Marine Minister, Pat the Cope Gallagher T.D., emerged early this morning from intense negotiations at the EU Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels, having secured a number of successes for the Irish fishing industry in 2006.
These key achievements include a ban on Deep Sea Gill Nets, increases in some of our most important quotas and the implementation of conservation box closures in important cod fisheries.
Ban on Deep Sea Gill Nets
Since the mid-1990s, many vessels from a number of European countries have been conducting a gillnet fishery at depths of between 200 and 1200 meters off the West coast of Ireland, with the main target species being monkfish and deepwater sharks. This fishery was recently the subject of a major international study led by an Bord Iascaigh Mhara and supported by scientists from the Marine Institute, called the DEEPNET Report.
One of the major findings of this report was that the amount and length of gear used in these deepwater fisheries and the fact that the nets are unattended much of the time, resulted in the loss of a large number of nets which continue fishing even when abandoned. In less than 10 years stocks of deepwater sharks have fallen to one fifth of their original levels.
The DEEPNET report, delivered to the European Commission earlier this year, demonstrated that these vessels can use approximately 5000-8000 nets each, with a total length of between 250-400 kilometres of net per vessel.
"Throughout the year and particularly when I accompanied Commissioner Borg on his recent visit to Ireland I witnessed first hand the anger among Irish fishermen at the devastation and destruction that these nets are causing. It is hard to convince hard working fishermen of the value of conservation and building a sustainable fishery when so many fish are being destroyed in a senseless and wasteful manner," said Pat the Cope.
"I gave a commitment to the Irish fishing industry that I would make this issue a top priority at this Council and I am delighted that I have succeeded in convincing my colleagues of the importance of taking action to stop the damage being caused by these nets," continued the Minister
The prohibition of these nets with effect from the beginning of next year is a massive step forward for conservation efforts and I know that Irish fishermen will greatly welcome this decision. I welcome this brave decision by the Council which I'm sure will help turn the tide for these stocks and help to create a more sustainable future for our industry," he added.
Quotas
"I went into these negotiations determined to secure a fair deal for the Irish Fishing Industry, while ensuring that our stocks which are depleted are protected and given time to recover. I believe that the outcome of these talks has acheived this aim. Far from suffering 15% cuts across our Whitefish quotas we have received increases in several key species and in fact I expect that the value of the quotas achieved at this Council will deliver an increased income of approximately 15% to Irish fishermen next year," noted Minister Gallagher
"Where the scientific advice recommended cuts in quotas, we agreed to make cuts in order to protect the stocks and ensure a sustainable future for the fishing industry. The mix of quotas available to Irish fishermen in 2006 now shows increases in quantities of important higher value species including prawns, monkfish and hake," he added.
"The input from the Fishing Industry via the newly established, industry-led Regional Advisory Councils was invaluable throughout this process. For the first time; the industry has had the opportunity to lend its expertise and first-hand knowledge to the decisions that we made at this Council. I believe that this input has improved the quality of our decisions and in particular the Council's decision to accept the industry's recommended closures of areas in the Irish Sea and in the Celtic Sea to protect cod stocks is a concrete example of a stronger working relationship," continued the Minister.
A delegation from all the major Irish fishing organisations also attended the Council and Minister Gallagher held a series of meetings and consulted closely with these representatives over the course of the Council meeting and ensured that their main priorities were fully represented.
The Minister also announced the successful conclusion of new management arrangements for the blue whiting stock. This was recently the subject of a landmark international agreement between the EU, Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands which secures the future of this fishery.
"This is excellent news for Irish fishermen as blue whiting is largely fished in waters to the west of Ireland. Without this agreement, the stock would be in serious and immediate danger of over-exploitation. The new management arrangements agreed early this morning ensures that this stock will be fished on a sustainable basis," he said.
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