THE Minister for the Marine has appealed for information about a hoax caller who initiated a major air sea rescue search off the Clare coastline on Monday night.
The incident was "outrageous", Mr Barrett said yesterday when condemning a series of hoax calls in Galway and Clare.
The Irish Marine Emergency Service (IMES) has recorded 22 such false alarms this year to date. There were 50 hoax calls last year.
A tape recording of Monday's hoax, made on VHF radio and kicked up by Valentia Coast Radio Station in Co Kerry, was broadcast on RTE radio and television yesterday in an attempt to identify the voice.
A Garda investigation has also been initiated. Misuse of the VHF system under the 1988 Broadcasting and Wireless Telegraphy Act carries a fine of up to £1,000 and/or six months' imprisonment.
Monday's call occurred at about 5.50 p.m. and purported to be from a fishing vessel on fire with three people on board.
The caller gave a position two miles west of Loop Head, Co Clare, but no navigational bearing. A child was also heard to cry Oh Daddy, oh Daddy, don't die.
An air sea rescue operation was initiated, involving the medium range IMES helicopter at Shannon, the Fenit all weather lifeboat, Kilrush and Kilkee in shore lifeboat and rescue craft and two fishing vessels.
The Sikorsky helicopter can take a direction finding off a VHF frequency, but this signal was too weak, and the helicopter was not in the air at the time, according to Mr Eamonn Torpay, IMES divisional controller at the Marine Rescue Co Ordination Centre (MRCC) in Dublin.
Ireland does not charge for search and rescue, but the draw on services in the Clare incident was such that it could have affected a genuine emergency, Mr Torpay said.
The recent hoaxes in Galway were 999 telephone calls, and there is a procedure for checking before rescue services are called out, he said.
However, all calls have to be taken seriously and only a limited amount of time can be given to checking.
Hoax calls through the 999 service carry a fine of £800 and/or 12 months' imprisonment.
