Cllr John Brady urges Wicklow fishermen to attend conference hosted by Liadh Ní Riada MEP

Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady has welcomed the announcement that MEP Liadh Ní Riada will host a major fisheries policy conference in Dungarvan on Saturday, October 24th,

The conference will bring fishermen, fisheries experts and government agencies together to hammer out a strategy to support and grow the fishing industry around the coast.

Councillor Brady urged fishermen from Wicklow's coastal communities to attend the conference to voice their opinions and concerns.
He said:
“I welcome that fact that MEP Liadh Ní Riada will host a policy conference on fisheries in Dungarvan next Saturday week. It's long past time that our fishing industry was given the attention it deserves. Sinn Féin supports a sustainable fishing industry that acts as a driver of the local economy in coastal communities.
“Liadh is Ireland's only representative on the EU fisheries committee and is a proactive voice for fishermen in Europe and in Ireland. She will ensure that the voice of coastal communities and those who depend on the sea for their livelihoods will be heard. Bringing together a broad cross-section the fishing industry to feed into a comprehensive national policy is the first step in rejuvenating a sector that has been long neglected by successive governments.
"Unlike this and previous governments, Sinn Féin will continue to campaign domestically and abroad on various fisheries issues and our proposed policies, such as a Single Boat Payment scheme which Liadh Ní Riada has been highlighting with the European Commission. In government we would press for a renegotiated financial instrument that will accommodate the scheme under a truly reformed Common Fisheries Policy.
"We are also exploring legal avenues regarding illegal fishing by foreign trawlers and how they can be deterred; especially larger super-trawlers who are given space to buy up a disproportionate of quotas then fish past their quotas, reaping devastation on fish stocks and small fishermen as a result.
“Liadh along with her colleagues in GUE/NGL also submitted a proposal for funding for a pilot project on the creation of a public insurance system for those in the fisheries sector who due to unforeseen events could by adversely impacted by a number of factors, such as natural disasters, forced stops being enforced by recovery plans or sudden restrictions on access to resources, all of which would cut incomes.
“The conference itself will take place in Lawlors Hotel on Saturday 24th October and there is an open invitation to attend and participate in the discussions. I would urge fishermen from Greystones, Wicklow Town and Arklow to attend the conference if they can. I am also asking all those with an interest in seeing a strong, vibrant and sustainable fishing industry to go along and ensure their voice is heard.”
Registration for the conference begins at 9am on Saturday morning. There will be a number of local, national and European speakers on topics such as Ensuring Sustainability without Criminalising Fishermen, Adding Value and Economic Diversification; and Uniting to Ensure the Future of Fishing in Ireland.”