Safety equipment grants for 56 sea angling vessels have been approved by the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods, under a new initiative.
Some £280,000 is to be invested in equipment such as emergency positioning beacons (EPIRBs), radio telephones, distress flares, smoke floats, fire extinguishers, lifejackets and lifebuoys and navigators.
Of the vessels approved for grant aid, 17 are in Co Cork, 13 in Kerry, five each in Donegal and Mayo, three each in Dublin, Wexford and Galway, two each in Waterford and Sligo and one each in Clare, Louth and Wicklow.
Further information can be obtained from An Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) or the Central Fisheries Board.