Irish fishing bodies have asked the EU to suspend blue whiting talks with Norway’s, who seek unfettered access to Ireland’s blue whiting grounds. “It’s alarming that the EU could unilaterally negotiate away rights to our fishing grounds,” says Aodh O Donnell, chief executive of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO). “Meanwhile Norway, a non-EU member, is offering no meaningful reciprocal arrangement to Ireland.”
O Donnell says Ireland has “rich blue whiting fish stocks worth over €160m. Norway already has 18% of the European and coastal states quota for blue whiting – compared to Ireland’s share of just 3%. But they now seek further – and unilateral access – to Irish waters, to catch much of their enormous blue whiting quota in 2023 of over 400,000 tonnes. The EU is negotiating this on behalf of Ireland, despite our objections. However, they have failed to reach agreement despite two rounds of talks.”
O Donnell says the EU Fisheries Commission talks with Norway enter “a third round of technical negotiations later this week. However, in our view, the issues surrounding access to Irish waters are complex ones and are political in nature rather than technical.”
Joint Call to Suspend Blue Whiting Talks
The IFPO, the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association (IFPEA) and the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation (ISWFPO) have issued a joint call for the talks to be suspended. They made the call in a letter to the EU Fisheries Commissioner, Virginijus Sinkevicius.
“The EU should defer negotiations on the additional access to Irish waters until the New Year and particularly until after the annual December Council meeting of the Fisheries Commission,” says Brendan Byrne of the IFPEA. “An in-depth consideration on blue whiting is required, and that is where it should take place. Ireland already bore the brunt of EU fishing quota cuts after Brexit. Why should we take the hit again, with nothing in return and the burden share from TCA/Brexit still unresolved? This is surely a political decision and requires an equitable political solution.”
Patrick Murphy of the ISWFPO says the Fisheries Commission “has no mandate for a decision which would have such a negative impact on Ireland’s fishing interests. We need a meaningful political discussion which offers realistic and fair reciprocal arrangements for Ireland.”
Aodh O Donnell says he already met with the Fisheries Commissioner last week to press for a fair deal. “We firmly believe that meaningful discussions on blue whiting access arrangements and related stocks could be held early in 2023. However, they must be held in an appropriate political rather than technical context. This is critical and would be beneficial to both EU and Norwegian fisheries interests. Ireland cannot be the consistent whipping boy when it comes to European fisheries policy.”
Related News Releases and Statements:
- IFPO meets EU fisheries commission on blue whiting row.
- Irish Fishing Sector Respond to Norway Statement
- Tell Norway No Way -– Hands Off Irish Blue Whiting; Fishing Bodies Say EU Must Deny Norway Access To Our Blue Whiting 14.11.22.
Media enquiries to: Trish Hegarty, Inis Communications:
email: trish@iniscommunications.com mob: +353 86 1740057.