45% reduction proposed for Ireland

While no concrete figures have been given, industry insiders said that the report's proposed figure of 45% reduction for the demersal fleet might apply to the pelagic fleet as well, writes Pieter Tesch.

The report by Dr Noel Cawley, aimed to set the Irish seafood industry on a permanent sustainable and profitable footing by 2013 completes an ambitious modernisation programme of the Irish fishing fleet over the last 10 years resulting in the reduction of the overall number of registered fishing vessels with a smaller number of modern vessels.

However, the resulting catching capacity still does not match the Irish share of EU quota and in particular the pelagic fleet will have to look for opportunities outside the EU as decommissioning is too expensive and the market for second hand trawlers is limited, the Irish industry and government agree.

The publication of the long awaited report coincided with the first arrival of mackerel of the winter fishery season at Ireland's premier fishing port at Killybegs on the Northwest coast, bringing to an end a turbulent and tragic start of 2007 for the Irish fleet.

While in heavy storms at seas three fishing vessels sank with the loss of seven lives, the pelagic sector collided not only with the government over how to deal with EU penalty reduction in the mackerel quota west of Scotland, but was also split within between those who were alleged to have been responsible for the quota breaches and those who were not.

“While we were reasonably happy with our government's achievements in the December EU Fisheries Council, the delay in finding a solution for the mackerel quota situation delayed the start of an important seasonal fishery, damaging the pelagic sector,” said Lorcan O'Cinneide, chief executive of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation and president of the newly formed Federation of Irish Fishermen.

Mr O'Cinneide gave the report a “cautious welcome”, but he urged government to begin soon to seriously implement the recommendations of Dr Cawley by devising a new quota allocation system whereby the temporary transfer of EU quota between Irish vessels is allowed so that skippers can have a choice whether to fish within the EU and/or outside the EU in a given year.

Ireland's only Irish freezer “Atlantic Dawn” has been mainly fishing outside the EU, but the record of the super trawler has so far been mixed and controversial with loosing her licence in Mauritania last year.

In an effort to repair relations and explore new possibilities, an Irish industry delegation visited Mauritania in January as part of a global review of new opportunities including in the South Atlantic and/or South Pacific.

One of the main issues for the Irish pelagic fleet is logistics because as Refrigerated Sea Water trawlers or 'tankboats' they need more backup of factory vessels than freezers do, or landing agreements and onshore processing plants in third countries.