Ireland’s mackerel industry faces crisis as Norway continues to overfish, warns the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO).
Chief executive Aodh O Donnell welcomed Marine Minister Timmy Dooley’s tough stance on the issue at the EU’s Agri Fish Council meeting in Luxembourg this week. “It is refreshing and heartening to hear the Minister speak out firmly for coastal communities,” said O Donnell.
“Our mackerel quota is now approximately half what it was six years ago. Systematic quota grabs and overfishing by Norway and others are decimating Ireland’s pelagic industry,” he added.
The IFPO fears new ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) advice could lead to a fourth annual quota cut or even a zero-catch recommendation.