Overfishing still major problem despite EU warnings

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.

The European Court of Justice has recently ruled against Ireland, along with Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Finland and Sweden for overshooting quotas.

Cod stocks in the North Sea and Irish Sea are even lower than scientists expected and it will take several years before there can be any real hope of recovery, says the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), which co-ordinates marine research in the North Atlantic.