Poots meets with Ardglass fishing industry
Date published:
Fisheries Minister Edwin Poots MLA has met with fishermen and representatives of the fishing industry in Ardglass to discuss future opportunities for developing the fishing and the seafood sector in the area.
Following the meeting at Ardglass Harbour, Minister Poots said: “Ardglass has a long history of fishing and I was pleased to visit the harbour to meet those involved and discuss with them their hopes and plans for the future.
“Ardglass is involved in the supply of a whole range of quality seafood, from crabs and lobster, to prawns and herring. I was informed about ambitious plans to develop infrastructure and I outlined our intention to take stock of fishing opportunities following the conclusion of talks with EU on a Future Fisheries Agreement and Coastal State negotiations.
“I am hopeful of a successful outcome for Irish Sea fisheries and once we have more certainty about the future then we can get on and develop the industry sustainably. To aid sustainability I recently announced a £1.7million scheme to to help the fishing fleet deal with the impacts of Covid-19 on the markets for key species. This brings the total amount of funding I’ve allocated for the sea fishing industry during the Covid pandemic to £3.2million.
“As fisheries minister I want to see our fishing industry prosper in the years ahead and be in position to avail of opportunities that may arise and I will support them in doing so.”
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