FIE has urged the Irish Government to support the proposed EU fisheries reforms ahead of tommorows’ meeting in Brussels.

The proposals will reduce the administrative costs for operators by 51% – the time spent filling in the logbook should be reduced by almost 70%, as the fishermen will only need to fill in the catch data.

A comprehensive traceability system so that all fish and fisheries products can be tracked throughout the market chain will include the name of the species, live weight, catching or harvesting data, and the production unit.

Commissioner Borg made it clear recently that the Commission is intent on eliminating bycatch. The scale of the unnecessary destruction was illustrated in the Dail last week when Deputy Ferris told the House that ‘A week last Friday, a trawler fishing off the Kerry coast was forced to dump 2.8 tonnes of spurdog overboard. The regulations in question often bear little relationship to the reality of the fishery in question.’

Fishermen’s claims that that the proposed ban off the north west coast of Ireland of cod haddock and whiting is ‘alarming’ and that ‘socio-economic factors’ have been absent is not properly informed.

The Marine Institute has been seeking closure of fisheries for cod since 2005. Their 2008 Stock Book says clearly that ‘previously advised for zero catch of cod, whiting and spurdog have never been implemented ‘due to social and economic considerations’.

While fishermen claim that cod in the Celtic sea are protected by the success of existing conservation measures the truth is that the scientists have been opposing ‘any catch above zero’ since 2005. Improved recruitment over two years has been used by fishermen to advocate an increase in spite of the fact that the Marine Institute makes it clear that ‘Celtic Sea cod remains below the desired biomass levels’.

The Commission’s proposals for reform are urgently needed. Overfishing rose from 83% of EU fish stocks in 2007 to 88% in 2008. Management Plans with strictly protected conservation areas is the only way to ensure long term socio-economic survival of Ireland’s fishing communities.

Verification and further information:

Tony Lowes 027 73131 / 087 2176316

Letter to Minister:

http://www.friendsoftheirishenvironment.net/friendswork/index.php?do=friendswork&action=view&id=744

See our website for detailed breakdowns of Ireland’s vanishing fish stocks:

http://friendsoftheirishenvironment.net/?id=36