Minister Dooley welcomes seafood sector engagement with EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans in Castletownbere
- Foilsithe: 23 Bealtaine 2025
- An t-eolas is déanaí: 23 Bealtaine 2025
Minister of State for Fisheries and the Marine, Timmy Dooley, today travels to Castletownbere Fishery Harbour Centre where together with Costas Kadís European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, he will engage with Irish seafood sector representatives.
Speaking ahead of the event, Minister Dooley said:
“On the occasion of European Maritime Day 2025, I warmly welcome Commissioner Kadís to Cork and Castletownbere, and I thank him for taking time out of his busy European Maritime Day schedule to meet with Irish seafood sector representatives.”
The meeting will bring together representatives from the catching, aquaculture and processing sectors and the co-operatives, along with Members of the European Parliament and locally elected representatives.
Minister Dooley welcomed the opportunity for the Irish seafood sector to engage directly with Commissioner Kadís:
“The presence of Commissioner Kadís in Castletownbere today reflects the Commission’s understanding of the challenges facing the Irish seafood sector. Indeed, I welcome the outcomes of the recent EU-UK negotiations by the Commission which has secured extended reciprocal access for EU and UK vessels to fish in each other’s waters – this outcome is hugely important for the sector.”
European Maritime Day 2025, hosted by Cork City Council, and co-organised by the Council, the Government of Ireland and the European Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, brings together ocean leaders, policy makers, scientists and industry as well as the general public.
Commenting on the department’s contribution to the success of European Maritime Day, Minister Dooley said:
“Throughout European Maritime Day 2025 the department and its Agencies will proudly provide a strong presence, showcasing their contribution to supporting Ireland’s seafood and marine sectors, and more broadly the Blue Economy. I encourage everyone to come to Cork this Saturday and to take the opportunity afforded by European Maritime Day to visit state of the art facilities such as the RV Tom Crean, as well as the Aquaculture Remote Classroom which are being exhibited by the department’s agencies.”
Concluding, Minister Dooley said:
“European Maritime Day is an opportunity for all of us who are concerned with ensuring the sustainability of our seas and oceans to come together, to collaborate and to engage with one another. More importantly it affords the visiting public and our coastal communities an opportunity to experience first-hand the significant impact made by the department and its agencies in securing a sustainable future for Ireland’s seafood and marine sectors.”
Notes
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine involvement at European Maritime Day:
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is located at the European Maritime, Aquaculture and Fisheries (EMFAF) Stand No. 21 and will enable visitors to broaden their understanding of the considerable investments made by Ireland’s €258 million Seafood Development Programme, co-funded under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) and the Government of Ireland.
The Programme, which is overseen by the department as Managing Authority, provides support to the seafood sector to strengthen its resilience through environmentally sustainable and climate smart actions, as well as supports its green transition and digitalisation.
Since 2024, EMFAF grant aid payments of over €12 million have been made in respect of approved and completed projects, with over €3.7 million of these payments directly related to projects taking place in Cork.
Many schemes delivered under the Programme are implemented by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), who will be present at Stand No. 20, and who will share insights about the direct positive impacts of EMFAF investments on the Irish seafood sector. Visitors will also be welcomed on board BIM’s Aquaculture Remote Classroom - BIM - The ARC - an interactive experience, designed to raise young people’s awareness of the sustainability of farmed seafood in Ireland. BIM will also host live cooking demonstrations using local Irish sustainable seafood at its BIM - Taste the Atlantic - a seafood journey experience.
The Marine Institute at Stand No. 24 will showcase the range of cutting-edge national and international projects on which the Institute collaborates. The Institute’s ‘Wild Atlantic Expo’ also hosts a range of interactive displays on marine biodiversity, shipwrecks, sharks and deep-sea habitats and will enable the public to explore Ireland’s marine biodiversity and the ways in which the Institute supports sustainable marine resource management. It will demonstrate the ways in which society and science can connect to support a sustainable Blue Economy. For the first time, the Tom Crean | Marine Institute research vessel will open its doors to visitors, offering the public an opportunity to learn about its critical role in advancing ocean research.