Fishermen demand aid as ministers vow clampdown

AS FISHERIES ministers vow to clamp down on illegal fishing and imports in the European Union, there are growing demands among commercial fishermen for emergency aid.

It has been estimated some 500,000 tonnes of illegal, unreported and unregulated fish products, worth approximately €1.1 billion, enter the EU market each year resulting in a loss of market share for EU fishermen.

This coupled with rocketing fuel costs and inadequate quota structures have brought about a crisis, Irish fishermen have said.