A consortium of Killybegs skippers has bought three US fishing vessels of over 100 foot to land fish into North American ports.
The Irish skippers are crossing the Atlantic to take advantage of unfished quotas at a time when the EU is restricting pelagic (midwater) operations in eastern waters. The under-developed US fleet is unable to match the requirements of a domestic market which imports one million tonnes of fish annually to satisfy its own needs.
Mr Martin Howley of Killybegs Fishing Enterprises, who attended the opening of the national fisheries exhibition, Fish Ireland '98, in Killybegs, Co Donegal yesterday, told The Irish Times that a new company was being formed to manage the operation. Western Atlantic Resources will be a joint venture involving Killybegs Fishing Enterprises and Western Seaboard, he said.
Mr Howley recently sold his £10 million 70-metre mackerel supertrawler, Atlantic Challenge back to Norway. EU restrictions have been forcing some of the State's top mackerel skippers to look at other opportunities. Mr Howley said that the three 108 ft vessels would avail of a 300,000 tonne quota of herring and a 250,000 tonne sustainable quota of mackerel, working in waters off New England.
"No one else is catching it, so we might as well," he said, adding that the venture was at a very early stage. The consortium would either co-operate with an established US processor or form its own operation, he said.
The move comes at a time when yet another multi-million supertrawler is expected to be ordered by a leading Donegal skipper to fish outside EU waters. The bulk of the Irish fleet, which is involved in whitefish, has been given a much-needed boost with the £40 million investment package announced by the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods, last month.
Up to 27 whitefish vessels will be built as part of the package involving grant aid and tax breaks the first time there has been such a fillip for the Irish fleet since the Common Fisheries Policy was agreed 15 years ago.
Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), which is handling the scheme, held one of a series of meetings with skippers and crews in Donegal last night. Some 20,000 people are expected to attend the Fish Ireland '98 exhibition, which is sponsored by the Marine Times, Donegal Oil and Irish Shell and which runs in the Killybegs fish auction hall until tomorrow.
The biennial show reflects a strong international interest in the Irish fishing industry. All sectors, ranging from European boatbuilders to processors, to electronics, engineering, refrigeration, finance, insurance and net-making companies, are participating in the three-day event. European manufacturers recognise the opportunities available to Irish fishermen, if given increased access to the stocks controlled by the EU.
Speaking at yesterday's opening, Dr Woods announced a £1.5 million capital programme for the existing harbour infrastructure at Killybegs. A consultancy report estimated that the port would need a £20 million investment to match requirements.
