The Minister for the Marine, Mr Fahey, has warned that the Irish fishing industry will face "profound difficulties" next year if the European Commission succeeded in its attempt today to impose some of the most severe cuts ever in annual fish quotas.
"This is the toughest fisheries council in years," the Minister said before leaving for Brussels. The overall impact of reductions of up to 60 per cent in key whitefish stocks could "wipe out" more than a quarter of Ireland's national whitefish quota.
The Irish South and West Fishermen's Organisation, which met Mr Fahey last night in Brussels, said 6,000 direct fishing jobs were under threat from the proposals. It said the European Commission was "clueless" about industry needs.
"The European Commission has one agenda, and that is to cut the number of vessels from the fleet by whatever means possible," said Mr Jason Whooley, of the South and West Fishermen's Organisation.
Mr Seβn O'Donoghue, chief executive of the Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation, said that in all his years in quota negotiations, he had never seen such "draconian" proposals.
The proposals lacked credibility, had no scientific backing and would only serve to further alienate fishermen from the Commission.
Earlier this month, Mr Fahey called for "more imagination" from the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr Franz Fischler, when the proposed stock cuts were released. Ireland had taken the lead in pushing for the introduction of more sustainable conservation measures, he stressed, including recovery plans for certain stocks, seasonal closures of spawning grounds and modifications of gear to allow more juvenile fish to escape.
"We accept soundly based scientific advice and where cuts are necessary, we must act responsibly," the Minister said at the weekend.
"Nevertheless, the Commission's proposals go beyond what the scientists are advising, and I will make that point forcibly to Commissioner Fischler and to my European colleagues. No industry can cope with cuts of the order of 60 per cent in its resource base in one year."
Also very serious for Ireland is the proposal to introduce a total allowable catch and quota regime on a number of deepwater stocks which had been hitherto unexploited, and were targeted as part of the Government's renewal of the whitefish fleet.
These stocks cover 11 species, include orange roughy, roundnose grenadier, tusk, argentines, deep sea shark, blueling, red seabream and forkbeards.
Ireland believes France is pushing this restriction to try to keep Irish vessels out of a lucrative fishery which has been largely unexploited.
In a separate development at home, the Minister has set up a high-powered group to examine the feasibility of farming cod and other species. Prices for farmed salmon have collapsed due to a price war with Chile. Cod is already farmed in Norway, and Ireland has a successful turbot farm in south Connemara.
The group will be chaired by Mr Declan Clarke, of the Martin Ryan Institute at NUI, Galway.
