Kerry Fish Threat

national | miscellaneous | news report Saturday February 22, 2003 18:53 by Ailin

John O'Shea, Kerry Republican Sinn Féin February 7, 2003 The invasion of Spanish fishing fleets into Irish waters off the Kerry coast will have a detrimental effect on the livelihoods of fishermen throughout the county, the local branch of Republican Sinn Féin claimed today.

RSF spokesman John O'Shea from Ballylongford said that the opening up of Irish fishing grounds to the Spanish is a retrograde step and it will devastate Irish fish stocks.

"While there is little the ordinary people can do to highlight our concern, the fact remains that our elected representatives are silent on the issue," said Mr. O'Shea.

"This invasion by the Spanish will be akin to the days of the Armada when they wrought havoc along the Irish coastline.

"For generations the Irish fishermen have fished within set quotas and as a result made a positive contribution to the conservation of fish stocks.

"Now with the arrival of the Spanish all this positive effort is doomed in an onslaught of over fishing that is bound to decimate stocks.

"There must be some restraint imposed on the Spanish, other wise the livelihoods of Kerry fishermen will be seriously undermined. We are now calling on the elected representatives to protest in relation to this latest setback for the Irish fishing industry."