Greystones fishermen protest at bye laws excluding their way of life - Habour has been taken over by Privateers

wicklow | rights, freedoms and repression | press release

Thursday August 07, 2014 00:23

by pbp

Press release from Greystones fishermen 1 August 2014

Greystones Harbour was opened to the public almost two years ago, in November 2012. The marina opened for summer 2013.

However, despite written agreements and promises from the developer, the commercial fishers of Greystones have been refused access to the harbour and promised berths or moorings have not been offered to us.

We are today entering the harbour and landing freshly caught fish, against regulations, as a protest against this continued exclusion from the harbour, which only two weeks ago included the removal of mooring cleats from the harbour’s north pier in order to prevent boats tying up.

fishing_boat_enters_greystones_harbour_taken_over_by_privateers_2014.jpg

Press release from Greystones fishermen 1 August 2014

Greystones Harbour was opened to the public almost two years ago, in November 2012. The marina opened for summer 2013.

However, despite written agreements and promises from the developer, the commercial fishers of Greystones have been refused access to the harbour and promised berths or moorings have not been offered to us.

We are today entering the harbour and landing freshly caught fish, against regulations, as a protest against this continued exclusion from the harbour, which only two weeks ago included the removal of mooring cleats from the harbour’s north pier in order to prevent boats tying up.
Greystones Harbour was opened to the public almost two years ago, in November 2012. The marina opened for summer 2013.

However, despite written agreements and promises from the developer, the commercial fishers of Greystones have been refused access to the harbour and promised berths or moorings have not been offered to us.

We are today entering the harbour and landing freshly caught fish, against regulations, as a protest against this continued exclusion from the harbour, which only two weeks ago included the removal of mooring cleats from the harbour’s north pier in order to prevent boats tying up.

We want to return to Greystones after seven years of exclusion. Greystones was founded as a fishing village several hundred years ago, and commercial fishing has always been based here in this harbour.

We want to come back. It has been far too long.

And until we are permitted under harbour regulations, we will continue to fish and land fish here as a protest against our exclsuion.

We are also protesting the terms of Draft Harbour Bye-Laws published by Wicklow County Council which cover commercial fishing. The clauses covering fishing are so restrictive that they would effectively prevent commercial fishermen from carrying on business in the harbour.

The only right fishing crews would have under these bye-laws would be to moor their boats. No storage facilities, no bait, and no sales would be permitted. For fishermen, the harbour would be only a boat park, and not a normal harbour where buyers can come direct to fishing boats to negotiate and buy fish.

We are asking all of Wicklow’s county councillors to oppose these clauses of the Bye-Laws when they are discussed at the council, and to replace them with clauses which will allow fishermen to carry on business fully in Greystones Harbour, as they have always done until 2007.

End

Draft Bye-Laws can be downloaded here: http://bit.ly/1tCcpKP

Caption: Video Id: MWoy8y2xA0c Type: Youtube Video
Greystones fishermen protest at bye laws excluding their way of life

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Comments (3 of 3)

More coverage of how fisherman have been excluded from their own harbour in Greystones

by T

Thu Aug 07, 2014 00:30

Community comes out in force to support Greystones fishermen

More than 50 people came to Greystones Harbour today to show their support for the local fishermen excluded from the harbour since 2007.

As well as this strong show of support from locals, the ‘illegal’ landing of a fine haul of crab and lobster was well attended by national and international media.

Skipper Ivan Toole’s vessel, the Golden Venture, could be seen approaching from the direction of Bray Head around 1.50pm, and she duly arrived into the harbour almost dead on 2.00pm, cheered by the crowd as she came into the marina basin.

The boat tied up at the quay wall just inside the marina, between the two roundheads, and very quickly eight crates of lobster and crab were winched onto the dock, destined ultimately for the market at Kilmore Quay.

Journalists from the Irish Times, Irish Examiner, Agence France Press’s English-language service and Union Solidarity International all queued up to interview the Venture’s crew and local activists and councillors. Crew showed off prize specimens of lobster and crab to fascinated kids, many photographs were taken, and then crew and crowd returned to the harbour car park to see off the van taking the valuable catch to market.

The full text is at the link below

Navy

by KM

Thu Aug 07, 2014 14:47

Now that its not needed at Skellig any longer the warship will probably be used to harass the fishermen.

Harbour is planned vandalism.

by Rational Ecologist

Mon Aug 18, 2014 14:31

I have the seen the new harbour in Greystones and to say that it is nauseating is an understatement. Greystones has been vandalised and buried under concrete; that's the real issue. It is hard to believe how bad it is unless you see it with your own eyes.
I think there are videos on youtube which give the visual to what I am saying; worth a look.
It is sickening!!

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Greystones fishermen protest at bye laws excluding their way of life - Habour has been taken over by Privateers

Comments (3 of 3)