Appeal to minister on fishing funding

Appeal to minister on fishing funding

5 February 2025

A STORMONT minister has been asked to confirm if a multi-million pound programme designed to boost the Co Down fishing industry has been scrapped.

The Fisheries and Seafood Development Programme (FSDP) was unveiled in 2023 and included a £45m investment proposal to upgrade Ardglass harbour, but the scheme has not yet progressed which is concerning South Down MLA Colin McGrath.

The programme was published as part of a strategic review of the opportunities for developing the sea fishing and seafood sectors across the province, including the potential role of new public investment in infrastructure.

It highlighted the need for investment with the planned Ardglass spend earmarked to help maximise the port’s future opportunities.

Recommendations included enhancing capacity at the harbour to provide security for fishing and processing businesses, investment in more modern fuel efficient vessels with low emissions and better facilities for crews, further reducing the environmental impact of the fleet.

A report on the way forward confirmed a survey of the harbour walls revealed some repairs may be required, but their condition would not prevent the deepening of the harbour — to nine metres below the waterline — if they are stabilised and protected from undermining prior to dredging operations.

The water depth and quayside length prevents larger fishing vessels from landing at Ardglass with tankers transporting fish landed in Belfast to the village for processing.

This week, Mr McGrath has urged Stormont Fisheries Minister Andrew Muir to be “up front” about his support for the local fishing industry.

He recently wrote to Mr Muir to ask if he had submitted a £1.2m bid required to progress the appointment of integrated consultant teams for the Ardglass and Kilkeel harbour projects.

Mr McGrath said the money would also finance the necessary environmental and technical studies, as part of the Fisheries and Seafood Development Programme.

He said Mr Muir informed him last August that while costs for the FSDP had increased “officials are continuing to explore opportunities to obtain the necessary budget through in-year monitoring processes.”

Mr McGrath said Mr Muir “would provide further updates in due course” and revealed that during an Assembly debate in November, he pressed the fisheries minister on this particular point but did not receive a reply.

“I have now been told via a written response that no bids were submitted for the in-year monitoring rounds and it looks very much like the FSDP, as it was presented, has now been all but scrapped,” he said.

“Therefore, additional questions have been put to Minister Muir on this to ask if the programme is scrapped, but also, why he failed to answer questions over what bids were made in the Assembly debate.”

Mr McGrath said he was also tabling questions over what money had been spent progressing the FSDP to date.

He added: “If this is public money, then it beggars belief that it would be spent, only for the programme to fall.”