Protesters urge Irish government to end over-fishing

The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Sean Bateson, congratulates Armoy woman Margaret Gillan as she celebrates her 100th birthday at her home in the village. Surrounded by dozens of cards from well-wishers, Margaret said that her secret for a long life is “minding her own business, working hard and eating plenty of porridge”

ACTIVISTS from the Extinction Rebellion group have called on Irish government ministers to end the practice of over-fishing in Irish waters.

About 50 demonstrators gathered outside Leinster House in Dublin yesterday.

The protest is the latest in a series of “direct action” demonstrations by the environmental group, which held a week-long campaign of “civil disobedience” in October.

Two of the demonstrators were dressed as mermaids with costumes made of seashells, recycled items and fishing nets while others dressed as fishermen.

Extinction Rebellion called on the Irish government to uphold the law and end over-fishing.

In a statement, the group said ending over-fishing by January 1, 2020 is a legal requirement for members of the European Union.

“The European Council’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) was revised in 2013 to include a law to force member states to eliminate over-fishing by the start of next year.

“Yet, on the eve of this deadline, the Irish Government appears to have no plans to end business as usual when it comes to over-fishing.

“Overfishing at current levels takes a terrible toll on fish populations, marine life and on the ocean’s ability to sequester carbon, and thus help slow down global warming. Ireland has continuously been identified as among the worst nations for negotiating fish catches above scientific advice on sustainable limits.”

The group said inaction to ensure sustainable fishing levels to date has created a situation where significant cuts in fish quotas and even closure of fisheries must now be considered to meet the EU’s binding 2020 deadline to end overfishing.

Padraig Fogarty, campaign officer with the Irish Wildlife Trust, said: “We’re trying to highlight the dire state of the ocean and over-fishing is something that has taken an enormous toll on marine life over the last decade.

“We have a law now that states that it has to stop by the end of January and it does not look like we are anywhere near that deadline.”

He said Ireland had one of the worst records in the European Union for over-fishing.