Fishermen brace for up to 15% cut in catches as EU holds crunch talks

IRISH fishermen were bracing themselves for more cuts in the amount of fish they can take from the sea next year.

Talks which began on Tuesday have been very slow and were set to continue late last night in Brussels, where the EU’s fisheries ministers were gathered for the annual negotiations.

On the table is a reduction of up to 15% in the amount of cod, herring, whiting and prawns that can be caught from January, together with a reduction in the length of time trawlers can spend at sea.