EUROPEAN fishermen have been accused of “mincing” thousands of undersized mackerel for their valuable omega oils and dumping the discarded catches in Irish waters.

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

QUOTAS for the country’s most valuable fish, mackerel, could be facing cuts next year instead of being increased because of the actions of Iceland and the Faroe islands.

EU ministers have agreed a temporary deal on fishing rights during crucial talks in Brussels last night.

Talks were to begin in Brussels today on fishing quotas for 2010 with more cutbacks expected in the name of conservation.

COD stocks were brought closer to extinction over the past year, warns the European Commission, which recommends that catches be cut by a quarter next year.

The European Commission delivered bad news for fishermen today - belt-tightening is needed again next year to give endangered fish stocks a chance to recover.

Scientists are unaware of the state of nearly two-thirds of Europe's fish stocks, the European Commission admitted this afternoon.

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.

A PLAN to revitalise Europe’s fish farming industry after years of stagnation says the business could be a golden opportunity for jobs and production, but red tape must be reduced and planning restrictions eased.

ALMOST 90% of stocks in European waters are overfished because neither fishermen nor the authorities are observing EU rules.

THE Government will tell the EU it wants more money for the Irish fishing industry when EU Fisheries Ministers meet today.

The crisis facing fishermen across Europe is set to dominate the agenda when EU fisheries ministers meet in Luxembourg later today.

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.

The European Commission today offered a lifeline to fishermen – but ruled out fuel subsidies or higher catch allowances to ease the current economic crisis.

IRISH fishermen are facing financial ruin because of spiralling fuel costs, an EU delegation to west Cork heard yesterday.

FISHERMEN are still raiding the seas and taking 40% more fish than they are allowed to catch each year in some regions, allegedly putting the survival of several species in doubt.

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 can expect a 15% increase in their income next year after a deal was reached on the amount of fish they can take out of the sea at marathon negotiations in Brussels.

THE fishing industry has broadly welcomed the decision by the Fisheries Council in Brussels to increase the quantity of fish Irish and other EU fishermen can catch in the coming year.

THERE was bad news for Irish fishermen yesterday with cutbacks proposed in the amount of hake they can catch.

IRELAND has been accused of over-fishing by the EU, which yesterday published the first Europe-wide scoreboard of compliance with fisheries rules.

THE Government may be asked to make hardship funds available for cod fishermen.

A NEW European agency to monitor and control fishing fleets was proposed by the European Commission yesterday.

FURIOUS fishermen say conflict at sea is likely if an armada of 200 Spanish vessels is allowed plunder stocks in the Irish Box.

AN armada of 200 Spanish trawlers will invade Irish fishing waters on January 1 unless Marine Minister Dermot Ahern works out a compromise deal, a fishermen’s leader warned last night.

AN armada of 200 Spanish trawlers will invade Irish fishing waters on January 1 unless Marine Minister

MARINE Minister Dermot Ahern said he was totally opposed to fisheries proposals at the start of a five-day meeting in Brussels yesterday.

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.

CONCERNED fishing industry leaders yesterday urged the Irish ministerial delegation to walk out of next week’s crucial EU quota talks if this country is not given fair treatment.

THE future of up to 20,000 fishing jobs looked gloomy last night as Marine Minister Dermot Ahern admitted he had a major battle on his hands at EU level.

EU Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio said yesterday the latest disastrous sinking of an oil tanker had vindicated demands

GIVING Spanish fishermen unrestricted access to Irish waters would have disastrous repercussions, not only upon rapidly dwindling fish stocks but primarily on the livelihoods of thousands of people in maritime communities around Ireland’s coastline.

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.

A row that threatens to become as big as the one that saw the European Commission sacked almost three years ago has broken out over a new fish policy.