Finnegan calls for long-term local fishing support
Sinn Féin MLA Aoife Finnegan has welcomed the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs' £3.25 million Marine Environment and Fisheries Fund announcement.
Emphasising the need for more to be done, the party’s spokesperson for the environment said: “This support fund is a welcome step for local fishing, but it must go further and be part of a long-term commitment to sustainability, jobs and rural communities.
“Investment in safer fishing and green growth is vital but stability is needed beyond this one-year promise.
“Sinn Féin will keep pressing for long-term funding that delivers for our coastal communities and fishing families. That's why we're also pressing the British government to clarify what funding will be provided for our local fisheries as part of its £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, announced back in May.
“And I reiterate calls from my party for a crisis support fund to secure the tradition of commercial eel fishing and the livelihoods of those who depend on it.”