Waterford Sinn Féin Councillor Pat Fitzgerald says that the impact of a No-Deal Brexit could have major consequences for the Irish fishing industry.

Should the British Leave the customs union, and the ‘London Fisheries Convention’, EU countries would no longer be allowed to fish in the 6-12 nautical mile zone off the UK coast.

Councillor Fitzgerald says this would be disastrous for fishermen in Waterford and the South East.

“We share a lucrative fishing ground called The Smalls,” he says, “we’ve been operating there for years. Probably 20 or 30% of the fish landed in Dunmore East over the last 30 years comes from The Smalls.”

He says that if that territory is lost to the UK, it would mean that European vessels “may move to our (Ireland’s) sector.”

He says that as a member of the European Union, Ireland cannot negotiate directly with the UK.

“The Irish government would be better off trying to negotiate with Britain on it’s own, but unfortunately we are involved in the 27 European states,” he says. “Does the other 26 understand our fihery? Do they care? They haven’t treated the Irish industry with the respect it deserves.”

“Fishing villages around the coast – that depend on fishing – are desolate.”