Fishing and seafood organisations in Ireland are urging ministers to fight for the survival of the industry and allocate quotas fairly.
The Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO) has joined forces with the Killybegs Fisherman’s Organisation (KFO) and the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association (IFPEA) to launch the #fight4fishing campaign ahead of the upcoming European elections.
“Ireland has 12% of EU fishing waters but just 5.6% of EU fishing quotas and this huge disparity has to be addressed,” said Aodh O Donnell of the IFPO.
“For too long, the Irish government and the EU have ignored this injustice, and we need elected representatives who will demand change.”
KFO chief executive, Dominic Rihan says the cumulative value of Irish fishing quotas will have dropped by around €140m by 2025 owing to Brexit. “The biggest share (40%) of what the EU transferred to the UK after Brexit was taken from Irish quotas,” he said.
IFPEA chief executive Brendan Byrne points out that the EU seems to be favouring non-members. “Basically, the EU is allowing non-EU countries to catch more than three times as much fish as us this year alone… in our very own waters.
“Other EU and non-EU countries see growth in fishing, while our catches are shrinking,” he said.
As part of the campaign, the IFPO has invited the Midlands North-West candidates to a public meeting in Killybegs, Ireland’s largest fishing port. The meeting will take place at 7pm in the Tara Hotel on 22 May and will be chaired by Highland Radio presenter, Greg Hughes.
The three fishing organisations are also appealing to the public to put EU candidates under the spotlight and have launched online guidance to show members of the public how they can help.
