Minister Charlie McConalogue officially named the new €10 million Fishing Pier at Howth Fishery Harbour Centre, which is one six State-owned Fishery Harbour Centre. This major redevelopment project was funded through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme.
Officially opening The Fishing Pier, the Minister said, “I’m delighted to officially open the new “Fishing Pier’. It is an integral part of my department’s overall strategy to provide dedicated, stand-alone fit for purpose facilities for the fishing industry in Howth. The newly redeveloped “Fishing Pier” facilitated the moving of vessels from the west pier onto this redeveloped pier. I must also acknowledge our main contractor, John Sisk, and Consulting Engineer Malachy Walsh and Partners who overcame COVID-19 restrictions and supply chain delays to deliver a first-class structure.”
The works comprised of the construction of 134 metres of new quay wall, dredging, stabilisation and infill of subsea material which covers a greatly enlarged area of 6,500m2. Works commenced in October 2020 and were completed in April 2022 at a cost of €10 million. The additional berthing space created relieves vessel congestion issues and enables greater segregation between the activities of fishing vessels and the marine tourism and leisure activities which are mainly concentrated on the West Pier.
In 2021, almost 90% of all fish landed into Ireland was into the six State-owned Fishery Harbour Centres. At Howth, these landings were valued at c.€12.9 million.
The Minister noted, “the six Fishery Harbour Centres are critical infrastructure for our seafood industry. By attracting increased fish landings, we will deliver the raw materials to drive and maximise the opportunities for primary and secondary processing and ensure a strong Irish seafood processing industry. The importance of these primary and secondary food production activities is reflected in the government’s Food Vision 2030 policy.”
The department has plans for further significant investment with a dredging and reclamation project for Howth Fishery Harbour Centre and planning permission for this project is currently under consideration by An Bord Pleanála.
After unveiling the plaque, Minister McConalogue concluded by saying, “in addition to the Fisheries and Seafood Production industries, the Fishery Harbour Centres are accommodating an ever-increasing amount of diverse marine commercial business, including commercial cargo traffic, cruise liners, restaurants and other leisure, tourism, and social activities. All of these activities complement the critical economic activity generated by our fishing industry and help to maintain the vitality of these coastal communities.”
