1.5 million Euros for Irish fishing industry – Fishupdate.com
1.5 million Euros for Irish fishing industry Published: 29 February, 2012
THE Irish Sea Fisheries Board, Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) has announced 1.5 million in grant-aid for the Irish Fishing Industry.
The good news was revealed at the close of the Irish Skipper Expo, which was held in the Galway Bay Hotel last week.
The funding will be available 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, BIMs Fisheries Development Manager, explained the boards goals for the year ahead: We will continue to work with Industry on delivering grant-aid schemes that match the sectors 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. Irish fishermen have demonstrated their versatility and willingness to do all they can to operate responsibly and BIM will work with Industry to use these initiatives to take advantage of the market opportunities available to us. I would like to thank Hugh Bonner and his team at the Irish Skipper for organising another successful show and I look forward to working with our dedicated fishing industry to develop the sector further in 2012.
The Irish Skipper Expo, organised by the Irish Skipper magazine, attracts an attendance of over 11,000 people, a large proportion of who are fishermen from around the country as well as suppliers to the industry and representative bodies.
BIM ran a busy schedule of seminar talks at this years show on topics including: The BIM Stewardship Scheme; Branding and Differentiation of Seafood; How to avoid Cod and discards; Wear your Lifejacket workshop; Inshore Fisheries and Natura 2000 and the rolling out of Coastal Action Groups. In addition to the talks, BIMs Coastal Training Unit (CTU) was on site to provide information on training available in 2012.
As in previous years at the show, safety at sea is a key area that is promoted to fishermen and their families. In particular, the correct use and wearing of lifejackets and PFDs was highlighted during the seminar and aboard the CTU. Following the recent tragic loss of lives at sea, the safety of our fishermen is paramount and BIM will continue to create awareness for the safety measures and training available along with their industry partners, the RNLI and Irish Water Safety (IWS).