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Pringle: SFPA must make sure there is a level playing field for all fleets
- Updated: 2nd April 2022
Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, has called the decision by a Danish vessel to leave Killybegs without landing their fish a “sad indictment of the SFPA and how they act in relation to landings”.
Deputy Pringle was commenting on the situation in Killybegs on Thursday, March 31st, when the Danish vessel left Killybegs with more than 1,200 tonnes of blue whiting, after a rule introduced by the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) imposed a different manner of weighing the catch.
Deputy Pringle said: “The vessel was going to land fish in a way that is done in every other port in Europe, but that wasn’t good enough for the SFPA. This leaves factories in Killybegs without work for their staff and shortens the season for them, making it more difficult for workers to live in the area.”
The deputy said the SFPA, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the Government need to make sure there is a level playing field for all fleets. He said this would make more blue whiting available to extend the working season for factory workers, and make the fishery more viable for crews.
Deputy Pringle said: “All it requires is for the SFPA to act fairly for everyone. Surely that is not too much to ask.”
