Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 22 February 2024
Committee on Public Petitions
Petition on Justice and Marine Safety: Discussion
Mr. C.J. Gaffney:
Yes, and especially because when we went from the old Mary Kate to the new Mary Kate we kept the same size fishing nets. We did not go bigger on any. When we were towing the gear along the bottom, and even when we were turning - say we wanted to turn around to come back to where we thought the fish were - she would lay over an awful lot. There would be water on the deck. If the derrick on one side was out a bit further she just seemed to lay over a lot more. In a sea she seemed very rigid. She was great and comfortable that way but if we were turning in a big sea the others would be all over the place and getting thrown around while this one was like a submarine. The water would come in and back out again. Nothing felt right. It is hard to put a finger on it but drawing on our own experience over the years it did not feel right and it was not.
No comments