THE plight facing fishermen in West Cork has been highlighted in a French national television documentary filmed primarily in Castletownbere.
The documentary entitled Irish Fishing in Peril aired on the channel ARTE and focuses primarily on Daniel Healy and his family, as well as Alan Carleton. Both were forced to accept a decommissing deal for their boats as the pressure on the fishing industry in West Cork becomes harder and harder to survive.
The documentary also features ISWFPO chief executive Patrick Murphy and his efforts on behalf of fishermen in Europe, as well as Spanish fishermen in Castletownbere and local business including MacCarthy's Bar.
'The Republic of Ireland is a fishing nation with waters rich in all kinds of sea life. But with Brexit, Ireland has lost fishing quotas in British waters, and with the Irish government, in agreement with Brussels, approving an €80m plan to scrap around sixty fishing boats - almost one third of the Irish fleet - in exchange for subsidies, the future looks bleak,' says the French programme. 'In the port of Castletownbere, 16 boats will be scrapped, a tragedy for the fishing town.'
The documentary was directed by Frédérique Zingaro and Mathilde Bonnassieux and can be seen above.
