Fishing crisis - Open access to our waters is madness

GIVING Spanish fishermen unrestricted access to Irish waters would have disastrous repercussions, not only upon rapidly dwindling fish stocks but primarily on the livelihoods of thousands of people in maritime communities around Ireland’s coastline.

The deeply held fears of Irish fishermen, evidenced in protest blockades at several ports, are well founded given the intense pressure being applied by Spain for unfettered access for all foreign trawlers to the so-called Irish Box.

Having lost their traditional fishing grounds off Africa, the Spaniards are fighting to gain a bigger slice of Ireland’s resources.