A group of Wexford fishermen at sea for the last five days has said today that the fishermen will no longer abide by EU regulations to dump fish back into the ocean if they go over quota.
The crew, which harboured last night, was watched over by a member of An Garda Siochana at Kilmore Quay before representatives from the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority arrived this morning to investigate the situation.
Shortly after 11 a.m. the fishermen began to unload their catch into a waiting van, depositing the fish which exceeded the quota on the quay, a move which prompted a large crowd of locals to come and avail of free fish.
Michael O’Flaherty, one of the owners if the boat said: “We’re being asked to operate under a farcical system. They want us to dump about 5 tonnes of dead monkfish back into the sea. But enough is enough. We’re not doing it anymore, we’re going to show people what we’re being asked to do.”