Fish stocks must be protected

The sooner the European Union faces up to the problems of overfishing, the better it will be for fishermen and consumers alike.

The European Commission warned yesterday that there could be a ban on the fishing of cod, haddock and whiting within EU waters in 2003. This would likely hit Irish fishermen particularly hard.

The commission has been warning about the danger of overfishing for some years.

A 55% cut in the cod quota has already been agreed for next year but Fisheries Commissioner Franz Fischler has warned that the situation is much worse than was previously thought.

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea has recommended a total ban on the fishing of cod, haddock and whiting, as well as drastic cuts in plaice catches during 2003.

Commissioner Fischler blames the various governments for their failure to tackle the issue earlier and the fishermen for consistently overfishing, mis-stating the size of their catches or distorting data by selling catches in foreign ports.

The fishermen will inevitably protest loudest against a blanket ban on fishing the named species next year but they are the ones who will suffer most if something is not done to protect fish stocks.

The big consideration now should be to introduce measures to ensure social aid is provided for fishermen who find themselves out of work as a result of the

proposed fishing ban.