STORM FORCE 11 winds which swept the west coast this week have caused “Armageddon” on Arranmore, according to the Donegal island’s fishing community.
An estimated 3,000 lobster and crab pots set west of Arranmore and off Burtonport were lost in the rough weather, worth an estimated €170,000. However, the economic impact on some 30 families affected by the loss is multiples of that, according to the fishermen’s spokesman Jerry Earley.
Younger fishermen on the island had to be restrained from trying to venture out to save the gear several days ago, Mr Earley told The Irish Times.
“We’ve had high winds and a heavy swell here, as has the entire west coast, for over a week, and so the gear couldn’t be retrieved before the worst of the winds hit,” Mr Earley said.
“It took some of the older fishermen to persuade the younger lads not to go to sea,” he said.
“The big problem is that EU restrictions on fishing activity in this area, along with the ban since 2007 on driftnetting for salmon, have left fishermen with no alternative but to rely on lobster and crab,” he said.
“Thankfully, no lives were lost and no boats seriously damaged in this weather, but the destruction of the gear is a serious blow to morale here, as the fishermen can’t get insurance cover for the equipment,” he explained.
Arranmore has a population of 500, and has a history of emigration – but this option is no longer open to many of the younger generation, residents say.
The island has already appealed to EU maritime affairs commissioner Maria Damanaki to consider its case in relation to EU restrictions to allow for stock recovery. “The problem is that these restrictions are not fairly policed, and we see other EU vessels working in these areas all the time,” Mr Earley said.
