Irish fishing representatives are demanding that the European Union refuse Norway’s request for greater access to Irish quota for blue whiting.
Irish fishery industry bodies claim Norway is pushing the E.U. to increase a transfer of quota by 158 percent to 80,000 metric tons. Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association CEO Brendan Byrne termed the fish a valuable export-oriented species “concentrated in Irish waters.”
“Most of this will be caught in our waters,” Byrne said. “[The Norwegians] have enormous quotas but want additional access to Irish waters to catch this valuable stock.”