Irish fishing crews are planning to peacefully disrupt the planned Russian military exercise off the Cork coast next month, as RTÉ News reports.
Patrick Murphy, chief executive of the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation, said he told an official at the Russian Embassy that Irish crews “will be fishing in our traditional fishing areas and if this has an impact on their exercise this would be considered a peaceful protest”.
As previously reported on Afloat.ie, concerns have been raised over the Russian missile tests that are being planned for international waters in the Atlantic some 240km off Co Cork but within Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland this morning (Tuesday 25 January), Murphy added that the waters in question represent “a very important ground where fish come to spawn” and among other concerns noted the risk to fishing gear posed by any submarines that might accompany the Russian fleet.
“We should be entitled to go fishing there, and if we’re fishing there then these boats, these warships shouldn’t be having war games,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) says it has written to Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney to express concern over the potential impact of the significant military exercise by the Russian navy and air force on marine wildlife in the area.
“Military exercises, especially the use of active sonar, are known to have a potentially huge impact on marine mammals, especially deep-diving species,” the group says.
“We are especially concerned as the slopes off the southwest including Goban Spur/Whittard Canyon are known to be important habitats for a range of deep-diving species” such as sperm whale, fin whales and Cuvier’s beaked whales, it adds.
