Minister of State Dooley welcomes positive engagement with Seafood Sector Representative Groups
- Published on: 25 February 2025
- Last updated on: 27 February 2025
Minister of State with responsibility for Fisheries, Timmy Dooley, today held his first meeting with seafood sector groups. The meeting brought together representatives from the catching, aquaculture and processing sectors and the co-operatives.
The organisations at the meeting were the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation, the Irish Fish Producers Organisation, the Irish South and East Fish Producers Organisation, the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation, the National Inshore Fisherman’s Association, the National Inshore Fisheries Forum, IFA Aquaculture, Co-operative representatives, the Irish Islands Marine Resource Organisation and the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association.
Minister of State Dooley welcomed the opportunity to hear industry concerns first hand and also highlighted the government’s objectives for supporting the seafood sector and coastal communities: >“The re-establishment of a dedicated Minister of State for Fisheries and Marine issues reflects the government's focus on the importance of our marine sector and the coastal communities who depend on it.”
The Minister added:
“The new Programme for Government provides the policy framework for the sustainable development of our marine sector and I will be working closely with colleagues in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications on cross-governmental issues.”
Commenting on the meeting, the Minister said:
“I thank industry representatives for today’s productive and informative meeting. I look forward to continuing this positive engagement so that, together, we can identify solutions and opportunities and build a sustainable future for our seafood sector and coastal communities.”