The quick work of local fishermen and emergency services to rescue a fishing vessel which ran aground off Dursey Island yesterday saved lives and the environment.
That's the opinion of Patrick Murphy of the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation.
A major rescue operation was needed when the 33m French-flagged trawler, the Grand St Bernard, hit rock 12 nautical miles from Castletownbere.
Two local boats - the Girl Jane and Celtic Dawn - Castletownbere RNLI and the Irish Coast Guard Rescue 115 helicopter came to the aid of the 14-strong crew.
10 crew were airlifted from the boat, while 4 remained on board to help with efforts to free the boat from the rock.
It has since been re-floated and towed to Casteltownbere for drydocking and inspection.
Speaking to RedFM News, Patrick Murphy says an environmental disaster was averted:
"The longer that boat is up in a rock, the more banging and hammering that the hull has on the rock, the more likelihood more damage is created. If then there's bigger holes in the boat, then when you pull it off the rock, obviously it takes in more water. It sinks, and then all the fuel and all the oils and everything that's inside the boat will come out of that boat. Then you have an environmental catastrophe".
