Fish and chips could soon be off the menu, as Irish fishermen struggle to cope with rising costs.
The Irish Fish Producers Organisation are among seven groups calling on the government to draw down EU funds to help the seafood sector.
This comes as fishermen struggle to cope with fuel and electricity costs - and are tied up off the Irish coast.
They say businesses in coastal communities are currently under serious threat and could face potential shutdowns.
Other countries, where fishermen are also struggling with the price of fuel have received aid from the EU.
Patrick Murphy from the Irish and West Fish Producers Organisation has written to Charlie McConalogue asking for action.
Murphy pleads for the Irish government to do what other ministers are doing in Europe:
"What Europe, the commission and the European parliament have given the provision for which is to allow to give us this aid to allow us to continue with our jobs."
In order to keep their jobs, the fishing industry needs the government to draw down on EU funds to keep up with fuel costs.
This issue also has a knock-on effect on our local chippers.
Experts in the industry say the combination of rising costs of fish, potatoes, cooking oil and flour is becoming a major headache for the food industry.
This issue has been going on some time and is only getting worse.
Back in March, Colm McDonagh of Galway's, the seafood house and fish and chip bar McDonagh’s, flagged the problem of rising costs.
He said a bag of chips used to cost €3.20 and is now €3.50. That price will not go up "because I don’t know if people have the money".
‘I have noticed that for certain products, if you put the prices up, people don’t go for them. And I am afraid if I do put prices up to reflect the costs, I am going to have less customers. We may be making less but we are trying to pass price rises on as little as possible,’ he added.
