The Mayor of Kerry has written to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine about the overturning of a ban on pair trawling.
Cllr Patrick O'Connor Scarteen says he was deeply saddened by a recent High Court ruling which overturned a ban of vessels over 18 metres fishing within six miles of the coast.
The Fine Gael Councillor claims the original ban, brought in in 2019 by the then-Minister Michael Creed, effectively banned pair trawling within that six-mile limit.
Cllr O'Connor-Scarteen says pair trawling causes destruction on the overall marine environment, as the spat that it catches are a key stone of the ecosystem.
He added small scale fishermen, environmentalists, and local residents have great concerns, and urgent action is needed.
Cllr O'Connor Scarteen has asked Minister Charlie McConalogue what the Department will do to protect the marine environment and ensure the practice of pair trawling is banned.
