O'Neill Updates Assembly On December Fisheries Summit

Fisheries Minister Michelle O’Neill today (Monday 16 january) updated the Assembly on the outcome of the December Fisheries negotiations. 

Minister O’Neill said: “The Commission proposed a 19% cut in Nephrops contrary to the robust scientific advice available. Working closely with my counterpart in the south, Simon Coveney TD, an alternative approach was presented to the Commission which took account of the scientific advice and demonstrated healthy stock levels and effectiveness of current management arrangements. The Commission was persuaded by our arguments and as a result the level of quota was maintained. This was an excellent outcome, and means that fishing opportunities for 95% of our local fleet will be maintained for 2012.

“The Commission proposed a 25% cut for Irish Sea herring despite strong scientific evidence. Last year that same evidence resulted in a 10% increase. It is extremely frustrating and disappointing that the final settlement resulted in a 10% cut for Irish Sea herring. This is a clear case where the Commission has not followed the science which was for “no increase in catch” and therefore the 2011 quota should have been maintained. 

“For other so called “data poor” stocks the initial 25% proposed reduction for Irish Sea haddock was revised to a 5% reduction. Irish Sea Plaice was eventually unchanged after an initial cut of 25% was proposed.”

The Minister also reported that in advance of the December negotiations the local fishing industry faced perhaps the most significant threat in recent years. She explained: “If the Commission’s interpretation of the Cod Plan had prevailed then the claw-back and penalties imposed for the alleged effort overruns by our fishing fleet would have meant an end to fishing by those vessels in the Irish Sea until such times as the Cod Recovery Plan is modified or replaced. 

“I do want to see cod recover but there is little point in doing so if this leads to the decimation of a fishing fleet, the processing firms that depend on their landings and economic hardship for the hard pressed rural communities that depend on the sea for a livelihood. Some 110 vessels, 400 jobs in the catching sector and 560 full time equivalent jobs in processing business were at risk and here are countless others involved in the support industry providing engineering services, fish selling business and support services.

“To counter this risk I, together with the DEFRA Minister, Richard Benyon and Scottish Cabinet Secretary, Richard Lochhead, met with Commissioner Damanaki in early December to find a solution that would be acceptable to the Commission and Member States. Since then the local fishing industry responded positively and have agreed that further effort would be made to reduce cod mortality by our fleets through the introduction of technical measures, which would in turn satisfy the Commission.” 

The Minister concluded: “I hear what some public representatives are saying about the need to do more on a regional basis to help our fishing industry. We all want that and in particular I want to see more local influence on fisheries management decisions so that we are not handed down management measures that are unworkable.

“A sustainable, profitable industry can only be maintained if the stocks on which it depends are being harvested sustainably. Sadly, the inconvenient truth is that cod and other whitefish stocks in the Irish Sea are not in good condition. The latest independent scientific advice notes that recruitment to the Irish Sea cod stocks has been below average for the past eighteen years and eight of the last nine years of recruitment are amongst the lowest on record.

"The stock has been harvested unsustainably since the late 1980s. Recruitment was stronger in 2009 and these fish are now becoming evident in the fishery. The industry view is that they should be given more quota to catch these, but the scientific advice is that additional measures are needed to protect the 2009 year class to ensure that it contributes to the rebuilding of the stock. This has been reflected in the Fisheries Council outcome.”