Member's statement: Fishing Industry
Member's statement by Mr Colin McGrath on .
- MLA
- Mr Colin McGrath
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 6 October 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Fishing Industry
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5776572
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I will talk today about the pressures facing the fishing industry, an issue that is so relevant to my constituency, given the prominence of Kilkeel and Ardglass harbours. Mr Speaker, as a former Agriculture Minister, you will know that fishing is one of the most difficult and labour-intensive roles to perform. It is a dangerous job, and it is very often a dirty job. Our fleets work long hours and are at the mercy of the tides and the weather. Those of us who enjoy a fish supper on a Friday night do not see all that goes into how it gets on our plate, but those in the industry are not seeking acclaim, nor are they looking for special treatment. They are simply looking to have a fair chance. Fishing is an industry, and a competitive one at that. For it to be viable and for our fishermen to continue providing the service that they do, it needs to be able to make money. Its ability to do so is becoming increasingly hampered, given the constraints on the industry, which are becoming more numerous and inescapable. I often liken it to being in a room with all four walls coming in and slowly squeezing you. Difficulties have included the massive ramifications of Brexit, and, although there may have been opportunities with quotas, there have been severe restrictions on the ability to recruit staff, which has forced skippers to look internationally, even as far as Southeast Asia. That has resulted in overseas staff being employed on inordinate salaries, and the administrative gymnastics alone that is required to obtain those staff is ridiculous and unsustainable. Another wall is enforcement. The UK's Marine Management Organisation is now carrying out numerous stops on our vessels, with checks ranging from checking crew paperwork to checking to size of nets right down to the millimetre. Such stops interrupt work, have resulted in punitive fines and create even more frustration for an industry that already feels ignored. There is then perhaps the most literal squeeze of all, which is the lack of space in which to fish. In the Irish Sea, English fleets reach in from the east, Scottish fleets from the north and Irish fleets from the south. In the centre, the Isle of Man has primacy. That could once have been settled through agreements between those who fish the waters, but our fishermen are now left with a tightly constrained stretch of sea. The squeeze is all too real. Despite that, our Agriculture Minister, who should be standing up for those fishermen and saying, "I've got your back", is consulting on proposals that would make that small stretch of sea even smaller. He has already failed to deliver the fishing and seafood development programme, and our fishermen cannot afford another squeeze. Our fishermen are not asking for special treatment. Rather, they are asking for the space in which to work, people to crew the boats and a fair chance to make a living. Perhaps the next time that we have some fish for our dinner, we can spare a thought for those who are working and how we can possibly help them more.
529 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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