Blockades by fishermen in Cork and Waterford over pressures in the industry are causing problems for two ports.
At Waterford the first ship to be stopped by the blockade, a container vessel, has not been able to enter the port and is anchored off Credaun Head in the Waterford Estuary.
Cork Port Company has said its shipping schedules are being affected and it is concerned about the effect on its business.
The Irish Association of Seafood Companies, representing over 90 processors and retailers, has described the actions of fishermen blockading ports as 'unhelpful'.
In a statement the association called for united action and said the fishermen operating outside the Federation of Fishermen were giving an impression of an industry fighting with itself rather than working together.
Despite the meeting between the Minister for Fisheries and the Federation of Fishermen planned for Friday, the port blockades of Waterford and Cork are continuing and there are indications that there may be a protest in Dublin tomorrow.
In Waterford one fishermen has reported that he is being threatened with arrest for blocking the channel into the port.
Earlier, the fishermen blockading the ports made a number of demands, which they say will end their protest.
The fishermen want the Government to recognise that 60,000 people in coastal areas depend on the fishing industry for their economic survival.
They have called for State agencies, including the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and the the Civil Service, to change their attitude towards coastal people and to respect them and the industry.
'We are people with families to feed, communities to support and are not criminals to be disposed of,' the fishermen say in a statement.
'Our industry, which has no history of civil disobedience, has been forced to take these protest measures and will continue to do so, for however longis necessary,' they add.
The protests are being organised by ad hoc groups, outside of the formal Federation of Fishermen and said the protests would end if the Government met them to discuss the problems of the industry.
Last night fishermen prevented a cargo of imported fish from leaving Cork Airport in the latest of their demonstrations over rising fuel prices, low quotas and heavy enforcement of fishing regulations.
They said they were being forced to dump fish at sea, while fish of the same type was being imported into Ireland, and they were being driven into bankruptcy.
It was the second time in four days that fishermen targeted Cork Airport and they have threatened more demonstrations.
Fishermen must dump certain species, if caught in their nets, back in the sea or face prosecution by inspectors waiting for them if they bring the fish ashore.
The fishermen were faced by a large garda presence outside the airport's cargo area last night but no arrests were reported.
They protested instead at the roundabout approaching the airport where a refrigerated lorry to move a load of fish from Iceland was caught up in the protest.
Fishermen claimed to have negotiated an agreement that the cargo would not leave the airport for the night.
The protestors claimed the Government was not taking notice of their problems, but it is understood that contacts are under way between the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and the EU about what is a worsening situation.
