Irish fishing crisis: 'Costs through the roof, quotas slashed, and the supply of fresh Irish fish hit'
Recently The Neil Closed Killybegs Fish Shop Picture: In Mick O’donnell Michael At Island Seafoods Boss
When asked how he measures his success as a businessman, Mick O’Donnell chuckles.
It isn’t the size of his car or his house, and judging from his casual attire, it can’t be an overt fondness for flashy suits.
Given his success over the years in various guises in the fish industry, he could be forgiven for at least owning a flashy car, but he doesn’t.
“I’ve only ever measured it by one way,” Mick, who has invested millions into his fish-processing business Island Seafoods, explains from his small office in rural Carricknamoghil about 10 minutes from the centre of Killybegs, Co Donegal.
“It is the number of people who attended my Christmas parties.
“I really enjoyed, and still do, the sense of satisfaction knowing that I have done something positive, and that was always providing jobs for other people.”
At the height of his success, he could expect around 450 to attend, and the venue would have been the Blue Haven Hotel about five minutes from town.
“The business has changed so much and what was once a thriving industry in this town is no more,” he said.
“Sure people are still making money but it has become harder and harder to make a living from the fish industry.”
He should know because the Fish Shop, which his son Michael set up in the town in 2019, closed last month.
“Our main problem was not being able to get fresh Irish fish,” he said.
“With the current economic climate, the ongoing increase in costs and the lack of supply of fish just made the business unsustainable.
“The huge cuts to the national fishing fleet’s quota has also had a huge impact.”
Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association general secretary Brendan Byrne believes that what happened to the Fish Shop is not just a sign of the times in Killybegs, but also elsewhere in Ireland.
“The closure is, I believe, representative of a national problem,” he said.
“Costs are going through the roof, quotas have been slashed, and the supply of fresh Irish fish has been hit as a result.
“Added to that, the regulatory regime that exists in Killybegs is really hitting the industry hard.
“It is, in effect, being regulated out of existence and costing the industry dear.”
He explained that as well as the loss of €60m by fewer fishing vessels landing in Killybegs, there is also lost income to the State. Each major landing of fish at a port like Killybegs is worth between €20,000 and €40,000 to the Irish State in fees, including port entry charges.
“But you have to understand that the butchers, the bakers, and other shops all make something when a ship comes into port,” he said.
“Then there are things like pallets from companies as far away as Creeslough, there are also the net makers, and other specialised craft workers.”
When Mick O’Donnell finally agrees to pose for a photograph in front of his shop, it is late in the evening.
Before he heads away into the twilight, he is asked if he ever imagined when he was stacking crates of fish into lorries that he would see the industry in the state it is now.
“In a word, no,” he says, shaking his head. “Back then, there was so much fish, we couldn’t handle it all.
“The difference in fortunes between now and back then is extraordinary.
“I do worry how much of a fishing industry we will have left in a few years’ time.”
Little wonder then that this year, he doesn’t expect to see more than 30 staff members at his company’s Christmas party, which will be held at the Bay View Hotel in the town.