Coronavirus: Lough Neagh fishermen support scheme criticised

A decision to introduce the scheme for Lough Neagh fishermen was taken six months after it was first talked about, a Stormont committee heard

There has been criticism over the delay in implementing a £300,000 Covid-19 support scheme for Lough Neagh fishermen.

A decision to introduce the scheme was taken six months after it was first talked about, a Stormont committee heard.

The SDLP's Patsy McGlone said he was contacted by "extremely frustrated" fishermen who had no income last year.

Officials accepted that the development of the scheme had been "tortuous".

They said it had been difficult to agree eligibility criteria and it had required legal advice.

At the committee, Assembly members heard that in order to be eligible boats would have to show that they had been tied up during the fishing season.

Around 200 fishermen work the lough, mainly fishing for eels, but also for species like Dollaghan and some coarse fish.

Around 200 fishermen work the lough, mainly fishing for eels

Most of the eel catch is sent to the Netherlands which would have been subject to lockdown and therefore affecting markets.

Officials told MLAs that Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots had agreed to proceed with the scheme pending approvals from the Department of Finance.

The money will come from the EU's European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and is expected to total £336,000.

Stormont's agriculture committee also discussed trade restrictions affecting the eel fishery due to Brexit.

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Fishermen can no longer send 20% of their catch to London, because eels are an endangered species and their trade is highly regulated.

It has also stopped the importation of juvenile eels from Britain traditionally used to restock the lough.

The European Union bans the sale of eels outside of the EU and because Northern Ireland applies the protocol it also must abide by those rules.

Officials said work was ongoing to address the issue, but it could be the end of 2021 before the EU would look at the issue again.