Donegal fishermen have said they would be willing to see their mackerel quota for this year reduced by 30 per cent as an interim measure if it meant they would be immediately issued with licences that would allow them to work.
The move comes as Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey and the Minister of State at his department, John Browne, yesterday rejected as "outrageous" accusations that they are failing to act on the issue.
Mr Dempsey said the timing of comments by Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation (KFO) chief executive Seán O'Donoghue was regrettable given that Mr Browne was yesterday engaged in "very delicate" negotiations with the European Commission on the level of deductions to be made from this year's mackerel quota.
The proposed deductions follow a series of police raids on Scottish fish factories in late 2005, where more than 40,000 tonnes of mackerel, worth at least €48 million, were discovered.
Three-quarters of the total large Irish open-seas fleet of 23 were reported by the UK authorities to have been involved in the illegal landings, according to Mr Dempsey's department. Some very large trawlers were reported to be responsible for in excess of 25,000 tonnes of the illegally landed mackerel, worth over €30 million alone, it said.
However, the KFO points out that no one has been prosecuted for the illegal landings. At yesterday's meeting, Mr Browne said the deduction of the quota in one year, or over a couple of years, would devastate the Irish open-seas catching and processing industry.
"Minister Browne is working to protect the interests of the vast majority of Irish fishermen who are law-abiding," Mr Dempsey said. "The reason for the delay is because we are trying to resolve the outstanding issues with the [ commission] to minimise the impact on the pelagic fleet."
However, Mr O'Donoghue told The Irish Times his members would be "more than happy" to accept a reduction of the mackerel quota to 70 per cent of its current level if fishing licences were issued immediately. This quota stands at 55,000 tonnes and is worth around €56 million.
"If we lose the next couple of weeks here, our season is gone," he said. This could see hundreds of jobs lost, he added.
He said the organisation had not been kept informed of developments in the Brussels negotiations. Referring to an interview he gave to RTÉ yesterday, he said he "wouldn't be on the airwaves if he felt there were delicate negotiations going on".
Last year, the commission required that over 6,000 of tonnes of mackerel be repaid by deducting it from that year's Irish quotas, due to the police raids in Scotland. The current negotiations with the commission refer to the outstanding balance of 34,000 tonnes of mackerel, worth more than €40 million. The Government wishes to see these spread over a number of years.