Fianna Fail TDs support Dempsey's stance on fishermen's penalties

Fianna Fail TDs have endorsed Minister for the Marine Noel Dempsey's refusal to introduce parking fine-like penalties for fishermen breaking EU fishing laws.

The support for the Minister came after a meeting between Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and seven Fianna Fail TDs and Senators. This included leading Fianna Fail backbench opponent of the sea fisheries bill, Cork southwest TD Denis O'Donovan.

In the first vote on the legislation shortly before 8pm on Tuesday night, the chairman of the Oireachtas Marine Committee, Noel O'Flynn, Peter Kelly, Dermot Fitzpatrick, Tom McEllistrim, Mr O'Donovan and PD TD Fiona O'Malley all supported Mr Dempsey.
It appears that Mr Ahern has not made any concessions on the bill. The bill updates 1959 fishery protection legislation, transferring responsibility for prosecutions from the Attorney General to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
After Fianna Fail backbench opposition, the Minister has already cut the fines that can be levied on fishermen found guilty of overfishing, quota infringements and other offences.

Despite the concessions, fishing lobby groups have alleged that the Minister is "criminalising" the industry because he has refused to agree that minor offences should be dealt with by an administrative fine instead of through the courts.
Mr Dempsey emphasised that only a small number of fishermen were engaged in "systematic criminality". He added, though, that a failure to fill in a logbook could sometimes be an accidental mistake but on other occasions could be part of a well-organised conspiracy.