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Coalition boost for Inish
fishermen
07.03.11
INISHOWEN Labour
councillor, Martin Farren, has welcomed proposals
for coastal communities contained in the new
coalition's Programme for Government.
He said the most important proposal would do away
with "draconian legislation" brought in by Fianna
Fáil that criminalised fishermen for minor technical
offences.
“No longer will Irish fishermen be faced with having
to provide a criminal court with a €40,000 bond for
the so-called crime of leaving a line blank in a log
sheet," said Cllr Farren. He said hard working
fishermen were being criminalised in their own
country for simple mistakes made in their daily work
while fishing boats from other countries were being
dealt with more leniently in the lower courts for
much greater offences. |
Minor fisheries
offences will in future be dealt with by way of
administrative sanction. “This will remove a great
burden of stress from fishermen simply going about
their daily work," added the Moville-based
representative.
Other proposals accepted by the incoming Fine
Gael-Labour Government include support for the
development of sustainable aquaculture projects by
streamlining the licensing process and by reducing
the current bureaucracy involved.
All marine responsibilities will be merged under one
government department to create better co-ordination
in policy |
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Cllr Martin Farren |
delivery and to develop
an integrated marine and coastal planning process to
maximise the potential of Ireland’s coastline in
fishing, aquaculture, ocean energy and tourism.
Each year a Fisheries Sustainability Impact
Assessment report will be prepared by consulting all
the major industry stakeholders. Meanwhile, safety
at sea and decent working conditions will underpin
development in the marine sector. There will also be
increased resources for the Irish Coast Guard.
“Most of these proposals are low-cost items but
their implementation should yield a lot of benefit
to our coastal communities. Cost savings achieved
should be channelled into enhancing sea safety
around our coast.
"These proposals represent a substantial improvement
for our local community and show that Labour in
government can promote beneficial change," added
Cllr Farren. |
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