We have abandoned our fishing rights
The fact is there should not only be 4,500 employed or 45,000 or even 450,000 in the fish industry, but there is little evidence that we have such an industry at all.
Despite having the second-largest expanse of water in the EU, we have completely abandoned our fishing rights under the common fisheries policy, which we should now abandon. The waters off our coasts are being plundered by the Russians, the Chinese and the Spanish.
Many use illegal nets, and their catches are such that our fishing tourist numbers were down from 185,000 in 2002 to just 80,000 in 2003, while this year was a complete wipe-out.
Our navy is incapable of doing anything about it given that they have only six small ships which don't sail in rough weather. We should now look at the Norwegian model where the fishing industry is the second largest after oil. The number employed is 400,000 and their ships are built for all weathers. It's a multi-billion euro industry, so it's no wonder they don't want to join the EU.
It's time Ireland pulled out of the common fisheries policy or, at the very least, renegotiated it.
As everyone outside Ireland knows, we are a defenceless country.
William A Thomas
Strongfort
Craughwell
Co Galway
