Fishing industry shuts down for day of protest

The Irish fishing fleet is staging a day of protest over proposed reforms of the EU Common Fisheries Policy and the allocation of catch to the Irish quota.

Fine Gael has called on the Taoiseach to raise the concerns of the Irish fishing industry at the European Summit in Copenhagen today.

Fine Gael marine spokesman Mr Simon Coveney called for a renegotiation of the Irish quota, which currently stands at 5 per cent of the European total in spite of Ireland having 11 per cent of European waters.

He also called for the protection of the "Irish Box" and the inclusion of representatives of the Irish fishing industry in any decision-making on conservation of stocks.

Today's protests are being organised by four organisations -the Irish Fish Producers' Organisation, the Irish Fish Processors' and Exporters' Association, the Irish South & West Fish Producers' Organisation and the Killybegs Fishermens' Organisation.

According to Mr Mark Lochrin of the Irish Fish Producers' Organisation, today's protest is not designed to blockade but to "demonstrate and draw attention" to the issue. He said the intention was "to engage support from the Irish fishing industry's ancillary and support industries".

The fishermen claim Irish fleets are being discriminated against by EU legislation.

The day of action comes following the Government's assertion that the Irish fleet has already reached its quota for whitefish and prawns. Foreign trawlers, however, can still to fish these stocks off the coast as they have not used up their own quotas.

"This clearly illustrates the case being made that the industry has consistently received a raw deal from the EU," a fishing industry spokeswoman said.

"The industry is not prepared to accept a quota allocation determined in the 1970s that gives Ireland 5 per cent of the overall Community resources although it has 11 per cent of the overall Community waters," she said.

Fleets at Greencastle and Killybegs in Co Donegal; Rossaveal, Co Galway; Dingle, Co Kerry; Castletownbere, Union Hall and Baltimore in Co Cork; Dunmore East, Co Waterford; Howth, Co Dublin; and Clogherhead, Co Louth, have pledged their support to today's actions.