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DAERA Minister Andrew Muir visited Kilkeel and Ardglass harbours last week to see for himself the challenges facing the fishing industry. The Minister met with groups from both harbours that are calling for infrastructure improvements and discussed wider development opportunities for the fishing and seafood sector.
Minister Muir said: “I met with the Kilkeel Collaborative Network today and was very impressed by their vision and goals. On a tour of the harbour it was great to see the range of businesses that make up the local fishing and seafood sector and it was very interesting to see prawns being processed by SeaSource and the steps that are taken to prepare high-quality seafood for market."
Also during his Kilkeel visit the Minister took in a site meeting to see local cliff erosion. Minister Muir added “I recognise the need for a collaborative approach to coastal erosion risk management and I intend to discuss this issue with the Infrastructure Minister.”
Minister Muir also met with the Ardglass Harbour Development group and they set out very clearly the development needs for Ardglass with the impact of UK Government migration policies on the industry raised at both Ardglass and Kilkeel.
The Minster concluded: “Both Ardglass and Kilkeel play an integral role in supporting our local fishing industry, the economy, our rural and coastal communities and securing food on our tables. Our fishing industry has faced several challenges in recent years, and I appreciate the opportunity to hear first-hand the impact of these challenges on our fishing and seafood sectors.
“I recognise the importance of providing support to the fishing industry to allow the sector to deliver change. I look forward to engaging and working in partnership with our local fishing and seafood industry, now and into the future, to explore options for fleet modernisation, sustainability and achieving net zero targets."
