Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is important that the fishing industry take every precaution to avoid risk of injury or worse during periods of stormy weather and have full regard to local weather warnings before going to sea. Fishermen who may be experiencing financial difficulties while ashore during periods of adverse weather should contact the Department of Social Protection which offers income support payments, subject to certain eligibility criteria. The National Inshore Fisheries Forum has invited the Department of Social Protection to its meeting today to discuss social protection policies relevant to the inshore fishing sector.

The new Seafood Development Operational Programme under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund was adopted by the European Commission in December 2015. That programme provides a comprehensive range of supports for the seafood sector worth €241 million, including a dedicated scheme of supports for the inshore sector to address the various economic and sustainability challenges facing the sector. In regard to specific measures to support fishermen affected by significant losses arising from adverse weather events, the EMFF and the operational programme provide for the establishment by fishermen of a mutual fund for adverse climatic events and environmental incidents, which when established can provide aid to fishermen affiliated to the fund in line with pre-defined rules. The operational programme will co-fund the mutual fund, together with subscriptions from member fishermen. In that sense, the viability of such a mutual fund is dependent on the extent to which fishermen commit to membership of that fund.

Following the December adoption of the programme, I launched the initial tranche of schemes last Thursday at the Government press centre with the support of the European Commission. Further schemes will follow during 2016. For some of the inshore fishermen, particularly in the Celtic Sea, where there is a artisan herring fishery, we have sought to carry over a quota that could not be caught in December into January and February to ensure that what they lost because of bad weather in December carries over into this year. The Celtic Sea herring management committee will be considering those issues in the next couple of weeks.

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