‘Like a sketch from d’Unbelievables’
THE nightmare affecting scallop fisherman has been likened to a d’Unbelievables sketch.
But ‘the fish is in the post’ is not a comedy punch-line, instead it can be heard by fishermen in Irish ports being quizzed about their scallops.
Independent TD for Cork South West, Michael Collins, raised the bizarre process currently facing scallop fishermen in the Dáil, with the fish needing to be sent for biotoxin testing in Galway once a week.‘No one sees the need to test them once a week... Surely once a month would be more than enough,’ he said, Not only that, but he is only allowed to fish 12 to 15 scallops. He must put scallops in a polystyrene box and send them by post to the Marine Institute in Co. Galway to get them tested. The deputy called on infrastructure to be put in place in Cork to put an end to the process. ‘If the d’Unbelievables did a sketch on it, we would say it was far-fetched.’