SEASCAPES AUDIO AND NEWS: 13 FEBRUARY 2009

TOM MACSWEENEY'S SEASCAPES MARITIME LOG

Why Is the Traditional Irish Eel Fishery Being Closed Down?

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I spent several hours last week with John Rogan at his fish smokery at Corry Lane, Rathowen, a few miles from Mullingar in County Westmeath. I was there because of the decision by the Department of Energy, Communications and Natural Resources, to close down the entire Irish commercial eel fishery, a traditional fishery that can be traced back to the times of the monks at Clonmacnoise.

John Rogan has spent eight years building up his business, carried on at the smokery on his property, close to his home. From the River Inny, at the back of his premises, literally a few hundred yards away from his home, he caught enough eels to run his business. It seems to be a classic example of the type of self-employment in a rural area which the Government could encourage, a small entrepreneur running his own business. The Government is encouraging this approach, particularly at this difficult economic time when hundreds of jobs are being lost every week. It is organic, clean, simple, direct, but now he is being told that he can no longer catch eels.

River Inny where John Rogan caught eels

Because of concern that European stocks of eels are in danger, the European Commission sought a 40 per cent reduction in eel fishing by Member States. Irish eel catching and production is less than 5 per cent of the European total. All sides, including fishermen, agree that there is need for conservation and there have been previous cutbacks in the level of fishing.
But a Working Group set up by the Department of Energy, Communications and Natural Resources, has decided to shut down the entire Irish eel fishery. The EU did not ask for this and it seems that only Ireland will be closing the entire fishery. It appears most other European countries will continue to allow fishing at a reduced level. The UK, it seems, will allow eel fishing to continue and, even though banned by the Government in the Republic, it will continue across the Border on Lough Neagh in the North.

"The Department is telling me that I can't even catch eels at the back of my own premises, that I should import any eels I want from elsewhere, that could mean the North if I could get them from there though it is unlikely that they will have stocks to offer. The Department also told me that, while they would not let me catch fish behind my own house, I might be able to import them from China. I would have thought there was enough importation of things from China without adding to it and destroying Irish jobs."

The Department set up a Working Group, chaired by one of its own officials, Frank Sheridan and largely composed of other civil servants and managers of fisheries boards and some scientific interest. Eel fishermen were excluded until there was a lot of controversy and their representatives on the fisheries boards demanded representation.

John Rogan and Trish at work in their smokery

"By the time we got that representation, the decision to close the fishery had been made," according to Seamus Mulvihill, Chairman of the Shannon Eel Fishermen's Association. "What they are doing is to wipe us out. They are ethnically cleansing the rivers of eel fishermen."

I sought an interview with Minister Sean Power, Minister of State at the Department, who announced in January that his Department had submitted a draft eel management plan to the European Commission and, that because stocks were outside safe biological limits, according to scientific research, it had recommended an immediate cessation of the commercial eel fishery and closure of the market. This has yet to be approved by the Commission. If that is done, the Irish eel fishery will be closed from July 1.Having only sought a 40 per cent reduction and being offered a complete closure, it would seem likely that the Commission will take the Irish offer and so the fishery could be closed for up to 90 years. But fishermen dispute that there has been adequate scientific research of the Irish fishery and say that its small size could not be contributing to major problems in Europe.

Minister Power would not talk to me, nor would the Chairman of the Working Group, Frank Sheridan, so questions I would have liked to raise with them about the decision have not been answered. It seems to be an example of civil servants and those employed in the public service making a decision which severely affects the futures of those working in the private sector. The eel fishermen claim that between 400 and 500 full and part-time jobs will be lost. Fisheries board's officials have admitted to me that around 200 will be lost. Fishermen claim that the boards are not making a correct count and are basing it on boats that fished eel, rather than how many would be working in each boat.

John Rogan says that he made a submission to the Working Group and did not "even get the courtesy of a reply."

So why is an Irish traditional fishery to be totally closed down? There are unanswered questions about which I would like to know more. For example the level of involvement by the ESB. It has been claimed that hydro-electric production such as at Ardnacrusha where eels are killed in turbines, might be a contributory factor to the stocks problem. The ESB, I am told, was also once involved in commercial eel production through an offshoot subsidiary.

There have been problems with eel fishing on the Shannon in the past and various allegations and controversy about the fishery, but it now seems that Ireland is set to lose yet another traditional fishery and hundreds of jobs, even though the extent of the closure has not been asked for.

John Rogan also smokes salmon and mackerel which he gets from Killybegs and will continue this operation, though eel has been the major part of his operation and the foundation of his business he says.

. CLICK on this link to hear John Rogan.

Seamus Mulvihill, Chairman Shannon Eel Fishermens Association and Ciaran Lynch Eel fisherman.

THE CRAFT OF BOAT BUILDING

The craft of boat-building is something which should not be lost to this country and there is a danger that it could be. It is not only professional boat-builders who have the skills, but there are many amateur builders who have also developed skilled and it is important that they should be passed onto future generations. At Cobh in Cork Harbour I met a former Tug Master who has built several boats and is prepared to pass his skills to anyone who is interested. Tony Mulcahy is a Master Mariner who spent many years at sea. He built one of the first GP14s in Ireland, possibly the first one ever in Cork, he thinks. He is now building a Sunburst dinghy, for which he has had great help from New Zealand, where it is a prominent dinghy. When he found he was short part of the plans for the boat, he contacted the Sunburst Association in New Zealand and they sent him the plans. On this week's SEASCAPES he told me about the boat and how he would be prepared to pass his plans onto anyone who is interested in learning about wooden boat-building.

. CLICK on this link to hear Tony Mulcahy.

Tony Mulcahy with sunburst he is building

MARINE NEWS BRIEFS

. There is growing anger in the fishing industry over the new system by which the EU is limiting the number of days fishermen can spend at sea, to control catches of the whitefish fleet. The Federation of Irish Fishermen says that this is a deliberate penalising of fishermen who were conservation-minded and fished less days in the past to protect stocks. The days those fishermen are allowed to go to sea are being based on the reduced number which they voluntarily operated, while others who did not act to conserve stocks, particularly foreign boats in Irish waters are reaping a benefit.

. A consortium of business people from the South West region, led by West Cork Tourism have formed a co-operative with the intention of raising €3 million euro for the resumption of the Swansea Cork ferry service. This follows news that a suitable ship is available for purchase. The consortium has called for 300 businesses or individuals to pledge €10,000 each to ensure the future of the region. Conor Buckley, Chairman of West Cork Tourism, said the ferry would help provide hundreds of jobs for the region and was worth €50m. in tourist earnings when it last operated two years ago. Information meetings are to be held throughout the South/West over the next few days.

. A French aircraft carrier, the Clemenceau, contaminated with asbestos, has arrived on Teeside in Britain to be broken up - after its proposed dismantling in India caused controversy. The 834-foot ship is the largest to be dismantled in Europe. A British company, Able UK, has turned a former shipyard site near Hartlepool into a dismantling and recycling centre covering 25 acres, providing 200 jobs. The ship is alleged, by environmental groups, to contain 760 tonnes of asbestos and 330 of PCB chemicals.

. Plans to develop a national marine conservation centre at Bremore near Balbriggan in north County Dublin have been axed, after €650,000 was spent by Fingal County Council on planning consultancy work. The project was to have cost around €6m., but the decision not to proceed with it followed a shortfall of about €1.5m. in raising total funding. The Council had committed €3m. and Failte Ireland €2m., but the balance could not be raised. It would have been the first of its kind in the country and the Irish Seal Sanctuary which had been a main proposer of the National Marine Conservation and Education Centre said the decision was "baffling and disingenuous."

SAILING

Cork to Take Part in Round the World Race

Cork City and County Councils and Failte Ireland have decided to sponsor a yacht in the next Clipper Race Around the World, starting from Hull in England in September of this year and continuing into the following year. The Race is for amateurs who pay their own way to take part. It can cost up to £32,000 sterling to take part in the entire race, though places can be bought on separate legs of the race. The Race had a stop-over in Crosshaven in Cork Harbour last year and will stop-over again there in 2010. The organisers would not say how much sponsoring a boat costs. Cork will be the name of one of the boats. Other cities and regions taking part are Singapore, California and Hull.

CLICK on this link to hear Mark Markey from Drogheda who will be taking part in the Clipper Race.

VOLVO ROUND THE WORLD RACE

Ireland Fourth

The fifth leg of the Volvo Round the World Race, for professionals, started from Qingdao in China at the weekend, with the sailors facing a 32,000-nautical mile marathon to Rio de Janeiro. The Irish/Chinese entry, Green Dragon, is running fourth.

CLICK on this link to hear Green Dragon crew member, Damian Foxall.

MORE ON CORK HARBOUR FORTS

CLICK on this link to hear more from another listener about the Cork Harbour forts.

FISHING

Health Directive

CLICK on this link to hear John Joyce of the Marine Institute outline the details of the new Fish Health Directive.

MARITIME HISTORY THIS WEEK

In Maritime History this week, on February 15, 1946 the first Inland Waterways Association was established in the UK, devoted to the preservation of canals for commercial and pleasure use.

SEASCAPES PICTURE GALLERY

Listeners are invited to sent maritime photos to the Gallery. Please Email to seascapes@rte.ie

Beautiful seascape - from Captain Cormac MacSweeney

MARINE DIARY

February 19
Maritime Institute Lecture series at Stella Maria Seafarers' Club, Beresford Place, Dublin at 8 pm. Subject: "Dublin Docklands Reinvented" by Niamh Moore.

March 19
Maritime Institute Lecture series at Stella Maria Seafarers' Club, Beresford Place, Dublin at 8 pm. Subject: "Arandora Star," by Dr. Michael Kennedy.

April 16
Maritime Institute Lecture series at Stella Maria Seafarers' Club, Beresford Place, Dublin at 8 pm. Subject: "Admiral Baily's Navy" by Pat Sweeney.

SEASCAPES ON TELEVISION

There is also a SEASCAPES teletext service on AERTEL on RTE1 Television at Page 190.

YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME

Phone the SEASCAPES maritime call line on 1850 715 170; Email to: seascapes@rte.ie or write to RTE, Cork.