Tag Archives: Brendan Byrne
Fishing Industry Cautious After Examining Norway – EU Deal
The IFPO and IFPEA has welcomed Norway’s exclusion from the Irish Box but says Ireland still lacks an equitable arrangement. “Norway have been allocated an extra 36,000MT of blue whiting in the Irish EEZ, compared to just 4,800MT extra blue whiting for Ireland,” says Aodh O Donnell, chief executive of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO). O Donnell says fishing representatives took time to carefully consider the new deal, ironically struck on St Patrick’s Day, before responding. >click to read< 14:33
Norway ‘secure more out of fishing deal than Ireland’
Under the deal, Norwegian fishers can catch 224,000 metric tonnes of blue whiting in Irish waters this year, an increase of 110,000 metric tonnes on how much they were allowed to catch last year. In contrast, Irish fishermen and women are only allowed to catch 52,000 metric tonnes of blue whiting, up from the 28,000 tonnes they could catch last year. While unhappy with the lack of quota parity between the two countries, fishing representatives here say the deal has an upside to it. >click to read< 11:50
‘Another nail in the coffin of Ireland’s indigenous fishing industry’
That Norway wants more access to Ireland’s fish than it already has is something that has probably passed most people by. So too the fact that this became a red-line issue for the Irish fishing industry. At stake is the future of thousands of jobs in fishing villages and towns across the country. Also at stake is ultimately the chance of the average punter getting fresh Irish fish with their chips. Why? Because if the Norwegians succeed in their bid, it will cement a perception in the industry that Ireland cannot protect its own waters at EU level and the current exodus from the industry will, according to industry chiefs, continue as a consequence. >click to read< 09:32
Rising cost of fuel adds to pressure on fishing industry
The fishing industry is facing a perfect storm of circumstances that must be addressed urgently by the Government to avoid permanent damage to the sector, according to representative groups. The rising cost of fuel is compounding the already significant strain on the industry caused by Brexit and the pandemic, fishers say. According to Aodh O’Donnell, chief executive of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation, said many boats can’t run profitably in the current circumstances. “We are looking at fuel costing €1.30 per litre or more, it has effectively doubled in cost in less than a year.” Mr O’Donnell said French and Spanish fishermen were being supported by their governments and this was leaving Irish boats at a disadvantage. >click to read< 08:54
Updated: “Absolute Guarantee” – Wait! There is no Guarantee!
Irish fishing industry meets Russian ambassador over planned naval exercises -Representatives of Ireland’s fishing industry have been issued with an “absolute guarantee” by Russia’s ambassador that their work will not be impacted by Russian naval exercises scheduled for next week. The Irish government confirmed on Sunday that Russia plans to conduct naval and air exercises 240 kilometres off the southwestern coast of Ireland in international waters that lie within Ireland’s exclusive economic zone. >click to read< 07:30
Russians deny fishermen’s claims on naval drills ‘buffer zone’ – In a statement on Friday morning, the Russian Embassy rejected reports based on the statements from the fishing representatives on Thursday that there had been “some kind of ‘agreement’ on some kind of ‘buffer zones’ in the area of the upcoming drills of the Russian Navy in the Atlantic.” >click to read< 08:28
