Danny Healy-Rae Urges Fair Play for Fishermen, Warns of Lost Quotas
Danny Healy-Rae spoke on behalf of the fishing industry and coastal communities, warning that lost fishing quotas and large trawlers have harmed local fishermen. He urged ministers to secure fair quotas, protect small boats and preserve rural livelihoods.
He recalled the British role from the 1600s in building up Ireland's fishing industry and mentioned Tickenden as part of that legacy. He said that since accession to the EU much of Ireland's fishing quota has been lost, to the detriment of fishermen and coastal communities, with only limited payments offered in compensation.
He described a local disappearance of mackerel, saying he had not seen them for almost three years and citing Kilgarven and Valente as places affected. He referred to the loss felt by individuals, mentioning the death of Ned Carey from Kulik in Kilcomen and the changing sight of fish lorries in Kilgarven village.
He raised concerns that larger trawlers and pair trawling, including activity in Khmer Bay, are 'cleaning the whole thing out' and blamed this for depleted catches. He said he did not want to put larger operators out of business but insisted on protecting smaller fishermen who traditionally worked in bad weather and relied on local stocks.
He argued that the decline in fishing threatens local shops, pubs and the wider rural economy from the Ivara Peninsula to Dingle. He pressed ministers to act now to regain quotas, support coastal communities and ensure a more balanced spread of population beyond Dublin to sustain rural livelihoods.
Historical background and EU accession
He recalled the British role from the 1600s in building up Ireland's fishing industry and mentioned Tickenden as part of that legacy. He said that since accession to the EU much of Ireland's fishing quota has been lost, to the detriment of fishermen and coastal communities, with only limited payments offered in compensation.
Local decline and missing mackerel
He described a local disappearance of mackerel, saying he had not seen them for almost three years and citing Kilgarven and Valente as places affected. He referred to the loss felt by individuals, mentioning the death of Ned Carey from Kulik in Kilcomen and the changing sight of fish lorries in Kilgarven village.
Concerns about pair trawling and large vessels
He raised concerns that larger trawlers and pair trawling, including activity in Khmer Bay, are 'cleaning the whole thing out' and blamed this for depleted catches. He said he did not want to put larger operators out of business but insisted on protecting smaller fishermen who traditionally worked in bad weather and relied on local stocks.
Impact on coastal communities and call to action
He argued that the decline in fishing threatens local shops, pubs and the wider rural economy from the Ivara Peninsula to Dingle. He pressed ministers to act now to regain quotas, support coastal communities and ensure a more balanced spread of population beyond Dublin to sustain rural livelihoods.
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Transcript
Thank you very much. I'm glad to get the opportunity to talk on behalf of the fishing industry and I suppose the coastal communities in general. Because when the fishermen can't make money and don't make money, the coastal communities, of course, are adversely affected. And we have to give credit to the British going back to the 1600s. They built up the fishing industry in Ireland and gave the local people at the time the whereas to get the fishing industry going, which we carried on through Tickenden for many years. But since our accession to the EU, we've lost much of our fishing quarters to the detriment of Irish fishermen and the coastal communities that I have mentioned. Indeed, all that has been done for them was to pay some of them. And we see the grand presentations they made to us in front of the wind center over where the doll was held while this place during the COVID or whatever. But we see the grand, you know, orderly fashion that they came in, so many of them and made their presentation. And each and every one of them are hurting and I always think of them for the meticulous way they made their presentation. There was no repetition. Each of them had their own amount to say and said it eloquently. And we're still, I don't think we've done enough for the ministers. And we need to. And there's one thing that I know anyway, is I haven't seen a taste of the mackerel for almost three years. And I was, like all of us, very fond of them. They're not to be seen anymore. Where have they gone, ministers? I don't know. But they're not. I remember even people from Kilgarven who's gone back down to Valente and fish off the rocks there. And we lost one great man there, Ned Carey, from Kulik in Kilcomen. And it was such a thing at the time, but I'm told there's no mackerel to be had now. And there's serious concerns as well as we lose our quarters, lose our quarters, the pair trawling in Khmer Bay. When is that going to be addressed and fair play me to doubt? Because what's happening is the larger trawlers are coming in and cleaning the whole thing out, every kind of fish. And I'm actually blaming that for the fact that I can't get a mackerel, or the people of Kilgarven, or anyone else around us. Where have they gone, or where are they going? I mean, it's not fair. No one person should own anything like that, or no large entity should be able to clean out a place like that. And all I'm asking for is fair play. I don't want to put them people out of business either. But we have to see after the smaller people. The George Imps, who now did, and Donald Shea, who's brave the elements, and they said the fishing was better on the bad day. When the wind and the rain was blowing, that was when they were out of their best, because the fishing, they seemed to get the fish in those conditions. But we need to address that, and we've been promised for so long. And there's so many people along to Sist, and back the way to our groom, and back to the bare heaven, you know, concern about that. People are on Kilgarven village, and they're always mentioning it. So, the one thing that I pride in is these fish lorries go up through Kilgarven village late at night. They're getting fuel, but there was something in it you'd like to see them passing, and they go back empty, they go up full. But there's not as many of them now. Why is that? We've lost our quarters, I'm told, and we need to ensure the continuation of the people in the rural communities, like down along the Ivara Peninsula, and all the way around to Dingle. We need to retain the coastal communities and keep them going, because fishing did keep them people traditionally in business, and kept the local shop going, kept the local pub going. And it's not just the fishermen, I'm saying, it is whole communities that depended and prided on their fishermen. We're losing that, and I'm asking you to fight harder for quarters, and get what rightfully belongs to us. Because we seem to have left a lot of it slip. Successive governments, I'm not blaming you now, but this is your time to get into action and make a map for yourselves, and ensure that you get the respect that we needed to get from the fishing communities and the coastal communities, because they're very important to us. I mean, we seem to have a shortage of housing everywhere, but the biggest cry is here in Dublin. We need to spread out and diversify and have enough people living in the rural parts of Ireland as well. It can't be all about Dublin. We must remember the people that are braving the elements on the western seaboard and trying to eke out a living. We have to see after those as well. Thank you very much for this.