Bernard Durkan
Question:244. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of persons that continue to be employed in the fishing industry. [49426/14]
View answerThursday, 18 December 2014
Questions (244)
Oral answers (1 contributions)
The seafood sector provides employment for approximately 11,000 people around the coast of Ireland. This comprises in the region of 4,980 full and part time fishermen, 1,760 fish farmers, 2,860 in seafood processing and 1,400 in a range of ancillary activity. Food Harvest 2020 has recognised the potential of the seafood sector to increase employment by 3,000 to 14,000 by 2020 , while Bord Iascaigh Mhara’s Strategy for the period 2013-2017 is targeting the creation of 1,200 jobs by 2017. My Department is presently working on development of a Seafood Development Programme for the period 2014-2020, co-funded by the new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. The Programme will invest €241 million in the seafood industry up to 2020 and will seek to maximise the contribution of the seafood sector to the economy and to further increase employment in coastal communities.