DURING a recent meeting in Kilkeel, the local fishing industry made the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (SoSNI) aware of its concerns for the industry.
The Secretary of State, Hilary Benn MP, visited Kilkeel on 1 April, accompanied by the Minister for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Andrew Muir MLA.
They met members of the Northern Ireland Fish Producers Organisation and the Anglo North Irish Fish Producers Organisation, two organisations which represent the fishing industry in this area. The Secretary of State and the DAERA minister spent an hour discussing the various issues with the local fishing groups.
Dr Lynn Gilmore is the CEO of the Northern Ireland Fish Producers Organisation. She organised the meeting. She told the Mourne Observer: “The members set out the huge challenges currently faced by local industry to the SoSNI, including issues with crewing and the lack of a fit for purpose visa system for the local industry, and spatial squeeze, which is threatening the availability of fishing grounds.
“In particular industry shared their concerns on the loss of access to Isle of Man waters, and recent exponential increases in fuel costs.”
The loss of access to the Isle of Man waters is a recent issue. Under new rules implemented by the Isle of Man Government in February of this year, vessels can only fish commercially in Manx waters – which are within 12 nautical miles of the island – if the crews hold an Isle of Man visa. That visa can only be secured if the business itself is Manx-registered.
It has been estimated that over 70 per cent of the Northern Ireland fleet is dependent on foreign workers on visas. Therefore, these rules have left vessels from Kilkeel, Ardglass and Portavogie unable to operate in these fishing grounds close to the Isle of Man.
Speaking on UTV Live from Kilkeel Harbour, the SoSNI committed to speak to his Home Office colleagues on the crewing issues faced by the local fishing industry and acknowledged the challenges high fuel prices are causing for the NI industry.
He said: “These times are tough. There is a conflict in the Gulf. The sooner that comes to an end the sooner we can see those fuel prices come down.
“We have also been discussing the challenges of crewing the boats.
“At the moment there is the seasonal workers’ visa that comes to an end at the end of this year and I am going to go and talk to my Home Office colleagues about that.”
Minister Muir acknowledged the challenges of spatial squeeze in the Irish Sea and was clear that the needs of the fishing industry should be considered in marine planning. “It is important that we work with the fishing community to address those concerns and give them strong viability in the future,” he stated.
