EU move on recreational fishing quotas is a major threat to tourism

THE European Commission proposal unveiled last December to include recreational fishing in the common fisheries policy is not yet set in stone.

In Ireland, this proposal will mean that anyone who fishes from a boat will be subject to system of quotas, fees, log books, complex calendars and location schedules, enforcement, etc. They will be subject to the same criminal sanctions that threaten our fishermen and women.

The common fisheries policy is in place to promote the European fishing industry and to protect fish stocks. But in what were once Irish territorial waters fish stocks and our fishing industry have drastically diminished.

In the EU less than 1% of fish are caught in leisure and sport fishing, yet this activity generates vital tourist income for our struggling fishing communities.

In many cases it is the summer income from sea angling that subsidises an Irish commercial fishing boat for the rest of the year. It is my worry that all but the most dedicated anglers, when faced with the formidable red tape backed by criminal penalties, will find something else to do with their holiday time and budget.

To add insult to injury, the quota that will have to be assigned to recreational fishing, if this proposal succeeds, will be subtracted from the quota of our commercial fishermen.

The loss to the fishing industry, our coastal communities and to the many people who fish recreationally, or would like to know they still have the freedom to take their children in a boat to catch a fish, is obvious.

Less obvious but nonetheless real is the loss to the environment because the sports and leisure fishing sector has increasingly been in the forefront of promoting awareness of the importance of protecting the waters and their ecosystems.

I urge people who are directly affected, and those of us on this island nation who are interested the sea and want to pass on a love of it to our children and grandchildren, to lobby Brussels and the Government in relation to this aspect of what is called the “Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy”.

Kathy Sinnott MEP

‘St Joseph’

Ballinabearna

Ballinhassig

Co Cork