Mullet haul is bad news for other species

The internet is alive with reports of a massive haul of mullet estimated at 140 tonnes a mile south of the Cork coast by herring trawlers.

Such a huge shoal of migratory mullet will likely have included thousands of protected bass also. While there is nothing illegal or indeed even intentional, maybe, in this reported haul, it is a sad event and indicative of inappropriate exploitation of our marine resources.

It will have a major impact on numbers of mullet and bass in our Co Cork harbours and estuaries next year, on species such as otter, porpoises etc, that depend on them, and the tourist industry. I appeal to our ministers to introduce a reasonable commercial-free fishing zone around our coastline to protect our wildlife and young fish and to create a modern inshore coast guard to protect our marine ecosystem.