British waters are critical to the Irish fishing industry with the two top species – mackerel and prawns – 60 percent and 40 percent respectively dependent on UK seas. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed deliver Brexit by taking the UK out of the European Union on January 31, and giving the EU a tight deadline of before the end of next year to agree a free trade agreement with the UK. Sean O’Donoghue, the chief executive of the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation, has warned the Irish fishing industry is 30 percent dependent on UK waters.
He said Boris Johnson has “signed up for this”, which is a “good starting point”, but warned building a solid foundation does not mean a positive result will come from this.
Irish vessels, which catch around a third of landings off Britain, will continue to be able to fish in those wars for now.
But Britain wants to withdraw from the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which would result in loss of access for Ireland and an influx of EU vessels into Irish waters.
Mr O’Donoghue said: “We need a reasonable solution, a three-pronged approach that is sustainable and economically and socially sustainable.”
He warned access to British trade and waters would form “two separate negotiations”, adding: “I know there are some people who are worried that somehow access to our waters and access to the EU’s markets will be mixed up – absolutely not.”
But Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine Michael Creed has lashed out at the UK and warned this will not be tolerated, warning fisheries must remain central to any trade deal between the UK and EU.
He told The Sunday Business Post: “What we will be saying is ‘you want your financial passporting into the European Union from the City of London and elsewhere, you want open skies and we want access to your waters’,”.
Mr Creed added: “That’s the quid pro quo, I mean nothing less can be countenanced for us, otherwise we lose effectively overnight a third of our fishing industry.”
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The Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine said the the “take back control” rhetoric “kind of resonates more with the fishing industry in terms of pulling the ladder up behind them and kicking all of us out of their waters”.
The latest war of words between Ireland and the UK comes as fisheries ministers meet at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels, where fisheries ministers will continue their fight over fishing quotas.
In a statement on the eve of the council meeting, Mr Creed said there are “many challenges ahead” but “significant progress” had also been made towards sustainable catches.
He said of 74 stocks of “interest” to Ireland, 35 of these were now fished at maximum sustainable yield, where total allowable catches and quotas are set at levels that ensure long-term sustainability.
The European Commission’s proposal includes increases to a number of key stocks for the Irish fleet, including mackerel, haddock, monkfish and megrim in the Celtic Sea.
Last week, a group of environmental non-governmental organisations staged a protest in Brussels, calling on agriculture and fisheries ministers to end overfishing.
Five non-governmental organisations – Our Fish, Seas at Risk, ClientEarth, Fishsec and Sciaena – set out a six-point plan as to why EU leaders must end the practice to protect marine biodiversity and strengthen the ocean’s resilience against climate change.
The council meeting in Brussels will be the first test for EU fisheries commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius, with Our Fish presenting him and Finnish Minister Jari Leppä with 500,000 signatures from EU citizens calling for an “end to overfishing.”
