Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On 12 June, the bodies of brothers, Shane, Kenny and Paul Bolger, were recovered from the water near Tramore. These experienced fishermen were well known throughout the area and they were well liked. They lost their lives in the same way too many people have lost their lives in the past few years. Working at sea is not the safest job and it never will be. There will always be harsh weather conditions, which are unexpected, accidents, human error and tragedies but as with our roads, conditions can be made safer and the likelihood of loss of life can be lessened.

I am grateful to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine who replied to my question on this issue last week. His heartfelt response echoes what everyone in the House felt as the tragedy unfolded. My colleague, Senator David Cullinane, spoke to me about the palpable shock and grief in the Waterford area. We all want to do something to avoid these tragedies in future and I raise this issue to help make progress. The Marine Casualty Investigation Board, MCIB, annual report 2011 found that 40% of all deaths in a given year were among fishing crews. These workers deserve, like everyone else, the best standards to ensure they return home safely. The report clearly stated more must be done to reduce the number of these tragedies. One such measure would be the mandatory use of personal locator beacons. The board recommended this course of action.

Fishing is not the lucrative business it could be. Many working in the industry struggle hard to make a decent living. We should as much as possible avoid heaping the financial burden on these workers. Fishermen have in the past called for 100% grant aid for personal location beacons. This should be considered due to the obvious benefits of the beacons becoming commonplace. Fishing is an important industry, which we have supported in many ways. We should support fisheries workers to be safe. Measures such as this will not prevent a tragedy such as that which befell the Bolgers happening again but it will help to reduce the incidence of such tragedies, ease the suffering of those whose loved ones are lost at sea and aid quicker recovery.

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