Irish fishing industry representatives have welcomed the latest EU fisheries deal, which includes the imposition of significant conservation measures off the west and south coasts.
A temporary ban on the largely unregulated practice of deepwater gillnetting is to be imposed for six months from February 1st, and a more equitable closure of cod-spawning areas off the Irish southeast and British southwest coast has also been agreed.
The Irish delegation led by Minister of State Pat "the Cope" Gallagher also secured a series of quota increases in some high-value whitefish species. These included a 5 per cent increase in monkfish, a 3 per cent increase in hake off the southwest and a 10 per cent increase in prawns.
Industry representatives said this would help to offset 15 per cent cuts in cod, haddock and whiting.
A 5 per cent increase in the mackerel quota had already been agreed before the all-night December council, but there were significant increases in herring off the northwest, small increases in horse mackerel and a 3 per cent increase in the share-out of blue whiting - to the benefit of the northwest pelagic fleet.
A 15 per cent cut in Celtic Sea herring was described as "unavoidable" by Lorcan Ó Cinnéide of the Irish Fish Producers' Organisation.
The agreement by ministers to take emergency action over the deepwater gillnetting, and to introduce a more equitable system for the cod recovery areas, was hailed as "almost better than any quota increase" by Mr Jason Whooley of the Irish South and West Fishermen's Organisation.
The Minister, who spent 14 hours in the overnight plenary session, described it as a "massive step forward for conservation efforts".
A recent international study, led by Bord Iascaigh Mhara and involving a leading Norwegian scientist, highlighted the damage being caused by unregulated EU-registered gillnetters working in depths of between 200 and 1,200 metres off the Irish west coast and Scotland, targeting monkfish and deepwater sharks.
The DeepNet report commissioned an Irish vessel, India Rose, to retrieve unattended nets deployed by vessels, found about 160km of such gear south of Rockall alone. Much of the fish caught by the gear was unfit for human consumption, and the issue was highlighted by Irish industry representatives during a recent visit to Ireland by EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg.
An industry initiative to close 7,242sq km of fishing grounds off the Irish and British coasts was also ratified at the council, without a derogation agreed last year for beam trawlers.
Mr Whooley said that this would have major conservation benefits for a variety of stocks.
The deal overall was described as "creditable" by Mr Ó Cinnéide, but he warned that the industry still faced serious structural problems and was still opposed to the controversial new maritime jurisdiction Bill.
Seán O'Donoghue of the Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation said that the establishment of regional advisory councils had made a very positive impact and he estimated that up to 80 per cent of proposals tabled by the councils, involving key stakeholders, had been acted upon at the council.
Irish Fishermen's Organisation (IFO) chairman Joe Maddock said that there was mixed news for fishermen in the deal. The IFO was the only organisation which did not support the gillnet ban.
The Green Party marine spokesman Eamon Ryan was highly critical of the deal.
"We seem to treat the annual negotiations as a story of Ireland taking on the big bad bureaucrats in Brussels, but we miss out on the bigger picture which is the widespread destruction of our marine environment," Mr Ryan said in a statement.
"Whatever species you look at, the story is the same one of overfishing and depletion," he said.
