As the dispute over the inspection of fish landings continues, the Marine Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has invited industry representatives to a virtual meeting on the matter.

The chief executive of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association (IFPEA), Brendan Byrne, has confirmed that an invitation to an online meeting today (April 13) has been issued by the SFPA.

“However, there is no agenda – so I can’t say if this is an effort to resolve the issue,” Byrne said.

The row erupted after the Danish vessel Ruth returned to Denmark instead of landing some 1,200 tonnes of blue whiting for human consumption at Killybegs, Co Donegal, on March 31.

The SFPA had ordered that the catch be landed on a weighbridge instead of a dock system.

Since then, several Norwegian ships have opted to land in Derry across the border, rather than Killybegs – then truck catch to south Donegal, while four other ships have abandoned attempts to land in port, Byrne said.

“Three Irish vessels had to put their catches of blue whiting, intended for human consumption, in fishmeal,” Byrne said.

He said it was ‘bizarre’ and ‘defied all sense of proportion’ and said up to 300 workers had been affected over a three-week period.

A five-day membership survey by IFPEA found that 1,773 working days had been lost for seasonal workers and 239 households directly affected.

He said South West Donegal’s economy had suffered a ‘hard hit’ due to changes to weighing procedures which he said were ‘adopted overnight by the SFPA’ in early March.

A stormy three-hour meeting took place over the issue in Killybegs on April 9, attended by Navy Secretary Charlie McConalogue.

On the eve of the Killybegs meeting, the SFPA issued a statement stating that under the Interim Fisheries Control Plan, as approved by the European Commission, only 5% of bulk landings of pelagic fish – approximately 30 landings per year – are subject to a full inspection including monitoring of the weighing before transporting the catches.

“The remaining 95% of bulk landings of pelagic fish – around 570 landings a year – are eligible for exemption from weighing fish products after transport to Ireland secured under the Interim Fisheries Control Scheme” , said the SFPA.

“Several pelagic bulk carriers which docked in Killybegs harbor last week [ early April] took advantage of this exemption,” he said.

The SFPA said that to meet the requirements of the interim plan, operators can select one of two options to perform this weighing before transport.

“To preserve the quality of the catch, the fish are in the water when weighed in both options. For absolute clarity, there is no requirement either way for the fish to be dry weighed,” he said.

The SFPA said captains and vessel operators at Killybegs can take advantage of an industry-owned dock device to separate water from fish as it exits the vessel before discharging it directly into a tanker pre – filled with water which is then weighed on the weighbridge (Water in Tare).

Alternatively, the fish could be weighed on the weighbridge without using the industry-owned dock device (Water in Nett Weight), but this brought a “greater challenge”.

The SFPA said it was one of two options available to the captain and operator of the Norwegian vessel MFV Ingrid Majala in Killybegs.

“Having rejected this option at Killybegs, MFV Captain and Operator Ingrid Majala elected to use this option after sailing to Derry to unload,” he said.