European fisheries ministers, including the Minister for the Marine, Mr Fahey, certainly had their backs to the wall during the 27-hour council meeting which ended in Brussels yesterday. Ireland did relatively well at this year's session, in spite of threatened cuts of up to 60 per cent in whitefish species. There were anticipated losses in cod, haddock, monkfish, megrim and prawns, but there were gains in whiting and hake - making for an overall increase of just under five per cent in the Irish whitefish share.
Very critical for Ireland also was the Commission's proposal to set quotas on unexploited deepwater species which are now being targeted by the Irish fleet, including orange roughy, blue ling and argentines. These species were identified as an alternative several years ago, and it was on this basis that the Government initiated a £70 million fleet renewal plan. Had the Commission - backed by France - got its way, the success of this scheme would have been in jeopardy.
There is a certain predictable character to these pre-Christmas councils, when midnight oil is burned to force through agreement on annual catches and quotas. However, politics normally dominates science to ensure the best possible outcome for each member state. Ireland and Britain have been able to invoke a clause known as the Hague Preference to guarantee minimum amounts of quota for certain species. This year, Ireland's right to invoke it came under severe pressure from the Commissioner himself.
It is a sober warning that the Commissioner means business, and that the long-term future for the Irish industry is very uncertain. Next year, the review of the Common Fisheries Policy begins in earnest, and it appears that the EU Commission has no real interest in the socio-economic future of small coastal states.
Certainly, there is lip service. The Commission's Green Paper on the review acknowledges the need for greater involvement of fishermen in management, and describes this as long overdue, but its actual commitment to the economic future of coastal areas is disappointingly weak. And it has lost much credibility with fishermen in both Ireland and Britain over its attitude to controls, and its failure to tackle glaring loopholes in the existing system.
One loophole is the continued operation of "flag of convenience" vessels which register in other member states to avail of the quota. The majority of vessels detained by the Naval Service for alleged offences in Irish waters are flagships, and several have been apprehended on more than one occasion. Last week, the European Parliament adopted a report on the issue, tabled by the Irish Green MEP, Ms Patricia McKenna.
This report noted that these vessels "ignore all the rules" and "wreak havoc" on fishing grounds. Data on their catches is non existent or, at best, unreliable, the report said. Although Britain tried, several years ago, and was unsuccessful, Japan and Taiwan have already recognised this phenomenon in their waters, and have taken corrective measures, the report noted.
With one of the world's largest fishing fleets under his control, the EU Commissioner could earn a lot of respect for his management system if he was to do the same.