Salmon producers on the west coast have insisted they are not to blame for scores of farmed fish turning up in five renowned rivers.

The European Commission will deliver a hammer blow to the remains of Europe’s fishing fleet tomorrow.

Fishermen have agreed to defer any further protests until after the Agriculture and Fisheries Minister meets with EU officials to discuss problems in the industry.

Fishermen are protesting at Cork Airport today to draw attention to what they say is a major crisis in their industry.

Fishermen are braced for another round of devastating cuts in the name of conservation today, as the annual haggling over catches gets under way in Brussels.

EU fishing officials are due to meet later today to discuss a plan which could significantly reduce the size of the Irish fishing fleet.

A blockade of major fishing ports around the country is continuing today over plans to allow foreign fishing vessels into Irish waters.

The Irish Fishermen's Organisation has urged its members to look favourably at the new deal on quota allocations negotiated by EU fisheries ministers over the past week.

Crisis talks are underway among fishermen in Castletownbere in Co Cork following dramatic fish cuts announced by Brussels.

Fishermen are holding crisis talks in Castletownbere in Co Cork later today to discuss the drastic cuts imposed on them by the European Commission.

The Minister for the Marine Dermot Ahern has failed to secure a satisfactory deal from the European fishing industry, according to the Labour party.

Feelings are still running high over the fisheries deal agreed by EU Ministers during the week.

Communications and Marine Minister Dermot Ahern and his EU counterparts are due to resume negotiations on the future of Europe's fishing industry in Brussels today.

European plans to slash fishing levels by up to 80% to conserve dwindling marine stocks are “tainted by political interference”, it was claimed tonight.

The Government tonight rejected as “ludicrous and nonsensical” European Commission plans to scrap fishing ground restrictions and permit Spanish trawlers to operate up to 12 miles from Ireland’s coastline.

Fisheries ministers disagreed today on compromise proposals that seek to save cod from near extinction in EU waters without driving thousands of fishermen into bankruptcy.

EU marine ministers are due to meet in Brussels today to discuss reform of the Common Fisheries Policy and the allocation of fishing quotas for 2003.

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has held meetings with European Commission president Romani Prodi and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar to discuss Irish concerns about the fishing policy reforms.

Fine Gael marine spokesman, Simon Coveney, is to march in solidarity with fishermen today in Castletownbere, Co Cork, to highlight the concerns of the fishing industry in the build up to EU negotiations on fish quota allocations next week.

Irish fishermen are preparing to moor their boats at coastal ports this afternoon in protest at proposed fisheries reform by the European Union.

Irish fishermen who have demanded changes to the EU's Common Fisheries Policy will take part in a number of protests around the country later today.

The European Commission has rejected calls to delay plans for massive cuts in fishing in the Irish Sea from the start of the next year.

Ireland's fishermen have been ordered to stop fishing for certain species from tomorrow because they have reached their catch quota.