mackerel quotas;
Work with inshore fishermen and their representatives to identify new quota and non quota fishing opportunities;
Develop a continuity grant that can be accessed by the inshore sector to promote growth;
Enact and implement the Island Fisheries Heritage Licence Bill 2017;
Climate change & sustainability
Seek a ban on all huge factory vessels within EU waters that undermine the long term sustainability of many fish species;
Ensure that fishermen and their representatives are party to the creation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) or spaces for offshore renewable energy developments;
Actively encourage increased and resourced-based, science-based collaboration between academics, NGOs, fishermen and government officials to ensure we meet our MPA & ORE requirements but making sure that fish stocks can be sustained to allow the fishing industry to thrive and grow.
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