Ahern vows to protect Irish fishing box

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has told the Dail the Government will do all it can to protect the 50-mile fishing exclusion around Ireland known as the Irish Box.

Foreign trawlers are restricted from fishing in the area, but Spain is believed to be seeking the abolition of the zone.

EU Fisheries Commissioner Franz Fischler has already said unrestricted access to the Irish Box would be unacceptable.

Mr Ahern said: "These waters are sensitive, they play a very important part in nurturing stock levels in a wide area well beyond this country.

"The Irish industry is critically dependant on the stocks in the Irish Box and there's a key interest in their sustainability and if there was to be open access it would run counter to the whole desire of the commission to conserve fish stocks," Mr Ahern said.