Super trawler off Donegal a mystery no AIS for two days

News from the Celtic League:

Having established that the world’s largest trawler the Annelies Ilena was operating west of the Faroe Islands near an MPA we decided to check the whereabouts of another brute of the sea the Margiris:

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1177850342263725&id=805941286121301&substory_index=0

We eventually located the vessel to the west of Donegal two days ago - not sure what she’s fishing for but there is a herring fishery underway in the area as these reports of waste being washed ashore on the Donegal coast show:

http://www.highlandradio.com/…/coastguard-monitoring-buncr…/

Unlike the Annelies Ilena we were unable to get a current track for the Margiris so will have monitor for a few days to see if it’s in transit or is working the area. It’s unusual that no track is coming up on AIS (automatic identification system) but whether this is deliberate or down to data flow is difficult to say.

The Margaris at about 10,000 tonne is smaller than the Annelies Ilena but still has a massive fishing capacity and can process over 200 tonnes of fish per day. The vessel is registered in Lithuania but registration is often misleading as a lot of these massive trawlers are owned by the same Dutch conglomerate.

In the past there have been concerns that the Margiris vast net also traps small marine mammals – see link:

http://coastmonkey.ie/news/super-trawler-ireland-bound/

Update when we get more information.

Image: Margiris

BERNARD MOFFATT
Public Relations Officer Mannin Branch

Issued by: The Mannin branch of the Celtic League.

12/12/16