DINGLE STAND-OFF
CORONAVIRUS BLOCKADE AGAINST FOREIGN TRAWLERS
A SPANISH fishing vessel was forced to leave Dingle without landing her catch early on Monday morning after local fishermen staged an overnight blockade demanding that foreign boats stay away to avoid the risk of spreading coronavirus.
It was the second coronavirus blockade staged by Dingle fishermen in the past month and, in the course of a sometimes tense stand-off, the protestors resorted to lying on the ground to prevent the agent for the Spanish vessel driving onto the pier.
However, the protest remained peaceful, there were no arrests and the fishermen’s objective was achieved when the Sylvanna, which tied up in Dingle at 4.30am, left an hour later without unloading her catch.
Dingle fishermen’s spokesman Michael Hennessy said he was very happy with the outcome of the blockade but added that they would continue to oppose foreign vessels landing in Dingle.
“This isn’t a fishing issue, this is a health issue… We have no issue with foreign boats coming in here… we just don’t want them coming in here now while this crisis is happening,” he said.
Fisherman David Granville added: “Even if we only prevent one person getting coronavirus the protest will have been worthwhile.”
A SPANISH fishing vessel was forced to leave Dingle without landing her catch early on Monday morning after local fishermen staged an overnight blockade demanding that foreign boats stay away to avoid the risk of spreading coronavirus.
It was the second coronavirus blockade staged by Dingle fishermen in the past month and in the course of a sometimes tense stand-off, the protestors resorted to lying on the ground to prevent the agent for the Spanish vessel driving onto the pier.
Despite official assurances that regulations are in place to avoid the risk of foreign crews spreading coronavirus when they dock in Ireland, local fishermen insist the regulations are too soft and foreign vessels still present an unacceptable risk.
The blockade began on Saturday afternoon when fishermen parked their cars across the head of the pier to prevent access for a truck that was on standby to take a load of fish to Spain from the long-liner Sylvanna, which was still at sea at that time. Before setting up the blockade they contacted the agent for the French registered, but Spanish owned, Sylvanna advising that the boat would be prevented from landing her catch in Dingle.
The Sylvanna was some 40 miles south west of the Blaskets on Saturday and had the option of landing in Castletownbere, but despite the fishermen’s warning she proceeded to set a course for Dingle.
The blockade continued overnight and fishermen refused to back down despite warnings from Gardaí on Sunday evening that they could be arrested for preventing access to the pier. Tensions rose later on Sunday night when a strong force of local Gardaí, along with reinforcements from Tralee, arrived at Dingle pier shortly after 2am where the number of protestors had grown to over 40 fishermen, their families and supporters. However, cool heads on all sides kept the situation from getting out of hand.
Tralee-based Sergeant Eoin Donovan, who directed the Garda operation, told protestors that it was the job of Gardaí and not fishermen to enforce coronavirus regulations.
“We’ll enforce covid regulations, you don’t have to worry about that… what’s going on here is unnecessary and is putting people at risk [of contracting coronavirus],” said Sgt Donovan, adding: “Vehicles can’t be parked here. You can’t stop people doing their job, everybody has to be fair.”
Meanwhile, Dingle Sergeant Elaine O’Donoghue frequently reminded protesters to observe social distancing and praised them for keeping their demonstration peaceful and orderly. It helped keep a lid on the obvious tension on the pier and the sporadic exchanges between protestors and Gardaí that continued through the night remained respectful. One protesting fisherman later described Sgt Donovan as “a thorough gentleman” who handled the situation with great skill and understanding of the issues involved.
Shortly before 3.30am a tow truck that was brought in from outside of West Kerry arrived on the scene and soon after a worker began the process of removing one of the vehicles blocking access to the pier, apologising to the owner as he went about his job. The owners of two other cars voluntarily moved their vehicles but jeeps and pickup trucks blocking the main entrance to the pier were left in place.
At 4.30am the Sylvanna steamed into Dingle and tied up at the end of the pier, which had been fenced off with barricades before her arrival. The truck that was expected to follow but the issue came to a head sooner than expected when Ricardo Ferriera, the agent for the Spanish fishing company, attempted to drive his van onto the pier. Gardaí lined up in front of the van and attempted to escort it through the protestors but their progress was soon halted when fishermen lay on the ground in front of the vehicle. The atmosphere was fraught, but there was still room for humour: “At least we might get a few hours sleep here,” one protestor declared as he lay on the ground.
Gardaí warned the protestors that they were illegally blocking the road but did not attempt to physically remove them and five minutes later the van backed away.
A stalemate followed but just as dawn began to break over Dingle word came through at 5.30am that the Sylvanna was leaving for Castletownbere. The battle was averted and there was relief on all sides. “Go home – and wash your hands!” Sgt and a round of applause followed.
Michael Hennessy, who was one of the fishermen leading the protest, said he was very happy with the outcome of the blockade but added that they would continue to oppose foreign vessels landing in Dingle.
“This isn’t a fishing issue, this is a health issue… We have no issue with foreign boats coming in here… we just don’t want them coming in here now while this crisis is happening,” he said.