FISHING VESSEL ESCORTED TO CASTLETOWNBERE

Fishing Vessel Escorted to Castletownbere

Union Inspectors onboard the European Fisheries Control Agency’s (EFCA) chartered patrol vessel Ocean Guardian, escorted a fishing vessel into the port of Castletownbere, Co Cork, yesterday morning, the 19^th May – this follows an inspection of the vessel at sea by the Union Inspectors on Sunday 18^th May. The vessel has been handed over to An Garda Siochana, and assistance is being provided by the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) in Castletownbere.

The patrol vessel is operating in Union waters within the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as part of a Joint Deployment Programme between EFCA and Member States, including Ireland. Inspections are undertaken at sea on a risk-based approach focused on gear and fishing area. The SFPA in co-operation with EFCA undertakes planning and co-ordination of allocated resources to ensure that inspections are undertaken in line with the strategic risk assessment – this takes into account the status of exploited stocks, level of catches, and probability of non-compliance with the fisheries legislation in force.

About the SFPA 

The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) is the independent statutory body responsible for the regulation of the sea-fisheries and the sea-food production sectors. It promotes compliance with the EU Common Fisheries Policy, sea-fisheries law and food safety law relating to fish and fish products, verifies compliance and, where necessary, enforces it. Its mandate covers all fishing vessels operating within Ireland’s 200-mile limit, over 2,000 Irish registered fishing vessels wherever they operate, and all seafood produced in Ireland’s seafood processing companies. The SFPA operates through a network of regional port offices situated at Ireland’s main fishery harbours. For further information visit: www.sfpa.ie

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