Government seeks clarity on Irish Box uncertainty

SENIOR civil servants are due to travel to Brussels next week for a meeting with European Commission officials in a bid to resolve the current legal uncertainty surrounding fishing in the Irish Box.

Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Dermot Ahern told representatives of the four main fishing organisations yesterday that the Government was seeking clarity on the issue from EU Fisheries Commissioner Franz Fischler.

He rejected any suggestions that the question of access to the Irish Box was one that should be resolved on a bilateral basis between Ireland and Spain as suggested by some EU officials.

The Government confirmed its belief that limits on the number of foreign vessels allowed to fish within the 50-mile area of the Irish Box remain in place following a review of the Common Fisheries Policy last December.

However, commission officials have argued that restrictions which limited the number of non-Irish trawlers in the Irish Box to 40 vessels were lifted as a result of a Council of Ministers meeting last month.

Although the Government believes it has powers to arrest any vessels in breach of this rule, it is understood that no boats will be detained until the current legal impasse has been resolved.

Fishing sources indicated last night that the matter was unlikely to develop into any immediate confrontation between Irish trawlers and other boats as there are currently only six Spanish vessels fishing within the Irish Box.

A crisis also appears to have been averted for the moment as a result of commitments by representatives of one of the main Spanish fishing fleets that there will be no additional presence of Spanish trawlers in the area.

Following yesterday's three-hour meeting with Mr Ahern, the Irish South and West Fish Producers' Organisation expressed satisfaction that the Government was pursuing the same strategy as the main fishing groups.

"There hasn't been huge progress but we are reassured that the Minister has a clear understanding of our concerns," said its spokesperson, Jason Whooley.

However, the organisations are less content about new fishery rules which will limit the number of days spent at sea by fishermen operating out of ports in Donegal.

They have been angered at proposals to restrict the number of allowable fishing days to nine days per month from February 1 due to stock conservation measures.

"It's a blunt instrument that just won't work", said one fishing source.

A spokesperson for Mr Ahern said the minister was sympathetic to the plight of the fisherman in Donegal and would examine ways which would allowed the 30 affected vessels to diversify their catch.

Despite reassurances offered by the Government to the fishing organisations, it remains unclear whether the fishermen who have been blockading a number of ports in the South-West will discontinue their unofficial demonstration.