Latest regulations are unworkable say fishermen

Representatives of the Board of Directors of the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation (IS&WFPO) have conveyed to marine minister Simon Coveney the ‘desperation’ felt by many in the industry due to quota restrictions, penalty points and the looming implementation of the whitefish discards ban.

Fishermen in Castletownbere, Ireland’s premier whitefish port, fear for their future when the discard ban in enforced in January 2016. Photo Gillian Mills

“As we have repeatedly stressed, Ireland is at a disadvantage in comparison to many of [our] European counterparts due to the limited amount of quota allocated to it. This means that implementation of the discard band for whitefish stocks such as cod, haddock and whiting, which is due to begin on a phased basis from the January1 next year, will have a far more significant impact on Irish fishermen,” stressed explained Eibhlin O’Sullivan, CEO of the IS&WFPO.

She added that while there has been talk about quota uplift i.e. that additional quota will be allocated in recognition of the reduction in discards, “as this will be allocated according to established relative stability keys (i.e. will be shared out by the EU to the various Member States under agreed percentages) Ireland will only receive a small amount of this uplift.”

A similar situation existed in relation to penalty points which were introduced in 2014, she stressed.

“The SFPA have themselves acknowledged that due to quota systems utilised by other Member States, it is extremely difficult to take any enforcement action against non-Irish vessels fishing in Irish waters.

Again, this makes it far more likely that an Irish fishing vessel will be allocated penalty points than its European counterparts” she argued. 

“We have on a number of occasions highlighted our serious concerns in the way in which the penalty points system has been implemented in Ireland and we once again put it to Minister Coveney that the current system is unconstitutional and should be changed.”

A common thread running through their meeting with  the minister was pressure felt by the Irish whitefish sector over limited quotas, particularly for vessels targeting haddock and whiting in the Celtic Sea.

“While acknowledging quota reductions for these vessels this year, Minister Coveney reiterated his view that provided it is supported by scientific advice, these reductions should be reversed next year,” she added.