IN RECENT years we’ve heard a lot about the decline in stocks of salmon and sea trout in Ireland and abroad, but less about the plight of the humble eel.

EEL stocks in Ireland and Europe are now so depleted as to be under threat, and radical action is needed to ensure the survival of the species.

GRAPHIC images of man-eating sharks from Jaws come to mind following recent reports of shark sightings off the coast.

OVERFISHING continues to be a major problem in the EU - some stocks are threatened with extinction - and Ireland had one of the worst records for 2004, according to the EU.

Irish fishermen are facing further reductions in their quotas next year following a deal agreed by EU fisheries ministers in the early hours of this morning.

The Irish Fisherman's Organisation (IFO) has criticised calls for a complete ban on cod fishing in the Irish Sea in an effort to replenish stocks of the species.

Scientists have called for a ban on cod fishing in the North Sea, Irish Sea and seas off the west coast of Scotland in 2005, saying stocks are well below minimum recommended levels.

SCIENTISTS want to completely block cod fishing in the Irish Sea next year because they say stocks are dangerously low and are not showing any signs of recovery.

A new European fishing deal was secured today after 30 hours of gruelling talks in Brussels.

Talks to agree the depth of more fishing cuts were still going on in Brussels today.

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.

Protests were being staged in ports around Europe today over plans for more drastic cuts in fishing next year.

The European Commission backed away from a total ban on cod fishing today, despite expert advice warning that stocks face wipe-out.

EXPERTS want a total ban on cod, whiting and hake fishing in the Irish Sea, a measure that would affect about a fifth of the Irish fishing industry.

Cod stocks have sunk to historic lows and are near commercial extinction in many European Union waters despite deep cuts in the fishing fleet and catch quotas, scientific evidence released in Brussels today showed.

European Union governments will today face calls for radical cuts in cod catches and the scrapping of hundreds of boats in response to dire warnings over the state of the continent’s fish reserves.

The sooner the European Union faces up to the problems of overfishing, the better it will be for fishermen and consumers alike.

Irish fishermen are set to face a ban on catching whitefish as EC today moved toward banning cod, haddock and whiting fishing next year.