Republican News · Thursday 9 January 2003

Courage under fire

A Chairde,

May I recommend as Person of 2002 23-year-old Caoimhe Butterly, who was shot by an Israeli Army sniper as she saved the life of a nine-year-old Palestinian boy, who had been shot and seriously injured by Israeli soldiers in Jenin in occupied Palestine. The little boy, who was already disabled before being wounded, is now paralysed from the waist down, but, at least, thanks to the incredible courage of Caoimhe, is still alive.

At a time when rampant consumerism and greed is being encouraged, it is heartening to see the selfless idealism of Caoimhe and her colleague, Mary Kelly, who have made me proud to be Irish. Could I suggest that, rather than the usual overpaid businessman or footballer, that Caoimhe's contribution be recognised by the award of an honorary degree by one of our universities?

Sean Marlow.
Dublin 11

opinion and warning

A Chairde,

I was reading the articles about the terrible betrayal of the local Irish fishermen regarding the sellout of Irish rights to fish and conduct sustainable commercial fishing operations in thier own home waters. Devastating results will occur if other countries are allowed in. This must not be allowed to happen. If the State does not support and protect the Irish block and its local stakeholders, the same thing will happen there as everywhere else. The big factory boats will come in and destroy the local fisheries, cash in and leave to go elsewhere.

Ireland should protect first its Local Small Vessel Family Operated fishing industry above all else. These people know the most about the area they live in, and the fish and ecology changes that occur there. The big money and political interests will try to gobble up more and more fishing territorial waters because of the lack of fish in other areas due to poor fisheries management, pollution & greed. These are always the things that destroy a fishery.

Ireland must protect its fisheries at all costs. Keep the fishermen at home working and feed home folks first. What happens when the land is all gone for farming, and the other areas are full of pollutants like Dioxins (in the Herring) in the Baltic, and Pcbs and Mercury in other coastal regions due to heavy industry? Ireland must protect its fisheries for the local population first, let the other countries that have mindlessly and greedily exploited its fisheries resources pay the price for their own actions.

I think the word to use should be: Accountability & Responsibility. It is not right to devastate your own fisheries and go somewhere else because you overfished or polluted your own backyard. Keep the large boats out, keep the people at the local level working, feed your own country. I have seen this here in America with the big money business influence, the greed, and it has had a devastating effect on our local fishery. America no longer has the land it once had. All of its farmland is being turned into residential housing, and the shores were, and in some places still are heavily polluted by the big business processes.

What will happen when there's not enough pastureland for beef, sheep, chicken and hog production? As always, people turn to the sea. That's why and how the Irish and others came here. No affordable land or room, no food, no clean water. To which sea or ocean are we going to turn to next in these times? It's time to stop running and realise that the grass is not greener over the fence. I can't imagine Ireland thinking that thought. Protect your own fisheries. Promote the small vessel commercial fisheries. I think if TACs (Total Allowable Catch) or individual quotas are implemented with fairness and honesty - with a view to saving the fish for sustainable harvest - not promoting a certain agenda, that there should always be healthy fish in the area.

The fish must come first. It's time to stand up and do the right thing. Irish fish for Irish people first. If you can harvest extra without damaging your fisheries sustainability, then do so cautiously. Just like an oat field - you can only harvest so many bushels an acre. The lakes, bays and ocean are no different.

Mark John Howard,
Commercial Fisherman,
Minnesota,
USA