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Row over weighing system of SFPA

More than 1,000 tonnes of high-quality blue whiting were rendered unfit for human consumption in Killybegs, County Donega, because of the weighing system used by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA), according to the Irish Fish Processers and Exporters Association (IFPEA). The 'Lauren' returned after her maiden voyage to her home port of Killybegs on April 10, 2022, and was subjected to a "full monitor" or control weighing by the SFPA. This rendered the fish unsuitable for food products and left over 50 seasonal workers without work in a local processing plant. The SFPA had introduced a controversial change to fish weighing procedures on March 7. The new regime forces the draining of refrigerated sea water from the fish storage tanks, and this dewatering breaks the cold chain and results in the fish being compressed during transport and made unfit for human consumption. The ongoing row over the weighing regime has seen a number of vessels leave Killybegs with their catch rather than comply with the weighing system, which skippers and processors say would damage their catch. In one case, a Norwegian vessel landed its catch of blue whiting in Derry instead of Killybegs and the fish was transported by road from there to the processing plant in Killybegs.