13th June 2005

“Irish South and West Fishermens Organisation meets Joint Oireachtas Committee to outline the need to decriminalise fishing offences”

The Irish South and West Fishermens Organisation are meeting with the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources in Bantry today. The organisation will highlight the discrepancies in penalties for fishery offences across member states. A meeting is also being sought by the organisation with Minister Pat “the Cope” Gallagher in an effort to resolve this issue.

According to manager, Jason Whooley, “The IS&WFO don’t for one minute condone breaches of fishery regulations but we do know that the Irish system is far more punitive for dealing with fisheries offences than most other member states. This fact has been demonstrated by several EU Commission reports showing how different countries deal with fishery offences. For instance, in Spain, all their cases are dealt with administratively with an average fine of €2,000, whereas here all fisheries cases are dealt with in the courts. The consequences for any skipper who is arrested and prosecuted through the Irish system are far reaching. A relatively minor offence routinely results in a Circuit Court appearance. Automatic confiscation of gear and catch in the Circuit Court means the minimum penalty likely from prosecution is €25,000. This is despite the fact that the over quota fish may be worth less than €1,000.”

Mr. Whooley added, “If a skipper is found guilty even of a minor offence, he will also have a criminal record which has enormous implications outside of his fishing life. Fishermen are trying to earn a living, they are not criminals and treating them as such is no longer acceptable. Potential young recruits to fishing are looking elsewhere as they do not want to end up branded as criminals for the rest of their lives. This is an Irish problem and one that the Joint Oireachtas Committee can influence. It has nothing to do with Brussels, we should be capable of resolving it without jepordising our fishery resources”. The organisation is hopeful that all Irish fishing organisations will support their stance on this issue.