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Fishermen turn merchant seamen
22.01.10
by Caoimhinn Barr, Inishowen Independent
THE RECENT downturn in the economy has hit the
fishing industry here harder than most.
Fewer and fewer Inishowen boats are battling quotas,
EU regulations and dwindling stocks in an effort to
survive.
The ever-increasing scarcity of employment in the
industry has prompted some local fishermen to
re-train to broaden their horizons at sea.
In response to the crisis, a new course, designed to
help convert fishermen into merchant seamen, has
already begun in Greencastle. The course is the
first of its kind to be held in Donegal.
Run in conjunction with Dublin Company, Sea and
Shore Safety Services, the course has already
produced its first set of successful graduates with
more set to follow in March.
The man behind it, Michael McCormick, said the
course, which culminates in an internationally
recognised certificate, gives fishermen ‘more
options’ in increasingly difficult times.
“We are not turning our back on fishing we are just
adapting to the difficult times we find ourselves
in,” he said. |
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“Once the men become
dual-qualified it gives them a chance to apply for a
wider range of positions like jobs on tug boats,
dredging vessels or supply ships.”
Michael himself has skirted both sides of the marine
divide. He was the skipper of his own boat before
becoming involved in the merchant side of the marine
industry.
The Greencastle man is very angry at the decline of
the fishing industry, which, he says, is a result of
EU and Irish government regulations, quotas and red
tape.
“They are consigning our fishing industry to the
history books,” Michael said.
“This industry has been in recession long before the
current credit crisis hit. We have been squeezed out
of it.”
Michael also hit out at the policy of paying owners
to decommission fishing boats at the expense of the
workers.
“Ordinary fishermen have been given nothing. They
are paying people to stop fishing but it is only the
owners who benefit,” he said.
“If they decommission ten boats then that puts up to
80 people out of work. It also affects men who are
employed on the piers because they will have less
work to sustain them.”
“In a difficult time when we need every small job we
can get, this seems crazy.”
The two-week course, currently being run at Foyle
and Marine Surveys’ premises, receives no government
funding. The students paid for the sessions
themselves and Michael receives nothing for his
role.
“This course is the first step on the road to
getting a job with a commercial marine vessel and I
call on the government to support us with funding.
The time for talking is over; we need action,” he
urged.
Michael said he facilitated the course because he
didn’t like to see anyone out of work and urged
anyone interested in joining the next course to
phone 0872633740 or +353 1 2955991.
The course is open to students from all over
Ireland, including the North. |
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