Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh has written to the European Commission demanding that Ireland’s fishing quotas are not cut in the wake of a damning scientific report.
The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), whose scientific advice is used by the EU to set fishing quotas, has recommended a 70% reduction in the EU’s mackerel quota next year.
MEP Maria Walsh is a full member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee and submitted a written question to the European Commission today seeking a commitment to protect Ireland’s fishing sector. She will also raise the issue in the European Parliament today.
Maria Walsh MEP said:
“The ICES’s recommendation of a 70% reduction in mackerel quotas would prove devastating for Ireland’s fishing sector. Ireland’s mackerel quota has already plummeted from over 75,000 tonnes in 2020 to just 10,800 tonnes projected in 2026.
“I have written to the European Commission today to highlight the risks presented by the ICES report. I have called on the Commission to deliver fair quotas and a long-term plan for the sector. And crucially, I have asked the Commission what measures of financial assistance will be made available to fishers and coastal communities facing severe economic impacts due to quota reductions.
“I have also secured speaking time in Strasbourg this evening, giving me the opportunity to raise this issue in the European Parliament. This follows on from a meeting I organised between key members of the Irish fishing sector and the European Commissioner for Fisheries Costas Kadis in Brussels last month, where issues impacting our industry were raised directly with the Commissioner.
“A cut of 70% could cost us €66 million, and threatens the livelihoods of people across rural Ireland. Mackerel is more than just a fish to our country, it’s worth €94 million in exports and supports thousands of hardworking families in our coastal communities.
“While Ireland may hold the main quota for mackerel, it is our fishing communities that are bearing the cost of the Commission’s failure to confront non-EU countries that have flouted scientific advice for years. The damage to our stocks lies with them – not with Irish fishermen and women.
“If we don’t act, we risk losing an industry and way of life that has sustained generations. We must protect both our natural resources and the livelihoods of our people – Ireland is committed to both, we must see the same level of support and ambition from the European Commission.”