Fishing industry organisations have reacted with some bemusement to an appeal from the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources to support the Nice Treaty.
The Minister, Mr Ahern, issued a statement early yesterday urging coastal communities to vote Yes in the forthcoming referendum on the treaty. "The Irish seafood industry has benefited hugely from the access to the European free market which membership of the EU has delivered," Mr Ahern said.
"Today 80 per cent of our seafood exports go to our EU neighbours. This trade supports 15,000 jobs in largely peripheral coastal communities."
Back in 1972, before EU accession, Ireland landed only 85,000 tonnes of fish with a value of just €62 million in today's prices, the Minister said. "Last year, our seafood industry landed 320,600 tonnes at a massively increased value of €250 million, an increase of €188 million or 303 per cent since joining the EEC." Europe had delivered a "similar success pattern" in relation to aquaculture, he said, with growth in production from less than 6,000 tonnes 20 years ago to almost 60,000 tonnes today at a value of €110 million to the economy.
Mr Sean O'Donoghue of the Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation said he did not dispute the Minister's figures, but his organisation would like to see the European Commission giving a clear commitment to resolving the inequities in its Common Fisheries Policy.
The current review of this policy had so far failed to demonstrate such a commitment, Mr O'Donoghue said. "It is not a question of voting Yes or No,"he said. "We'd like to see the colour of the Commission's money."
Mr Frank Doyle of the Irish Fishermen's Organisation (IFO) said his organisation would not advise members on how to vote unless the Government's Common Fisheries Policy strategy review group took a position.
Mr Jason Whooley of the Irish South and West Fishermen's Organisation said he had been amused to hear the Minister state on local radio yesterday that his group supported his call for a Yes vote. "We have a fundamental problem in that we want certain assurances first in relation to the Common Fisheries Policy, "Mr Whooley said.