BIM chairman embarks on voyage of renewal

MARK FitzGerald got the phone call on June 5th. Mr Barrett, the Minister for the Marine, was looking for a new chairman for Bord Iascaigh Mhara, the Irish Sea Fisheries Board. Did he want the job?

The managing director of estate gents Sherry FitzGerald had to make up his mind more or less instantly. So, just over a week later he began his first foray into public service with the State agency which has, an annual budget of £18.5 million, and responsibility for developing Ireland's beleaguered fishing industry.

In the almost five months since then, the son of the former Taoiseach, Mr Garrett FitzGerald, has read extensively on the subject and travelled with his wife Dervil around Ireland's coast talking to fishermen, co ops, fish farmers and exporters, as well as those in the tourist industry.

Meeting people in the industry "on the ground" has given him plenty of ideas and a number of specific targets for his three year tenure, although he is cautious about what he can achieve. First, there is a new chief executive to be appointed and an announcement is expected within three weeks.

Mr FitzGerald believes "the fishing industry's time has come" and that there is great potential for development. One of his priorities is to raise BIM's profile. "I think a lot of people see BIM as a fish cookery competition and calendars organisation."

The cookery competition has been running for 34 years and this year, as part of attempts to raise BIM's profile, they have enlisted Ireland's Olympic champion Ms Michelle Smith as a judge on the competition.

Mr FitzGerald is interested in direct marketing and the board's marketing development manager, Ms Patricia Slevin, has been involved in a pan European project for television ads and fishery booklets to promote fish across the EU.

Ireland's per capita consumption of fish is one of the lowest in Europe at 8.5 kilos a year compared to nine kilos in Britain, 20 kilos in Spain and 25 kilos in Norway. "Our plan is to raise consumption by 0.2 kilos a year until 1999," says Ms Slevin. "To get to 10 kilos would be great psychologically," Mr FitzGerald says.

After that BIM needs to deal with the plan announced two years ago by the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, and the then Minister for the Marine, Mr Hugh Coveney, to bring BIM's marketing and development under the umbrella of Bord Bia, the food board.

Mr Mark FitzGerald declined to say what, if any, arrangement should be made, only that it must be dealth with.

Industry sources, however, expressed relief that the plan did not come into effect.

Safety and training is another major priority for the chairman, as well as reducing the age of the fishing fleet, which would cut the number of accidents.

He is interested in adding value to the product. "The biggest added value would be in the area of tourism. One of Ireland's biggest attractions in the quality of its fish," he says, adding that the numbers of tourists who want to eat fish is increasing all the time.

Mr FitzGerald needs ideas for an industry threatened by EU demands for cuts in the fleet and competition from all sides on price and supply. Although Ireland has 16 per cent of EU waters, it has just 5 per cent of the fish quotas and 2.5 per cent of the EU fleet. And while Irish waters serve up over £1 billion in fish to the EU, Ireland's share is just £125 million.

However, with "added value" through processing and a £50 million aquaculture sector, Ireland's total income is £213 million.

Recently, the BIM chairman joined three Irish aquaculture companies - Bantry Bay Mussels, Fastnet Mussels and Carrokeel - at SIAL 96, the second largest food and drinks exhibition in the world to sell their product.

Between them they have a turnover of over £10 million and supply virtually every supermarket chain in Ireland and Britain, as well as a number in France and other European countries.

Coming from a political background, Mr FitzGerald is well aware of the "cultural differences" between the private and public sectors and the speed with which things are done. He stresses the value of the work BIM does. "I would say that, wouldn't I, but it is true, I'm really impressed with the people in BIM."