#MCIB - Protocols for SAR helicopter rescues and the use of emergency portable pumps should be included in safety training for fishing vessels.

Those were among the recommendations from the Marine Casualty Investigation Board's (MCIB) report on the sinking of the trawler Iúda Naofa off Scotland a year ago.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the Aran Islands registered trawler sank suddenly off the Outer Hebrides on 20 January 2015 after it began taking on water.

The boat's five crew were rescued immediately by an accompanying vessel and the UK coastguard, and none required medical attention, according to the MCIB.

But the board's report into the incident highlighted the lack of knowhow regarding hi-line protocols for helicopter operations among the crew, with only one fisherman on board having any prior knowledge.

As a result the crew were unable to release the emergency pump dropped from the helicopter from its standard clasp, nor determine how to operate it despite the instructions being included – though in this particular situation the flooding was too great for the pump to be of use.

The MCIB was unable to determine the cause of the water ingress without physical evidence from the trawler, which could not be recovered.

It was noted that the vessel had adequate stability for normal working conditions, and that the crew made every effort to save the vessel – but were hampered by flooding in the compartment with the pumps and generators, which rendered them useless.

Also noted was that the while the crew were not all wearing lifejackets or fully zipped up in survival suits, after expressing difficulty working on rescuing their boat with them on, they evacuated the vessel without panic and looked after each other.

The release of the report coincides with a new campaign by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) to encourage all in the fishing industry to wear personal flotation devices – or PFDs – where appropriate, according to The Irish Times.

BIM's statistics show that more than half of all fishermen in Ireland do not wear a lifejacket or PFD while at sea, despite the availability of free safety gear on subsidised training courses.

It's also despite 36% of fishermen reporting that the know of a colleague who has died at sea.

The Irish Times has much more on the story HERE.

#RNLI - Dunmore East RNLI launched on Friday (8 January) to assist a 50ft fishing vessel with five people on board.

The vessel suffered engine failure eight miles from Dunmore East Harbour.

Just before 5pm the volunteer lifeboat crew at Dunmore East RNLI launched their all-weather lifeboat at the request of the Irish Coast.

Some 15 minutes later, the Trent Class lifeboat Elizabeth and Ronald arrived on scene and the casualty vessel was then towed into the safety of Dunmore East Harbour, just after 7pm.

Speaking following the callout, Dunmore East RNLI coxswain Paulie Daniels said: "Our crew responded very quickly to the pagers and thankfully it turned out to be a very straight forward tow.

"Conditions were tough with rain throughout and wind and sea freshening."

#MarineWildlife - The killer whale found beached on a Scottish island last weekend likely died after getting entangled in fishing gear for days, say experts.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the orca known as Lulu to researchers, who have been tracking her unique pod since the early 1990s, was discovered on the island of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides last Sunday 3 January.

Lulu's "evolutionary significant" group has been under threat for years due to the absence of calves among its number since scientists began monitoring them around the Scottish and north Irish coasts.

But according to The Press and Journal, Lulu's death was not down to natural causes – with a post-mortem report from experts at the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme claiming "convincing evidence that she had become chronically entangled" in fishing gear, with deep wounds consistent with a rope wrapping around her tail.

“There were no ropes or gear left on the carcass," said the scientists in a statement. "We’re assuming all this from the lesions we found on her body, so we don’t know if this was due to active fishing gear, abandoned or ‘ghost’ gear, or other marine debris."

The Press and Journal has much more on the story HERE.

#RNLI - Kilmore Quay RNLI assisted four fishermen to safety in the early hours of this morning (Friday 8 January) after they feared their vessel was in danger from taking on water.

The volunteer crew was requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat at 11.10pm last night following a Mayday call that a 13m steel fishing trawler was taking on water at Baginbun to the east of Hook Head in Co Wexford.

The four crew onboard were fishing for herring when they got into difficulty and raised the alarm. Weather conditions at the time were challenging, with a Force 8 fresh gale, a rough sea and driving rain.

The all-weather lifeboat, under coxswain Eugene Kehoe and with six crew on board, launched within minutes and made its way to the scene around 8.5 nautical miles from Kilmore Quay.

Once on scene, the lifeboat crew observed that the vessel wasn’t taking on water but that in the challenging weather conditions, some of the pound boards used to keep the fish from moving freely, had given way.

This caused a substantial amount of herring to move towards the stern of the vessel, forcing it down so that the deck level ended up in the water.

The lifeboat crew assessed the situation and contemplated transferring the fishermen onto the lifeboat. However, a decision was made to closely monitor the situation with the lifeboat moving to the weather side of the vessel to create a lee and provide shelter to the vessel before escorting it to Kilmore Quay.

The Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 was also on scene providing essential light overhead to guide the vessel into the harbour at Kilmore Quay.

Speaking following the callout, Kilmore Quay RNLI mechanic Brian Kehoe said: "The fishermen rightly raised the alarm when they got into trouble and, taking our advice, they made a good decision given the weather conditions, to change their passage, turn around and head for Kilmore Quay with our escort.

"This was a slow process which took just over two hours in severe weather conditions but thankfully everyone was returned safely to shore."

#Claddagh - The Irish Post has a revealing look at one of Ireland's most unique communities – the people of the Claddagh.

Today very much part of a vibrant Galway, the Claddagh was once very distinct from the city just across the mouth of the Corrib.

Indeed, there's much more to the area and its history than the famous Claddagh Ring.

Comparable to communities like the Amish in the United States, the Claddagh people were once easily distinguished by their anachronistic style of dress – and their devotion to the fishing industry.

Lace-making and net-making were once ubiquitous skills in an area where all boys grew up to be fishermen, though that was long ago.

However, there has been a revival of old traditions such as the recent Galway hooker boatbuilding project.

And it's a unique history that deserves to be celebrated with its own maritime museum, says one local historian, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

The Irish Post has much more on the story HERE.

#Inspections - Over the last year, more than 2,745 inspections of boats were carried out, the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) said, with 10 vessels detained by the Navy for breaching rules.

The Belfast Telegraph writes that the agency said infringements at sea ranged from the under recording of catches to having incorrect equipment on board.

Susan Steele, SFPA chairwoman, said: "The SFPA is committed to playing its part in ensuring a strong future for the Irish fishing industry through the detection of all illegal fishing.

"This year, with the support of the Naval Service, we prioritised the implementation of the new landing obligation, which effectively bans the discarding of fish overboard and was introduced for pelagic fisheries in 2015.

"The generally low level of non-compliance reflects the genuine effort on the part of many fishermen to comply with the regulations." 

For more on the story, click here.

#MarineNotice - The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that a Marine Institute monkfish and megrim trawl survey will be carried out off the west and southwest coasts of Ireland between 4 and 24 January 2016.

The survey consists of a maximum of 70 fishing stations of one-hour duration each in ICES (International Council for Exploration of the Sea) areas VIIb, c,g, h,j.

Approximate positions for these hauls are given in Figure 1 and Table 1 included in Marine Notice No 52 of 2015, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

Bottom trawling will take place within a 3-nautical0mile radius of these locations.

The survey will be conducted by the RV Celtic Explorer (Callsign: EIGB). The vessel will display all appropriate lights and signal during the survey and will also be listening on VHF Channel 16.

She will be towing a commercial monkfish demersal trawl during fishing operations. The Marine Institute would request commercial fishermen to keep a 3-nautical-mile area around the tow points clear of all commercial gear during the period.

While there is no statutory provision for the loss of fishing gear, the Marine Institute will make every effort to avoid gear adequately marked according to legislation (Articles 9-17 of EU Regulation 404-2011) that may have drifted into the notified areas.

In the event that a fisherman has static gear or other obstructions within 3 nautical miles of the points listed above, it is the responsibility of the owner to notify the survey managers or vessel directly via the following contacts:

• Aodhan Fitzgerald, Marine Institute: 087 248 8765
• Hans Gerritsen: [email protected]

#WestCork - The body of a Spanish fisherman has been found by his son in Castletownbere Harbour in West Cork after an incident yesterday evening (Tuesday 23 December).

As The Irish Times reports, it's believed the man, who was in his late 50s, may have slipped and fallen into the water while returning to his trawler some time after 7pm. More on this story HERE.

#Fishing - The world's oceans will "be left with nothing but jellyfish" unless concrete action is taken to keep fishing quotas in line with scientific recommendations, as Donegal Now reports.

The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) issued its warning after Ireland secured nearly 37,000 tonnes of whitefish quotas for the Irish fishing fleet – an overall 10% increase on last year – on Wednesday 16 December after difficult EU fisheries negotiations.

As reported earlier this week on Afloat.ie, the biggest increases are in horse mackerel, which saw a 48% increase for the North and West fleets, and Irish Sea haddock, whose quota has gone up by 40%.

The single biggest regional whitefish quota increase was 20% for boats fishing out of the North West ports of Greencastle and Killybegs.

But the IWT argues that such quotas have been repeatedly set higher than scientists' recommendations, resulting in severe declines in major species such as cod.

Donegal Now has more on the story HERE.

#MCIB - A large boulder snagged in its dredge net caused a razor clam boat to capsize in Rosslare Harbour earlier this year, in an incident judged to have been "predictable" by investigators.

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) has released its report into the incident on the FV Qui Vadis on 11 February, from which three fishermen were rescued by the quick action of the local lifeboat station and other fishing vessels in the area, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

It was found that the boat was rolled over by a swell after it was already destabilised by the presence of a 750kg boulder in its net – with the MCIB report adding that this type of dredge fishing carries a "high risk" of fouling gear or picking up heavy objects.

The skipper and two crew were swiftly rescued, but it was noted that none was wearing a personal flotation device as required by fishing vessel regulations.

Further analysis by the MCIB determined that the lack of protection bars at the dredge mouth allowed the large boulder to enter the net, and the lack of restriction on the power of the winch allowed the vessel to lift the boulder to the point where it was dangerously unstable.

The MCIB also noted that while the vessel passed the roll test on its most recent inspection months before, that test "does not give sufficient information on a vessel’s stability" and that "only a full inclining test can establish a vessels dynamic stability".

The MCIB's full report is available to download below. The incident is not to be confused with that relating to a motor yacht with the same name also investigated by the MCIB in 2011.