THE Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation (KFO) has called for a code of practice to be drawn up by the offshore oil industry, following gear damage sustained by two Donegal boats off the Mayo coast.
The incident, which is being investigated by the Department of the Marine, could have been much worse if the weather had been bad, the KFO chief executive, Mr Joey Murrin said.
The owners of the two white fish vessels, the Kelly J and Marie Dawn are seeking compensation for four torn nets and lost fishing time when one of the boats became entangled in a heavy hawser, the thick wire rope used to secure large vessels.
Mr Murrin told The Irish Times there was "no doubt" that the 45mm hawser came from an oil drilling rig, or one of its supply vessels, as there was clear evidence that it had been cut professionally or discarded.
The Kelly J was fishing within three miles of the rig Petrolia, attached to the British exploration company, Enterprise Oil, at the time. It took the skipper and crew 24 hours to try and clear the hawser and take it aboard, in what was a very dangerous" situation.
The Marie Dawn, which was also fishing in the same area - cited as 54 degrees 17.24 North and 11 degrees 07.79 West - damaged four nets over a 48 hour period, Mr Murrin said. No "fasteners" or obstacles had been recorded in this area before, and both vessels were clear of the two mile safety zone, about which they had been notified.
An Enterprise Oil spokesman told The Irish Times there was no evidence that the incident related to its operations. Its Irish office had received a complaint, and this was being investigated, he said. Enterprise Oil is one of the largest acreage holders for exploration off the west coast. The Petrolia, which is drilling in the Slyne trough, was used in the BBC television series, Roughnecks.
The cost of the lost fishing nets was estimated at £2,000, while the Kelly J is seeking £5,000 compensation for lost fishing time, he said. The claims have been lodged with the petroleum affairs division of the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications, and the Department of the Marine has been asked to investigate the circumstances.
Mr Murrin said the Irish Fishermen's Federation (IFF) would be seeking a meeting with the Minister for the Marine, Mr Barrett, on the possibility of further conflict between oil exploration and fishing interests off the west coast.
A code of practice had been drawn up to avoid such conflicts in the North Sea, and this should be applied here, he said. Before this, there had been reports of debris from rigs, which had been sighted as far inshore as the Stags of Broadhaven, he said.
