The European Commission has been accused of jeopardising fleet safety in its drive to reduce the tonnage of European fishing fleets.
The Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation (KFO) claims a proposal due before today's EU fisheries council will penalise large vessel owners who have incorporated safety features on their boats, such as shelter decks.
Mr Sean O'Donoghue, chief executive of the KFO, has called on the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Fahey, to have the proposal "thrown out".
Under an amendment to the five-year fleet programme for member-states, the commission intends to delete the allowance for such safety features in vessels over 12 metres long, hitherto permitted as part of overall tonnage.
Mr O'Donoghue said he was "amazed" that the commission could table a proposal which effectively penalised fishing vessel owners in this way. These owners had incorporated shelter decks to give their crews a "safer working environment at sea".
The controversial issue of sharing blue whiting stocks among the EU and other coastal states, including Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Russia, will also be discussed at today's council. "Whereas the EU has imposed constraints on its fishermen over the last number of years, the other coastal states have increased their catches by almost a million tonnes," Mr O'Donoghue said. The commission is now proposing to cut EU catches further.
Mr O'Donoghue said this was "totally unacceptable" and would only serve as a "blueprint for rewarding those coastal states who blatantly increased their catches, thus jeopardising the stock".
He said the first stage in any proposal on blue whiting allocation should be to reduce the take given to Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Russia for their "irresponsible" behaviour.
