Tag Archives: Rockall
David Cameron vetoes Rockall fishing agreement between Scotland and Ireland
Foreign Secretary David Cameron has vetoed an agreement between Scotland and Ireland to allow Irish fishermen access to the rich fishing grounds around Rockall. Ownership of the tiny granite islet 230 miles off the coast of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic is disputed by the UK and the Republic of Ireland 263 miles to the south. Irish vessels, which traditionally fished the waters around the remote rock for haddock and squid, were barred from a 12-mile territorial zone around it after Brexit, when the UK left the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:39
As Rockall Simmers, McConalogue’s Department Accused of “Chaotic” Response to Brexit Permits
Only a fraction of the entire Irish fleet has been given permits to continued access to British waters – albeit with a reduced quota as a result of Brexit. “Rockall is not the only issue – the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine had no plan B,” Irish South and West Fish Producers’ Organisation chief executive Patrick Murphy has said. Mr Murphy described the past week as “chaotic”, and said he was shocked at how unprepared the department was. Mr McConalogue’s department has confirmed that only 141 vessels out of the full list of 1900 Irish vessel have been given temporary permits to date. >click to read< 09:31
The Rockall fishing dispute explained – Rockall Q&A: Fishing dispute between Scotland and Ireland
Rockall lies 260 miles (418km) west of Scotland’s Western Isles. The UK claims ownership over the outcrop and a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea around it. But the Republic of Ireland does not believe any country should own Rockall and insists the waters around it are shared by all EU member states. “We don’t have a claim on it. We don’t accept any other sovereign claim on it,” Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar has said. He made the comments after Scotland’s Fisheries Minister Fergus Ewing warned Irish vessels could be boarded for fishing within 12 miles of Rockall. >click to read<13:43
Skipper calls on governments to sort out Rockall fishing row
The Donegal skipper of one of the first trawlers to return from disputed waters around Rockall has called on the Irish and Scottish governments to “sort out” a growing fisheries dispute. Northern Celt skipper Adrian McClenaghan landed his catch at Greencastle at first light yesterday before his brother Hugh and a new crew set out to return to fishing grounds around Rockall. An isolated Atlantic outcrop 260 miles west of the Co Donegal coast, Rockall has historically been at the centre of disputes involving Ireland, Scotland, Denmark and Iceland. It is currently at the centre of a growing row between the Irish and Scottish authorities over who has rights to fish around it. >click to read<15:58
Scotland warns Ireland it will force fishing boats to leave Rockall waters
The Scottish government has warned Ireland it will send its fisheries patrol vessels to force Irish fishing boats to leave a 12-mile zone around Rockall, the tiny disputed island 260 miles west of the Co Donegal coast. In a formal letter of notice, the Scottish external affairs minister Fiona Hyslop has warned the Irish Government that it will deploy its vessels to protect Scottish fishing rights around Rockall. The Government here, which contests the Scottish claim on Rockall and also the claim of exclusive fishing rights, has condemned the move but on Thursday the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Michael Creed briefed fishing industry representatives about the impending Scottish action. >click to read<18:08
