An EU agreement to close the north Irish Sea cod fishery from today as a conservation measure has aroused anger among Northern Irish fishermen, who have accused Brussels of discriminatory treatment.
The northern ports will be forced to "bear the brunt" of a plan which was originally to have embraced all of the Irish Sea, Mr Dick James of the Northern Irish Fish Producers' Organisation (NIFPO) has said.
Britain "took all the hits" at a recent EU fisheries council debate on the measures, while the Republic of Ireland "got off the hook", Mr James said. "Your former Minister for the Marine, Dr Michael Woods, played a blinder, and we have to pay for that now."
The three-month closure was drawn up after a drastic 62 per cent cut in the cod quota at the December fisheries council. A "North-South" initiative to boost ailing stocks was presented by both Dr Woods and his northern counterpart, Ms Brid Rodgers, at the council, on the basis that it was recognised that urgent action was needed to prevent a total collapse of the fishery. The Irish Sea is at the southern fringe of the fish's migratory route, extending from Iceland to Newfoundland's Grand Banks. A cod can lay nine million eggs and inhabits waters of 120 feet and less, while preferring ambient but not warm temperatures.
There is evidence that global warming may be reducing its breeding success at the southern end of its range, while the effect of seals on cod stocks is well known among scientists and fishermen around the Irish coast.
The first phase of the recovery plan affects the northern fleet only and Mr James has said that it will not make any difference. "This plan was cobbled together, and it won't work as it stands. We believe a total closure is necessary, along with compensation. However, fisheries ministers don't want to recognise that."
The Anglo North Irish Fish Producers' Organisation (ANIFPO) has also condemned the plan. It had submitted its own proposals to the European Commission, based on temporarily closed areas and technical conservation measures. The initiative agreed represents a "crude, broad-brush approach", which may still give a 40 per cent chance of a collapse in stock anyway, according to the ANIFPO.
Dr Woods's successor as Minister for the Marine, Mr Fahey, has welcomed the "major action" and has described it as a "ground-breaking initiative that was drawn up in partnership with our fishermen".
Fishing for adult cod during the critical spawning season will be prohibited in the closed areas stretching from the north-east Irish coast to the west coast of England until the end of April.
