Ireland’s inshore fisheries sector is to receive €1m in funding to develop sustainable, environmentally friendly fishing practices.
A National Inshore Fisheries Forum (NIFF) will also be set up and conservation measures will be implemented to support lobster and shrimp stocks.
Simon Coveney, Ireland’s Minister for agriculture, food and the marine, said: “Ireland’s inshore fishermen are poorly represented by current structures and need a dedicated platform where they can discuss and develop common initiatives.”
“I hope that inshore fishermen will embrace this opportunity created by the new structure to have a coherent voice which can be heard clearly,” he added.
The inshore sector comprise over 80% of the fishing fleet and are predominately active within six nautical miles of the shore.
The NIFF is being set up to encourage inshore fishermen using small fishing boats to participate in the management of fisheries within six nautical miles. A network of Regional Inshore Forums (RIFs), based on and linked to the community-led Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs) around the Irish coast, will nominate delegates to bring forward regional proposals to the NIFF for wider industry discussion.
Financial support for sustainable fishing practices and safety equipment and training will be available under the new Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Scheme for a range of measures. These include an enhanced v-notching programme with increased coverage around the coast, gear and equipment to support responsible fishing practices and improvements in the area of quality, hygiene and standards on board.
A supplementary Shellfish Pot Replacement Scheme will also be launched to provide extended assistance to fishermen who lost ports during the winter storms, more than doubling the pot limits from 50 to 200 for boats less than 12m in length and from 100 to 250 for boats from 12 to 15m in length.
