Fishermen get early Christmas gift with extra 4% catch quota

IRISH fishermen got an early Christmas gift in the form of an extra 4% of fish they can catch next year following EU negotiations, but fishermen off Donegal will need new nets under revised rules.

Fisheries Minister Tony Killeen was particularly worried about attempts to end the system of Hague Preferences under which Ireland traditionally receives extra quota.

However, in the end he succeeded in retaining the system. As a result extra quota were added to 11 fish stocks that are important to Ireland’s fish industry.

It also meant that the cod quota in the Celtic Sea was almost doubled, while the amount of cod that can be taken from the Irish Sea will increase by about 40% next year.

The main results of negotiations are that:

* Total Irish quota 183,000 tonnes, unchanged from last year;

* Total quota for the rest of the EU down 2%;

* Value of quota up over 4% from €194m to €202m;

* Whitefish quota up 4%;

* Pelagic — eg mackerel/herring up 8%;

* Industrial stocks down 57%;

* Monkfish and haddock up 2% and 3%;

* Coley up 32%

* Mackerel up 33%

* Whiting, plaice, sole down 12%

* Other whitefish up 32%

* Mackerel up 36%

* Prawns down 2%.

Fishermen off Donegal and the north coast were fearful they would have to tie up their boats under threats to shut down the whitefish industry on scientific advice. Ministers agreed to pull back from this, but Irish fishermen will have to use larger mesh size nets from January 1 and their catch of cod, haddock and whiting will be limited to 30% on any one fishing trip.

Mr Killeen said he believed the deal would help conserve the declining stocks and ensure smaller whitefish fleet remained in business.

“It was vitally important that this deal was secured for the fishermen off north Donegal given the limited employment opportunities in this area.”

Gerard O’Flynn of the Federation of Irish Fishermen said: “It’s a major restriction and a serious problem for them, especially in the short term as they will need new nets from the new year.”

But, he said, the outcome was good news for fishermen in the south and southwest, especially in relation to monkfish and prawns.

Retaining the Hague preferences was an important success and he complimented the minister and his team for successfully defending it.

As well as securing stocks for the fishing industry for next year, fisheries ministers agreed with the Irish fish industry to reduce the herring quota in the Celtic Sea by 25% this year as part of a plan to rebuild herring stocks in the area that is almost exclusively used by Irish fishermen.

A 33% increase in mackerel and a roll over in the horse mackerel quota secured last month mean that the economic drivers of the pelagic fleet are safe and Mr Killeen said it would copperfasten the future viability of this part of the Irish fleet.

The Irish objected to a plan to allow fishermen use smaller mesh size gill nets for hake — 100 mm rather than 120 mm currently in use. As a result they may not be used on the continental shelf in waters less than 200 metres to protect traditional stocks of cod, haddock and whiting.