Fishermen have been threatened with eviction from the Port of Waterford which wants to sell off quay space for private development.
However, the Minister of State for the Marine, Mr John Browne, has urged the port authority to give fishermen some "breathing space" until a solution can be found.
Four brothers involved in fishing, who will be directly affected by the move, have offered the Port of Waterford €2 million to buy the quay space, because their vessels are too big to berth elsewhere.
The eviction notice affects 17 fishing vessels, mainly beam trawlers, employing up to 100 people.
The vessels, some from as far north as Greencastle, Co Donegal, use the North Wharf and Frank Cassin Wharf in the Port of Waterford.
Most of the port's operations have been transferred to Belview, and the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources says that a plan to develop the North Quays under city council guidelines has been in existence since the late 1990s.
Mr James O'Flaherty of Saltees Fish - one of four brothers involved in a company landing some €8 million of fish annually and paying €30,000 to €40,000 in harbour dues - said his company has offered to buy the wharf area from the port authority for €2 million.
"There's just not enough quay space in Kilmore Quay for the fleet, as most of these boats are 30 to 40 metres long."
"We had proposed that the Department buy Frank Cassin Wharf and develop a separate entrance, pending provision of a new harbour for fishing vessels. However, if this isn't feasible, we are prepared to put up the money ourselves and run it on behalf of the whole fleet."
"It costs about €28,000 a month to service that quay space, and so our offer represents a very serious commitment," Mr O'Flaherty says.
The Port of Waterford was unavailable for comment yesterday, but Mr Browne, representing the port's major shareholder, said that he appreciated that the fleet faced major problems.
The Minister said he had asked his Department "to engage constructively with the fleet owners and the port of Waterford to identify other approaches, including providing for the fleet downstream at Belview".
