EU ban on fish discards attracts guarded welcome in south

Ireland’s general welcome for EU moves to ban fish discards is only partially shared in the south of the country.

Tom Hassett, of Cork-based lobby group FishingForJustice.eu, welcomes the progress made on discards by Fisheries Minister Simon Coveney in Brussels last week. However, he says it will do little for fishermen unless Ireland is given “a fair share of the whitefish quota”.

The Irish fleet has quota to catch 1,727 tonnes of cod annually, versus 13,977 tonnes for France, 15,396 tonnes for Spain and 15,396 tonnes for the UK. Similar tenfold contrasts exist for haddock, whiting, megrim and monk, with a twentyfold gap for hake.