Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan has sought to allay fears that the Government's promised decommissioning scheme for the whitefish fleet will be scaled back dramatically.
The Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) sought further clarification on the future of the scheme when only €21 million was allocated by Minister for Finance Brian Cowen in the Budget.
The European Commission has already approved the scheme to cut over 30 per cent of whitefish vessels as part of a €600 million seafood strategy drawn up by Dr Noel Cawley and published by the Taoiseach last January.
A spokesman for the Minister said the Government was still committed to the Cawley strategy, and €21 million had been allocated to cover the first phase of the project.
It was envisaged that the scheme, still being drawn up, would run over several years, he said.
Mr Cowen had also promised to address the tax implications of compensation payments through the Finance Bill early next year, the spokesman said.
Fish and shellfish farmers have also expressed "serious dismay" at what they have described as the "negative direction" of the Budget.
"The estimates for 2008 indicate that no new capital projects will be funded and in fact some existing schemes for industry will have to be cut back," said Richie Flynn, executive secretary of Irish Farmers' Association's aquaculture section.
"This was the year in which the Cawley seafood report was supposed to get off the ground, but now we find that no funds have been made available for the industry to make any progress whatsoever under the plan," he said.
It "leaves a major question mark over the Government's support for the Cawley plan", Mr Flynn said.
He warned that aquaculture operators would leave the sector for better opportunities elsewhere.
The Government has allocated a sum of more than €14 million to the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority which is implementing controversial new legislation on monitoring and control of commercial fishing around the coastline.
