Irish fishermen have warned that a European ban on dumping dead fish at sea is the wrong tactic.

A lack of scientific evidence about fish stocks saw a cut in the quantity of valuable species such as haddock and monkfish for Irish fishermen in the annual EU share-out of fish.

THE process of discarding dead fish is to be phased out by the EU Fisheries Council in Luxembourg and eventually banned.

Ireland’s fishing industry is calling on the EU to implement sanctions against Iceland and the Faroe Islands following the breakdown of bilateral talks in Iceland.

THE Irish fishing industry will have a record €250 million quota for next year, following EU negotiations described by Marine Minister Simon Coveney as “very challenging”.

FISHING industry leaders predict that a meeting of EU fisheries ministers beginning this morning will deliver an unanimous rejection of proposed EU catch quotas.

FISHING representative groups have warned that current proposals for reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) could further threaten an already ailing industry.

FISHING groups and the IFA have all welcomed the Government’s plans for a groundbreaking IDA-style “advance fish farm” site off the west coast to attract investment and create up to 500 much needed jobs.

OVER a third of white fish caught in Irish waters by the domestic fleet is dumped back into the sea dead or dying.

A REVOLUTION in the way Europe manages its fishing industry has been unveiled in Brussels, with the warning that the choice is between a near wipe-out of fish stocks or an increase of 70% with a tripling of profits over the next decade.

EUROPEAN fishermen need to be invited into a meaningful debate on enhanced environmental strategies rather than being hit with a populist blanket ban on discards, according to the Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF).

IRISH fishermen have come away reasonably happy with the quota of fish they can take from the seas next year following negotiations in Brussels.

The Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) has hailed their "successful defence" of key elements of the industry’s interests in the annual fishing quota negotiations concluded in Brussels last night.

THE Government was last night resisting compromises that would see fishermen getting a quota for some species next year, but in exchange they would have to give them up in 2012.

FISHERIES Minister Sean Connick has denied Ireland ignores the scientific evidence in favour of increasing fish stocks available to the Irish fleet.

IRELAND’S small island and inland fishermen are siding with the European Commission and environmentalists against the Government and the big fishing interests at the annual battle for fish quota.

ANGLERS and conservationists are mounting strong opposition to moves to change a law that has imposed a complete ban on commercial fishing for sea bass over the past 20 years.

FISHING communities have, and are, facing huge changes, many of them unwelcome.

FISHERMEN, politicians and environmentalists welcomed the EU agreement on fishing quotas for next year, signalling a change in attitudes within the industry.

FISHERMEN can lose their licences permanently and countries will lose their fish quota if they persistently break the rules.

COMMERCIAL fishermen stand to lose more than anyone else if stocks of fish fall below sustainable levels. Already great numbers have left a sector ever more concentrated and industrialised.

A THIRD of EU subsidies for the fishing industry over the past 12 years went to building bigger fishing vessels while another third went to scrapping fleet, a new website on where the money goes has revealed.

IRISH fishermen have welcomed the EU’s admission that the common fisheries policy has been a failure and will fully participate in talks to reform it.

IRISH fishermen got an early Christmas gift in the form of an extra 4% of fish they can catch next year following EU negotiations, but fishermen off Donegal will need new nets under revised rules.

A HISTORIC concession to Irish fishermen, which last year almost doubled the amount of cod they could fish in certain areas, could disappear warned Fisheries Minister Tony Killeen.

IRISH fishermen met the European Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg yesterday as they warned that proposed fishing cuts would threaten many livelihoods.

FISHERMEN say a large section of the white fish industry will be wiped out if the latest proposals on conserving fish stocks go ahead.

FOLLOWING revelations that dozens of Filipinos in the country without visas are providing illegal cheap labour to fishing boat owners, the International Transport Federation (ITF) is to meet with fishing officials to examine levels of exploitation of migrant labour in the industry.

FISHERMEN are facing further serious cutbacks in the amount and species of fish they can catch next year under European Commission proposals.

A NUMBER of additional ports have been designated by Minister of State Tony Killeen for the landing of hake and monkfish.

EU Fisheries ministers have approved a €600m emergency aid package to help fishermen struggling due to rising fuel costs.

EU fisheries ministers are meeting today to discuss emergency aid proposals aimed at helping fishermen cope with rising fuel costs.

The Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) is calling on Ministers Brendan Smith and Tony Killeen to immediately implement the emergency aid package for Irish fishermen, once it is agreed at the meeting of EU Fisheries Ministers in Brussels on July 15.

THE new chairman of the Federation of Irish Fishermen is flying to Brussels next week in the hope of persuading the EU Council of Ministers to adopt emergency measures to safeguard the future of Irish trawlers.

THE Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) has called on Ministers Brendan Smith and Tony Killeen to deliver on their undertaking to obtain emergency measures to alleviate the current crisis in the industry.

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 from around the country are holding talks in Athlone this morning following their meeting with the Agriculture and Fisheries Minister.

The Minister for Agriculture is to press for a fast and effective response from the EU over the adverse impact of high fuel prices on the Irish fishing industry.

THE country’s roads may be blockaded by lorries within a fortnight in protests similar to those paralysing Spain.

Fishermen who blockaded Cork Harbour this week have warned their protests could be reinstated tomorrow depending on the outcome of a meeting with Government ministers.

PROTESTING fishermen were meeting in Cork last night to decide on what course of action to take following the lifting of their port blockades.

THE fishermen’s blockades of Cork and Waterford ports were called off yesterday after Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Brendan Smith agreed to meet the Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) tomorrow. But the fishermen were quick to point out they have not called off their protest, just suspended that aspect of it.

Protesting fishermen have removed their blockades of ports in Cork and Waterford this morning.