Keep the Irish Box for the Irish

IT’S time for the Taoiseach to negotiate that the ‘Irish Box’ be exclusive to Irish fishing vessels. The recent EU compromise solution has resulted in north-west fishing vessels being allowed to leave port on only nine days per month.

Our fishing industry is in turmoil. It is unacceptable that trawlers from other countries can continue fishing up to six miles from the Irish coast because their allocation is much higher than our fleet, even in Irish waters.

It is now time for the Government to renegotiate with our European partners. We must ask why Ireland, with 11% of EU waters, is allocated just 5% of the total catch. It is deplorable that the livelihood of our fishing community has been surrendered to, and is now dictated by, the EU. The deliberations taking place in the European Council are unlikely to offer much hope to our beleaguered fishing communities There is the alarming threat that Spanish fishermen, banned from Moroccan waters, will be given free access to Irish waters and that there will be even further cuts in overall quotas. The Government should call for total exclusion of all foreign vessels from the ‘Irish Box’ thereby saving the livelihood of those working in our oldest industry.