Observers may be put on big fish processing vessels to combat overfishing

Fisheries Minister Simon Coveney said he would explore having observers on board the big fish processing vessels to ensure they do not overfish their quota under the new EU rules.

He warned also that the fishing industry will have to be very careful that no one boat would go over the weekly or monthly quota as it could result in fisheries being closed early.

Mr Coveney is negotiating how much of each fish species will be allocated to the Irish fishing fleet for the next year, a process that is expected to go on over two days, possibly finishing late this evening.