EU quota agreement sees Christmas come early for Irish fishing industry

FISHERMEN received a welcome Christmas bonus with an EU agreement on quotas for 2011 worth €233m to the Irish fishing industry.

The final agreement will deliver whitefish quotas worth some €116m, including the protection of Ireland’s €54m prawn fishery. There will be a 10% increase in quota for Ireland’s €75m mackerel industry and a two-thirds share, worth €4m, for Irish fishermen of the new boarfish industry.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Sean Connick welcomed the agreement, which was reached after two days of talks in Brussels on 2011 quotas for the Irish fishing fleet.