The Department of the Marine has denied that a €95 million scheme for new fishing vessels has been scrapped.
Fishing industry representatives are mystified at the delay in implementing the scheme, which was announced last June by the Minister for the Marine, Mr Fahey, in Waterford. The scheme, which has been approved by the EU under the National Development Plan, involves €1.9 million State aid.
Mounting concern over the delay has been compounded by proposals from the EU Commission which will cancel out any further structural-fund aid for new fishing vessels within EU waters. The proposals, which represent the EU's view on reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, were due to be announced today by the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Commissioner, Mr Franz Fischler. However, that announcement has now been delayed by a week.
A Spanish fisheries official who was given a preview of the proposals told a conference in the Azores last month that the proposals include a provision that member-states should be responsible for fleet cuts. The Commission also wants to switch structural-fund aid from building new vessels to scrapping them, he said.
The EU's approach to fleet cuts generally is in marked contrast to its eventual acceptance of the Atlantic Dawn, the 144-metre Irish supertrawler, on to its register.
