Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) has announced €1.5m (£1.3m) in grant-aid for the Irish Fishing Industry.
The funding will be available to industry through a number of schemes including Fleet Safety, Young Fisherman's Scheme, Seafood Environmental Management System, Lobster V-Notching and Coastal Action Groups.
Michael Keatinge, BIM’s Fisheries Development Manager explains how BIM intends to deliver for industry in 2012: ‘We will continue to work with Industry on delivering grant-aid schemes that match the sector’s requirements. We will also look at new innovative ways to increase demand for Irish seafood and in particular to raise the bar with respect to responsible fishing methods and gear technology.
“We are currently working on an initiative in conjunction with the Marine Institute and the fishing industry, to assist the introduction of cod selective fishing gears in the Irish Sea including Swedish grid, SELTRA trawl and eliminator grid. Discard reduction remains a priority for BIM and we will be trialling further gears that significantly reduce discarding in the Celtic and Irish seas.”
The funding was announced at the Irish Skipper Expo last week.
