Dingle fishermen demand better facilities

FISHERMEN gathered on Dingle pier on Sunday to share their concerns about the facilities available to their ailing industry with Sinn Féin local election candidate Robert Brosnan and his party colleague Deputy Martin Ferris.

Chief among their demands was the provision of an ice plant to provide for the needs of small boats that don’t have their own ice-making equipment on board. This problem has plagued inshore fishermen since 2011 when the BIM ice plant that dominates the end of Dingle pier was closed down. Since then local fish factories have supplied small boats with ice but this is inconvenient, labour intensive, and ice isn’t always available at the times that fishermen want to head out to sea.

Given that the former BIM ice plant closed down because it was no longer viable in an era when larger vessels are equipped with their own ice-making equipment, the chances of a replacement are slim. But that answer isn’t good enough for fisherman David Granville who outlined the implications in clear and simple terms: “Fishing is all about quality now, not quantity, and for quality you have to have ice”.

A separate issue raised by fishermen was that an electric crane installed on the quay in Dingle in November still isn’t operational. However, The Kerryman understands that minor fitting out has yet to be completed on the crane and it will also have to pass a safety inspection before it can be used. Fishermen will also have to receive brief training on the safe and proper use of the 250kg crane before they will be allowed operate it.

Because the Department of the Marine could be liable for any accidents associated with the crane, its use will be very closely monitored on an ongoing basis and fishermen who don’t stick to the rules will risk getting a ‘black card’. Similar light-weight cranes are common in small fishing ports in countries such Spain but in Ireland some harbour authorities have shut down existing cranes because they were so afraid of being sued in the event of an accident.