Fishing skippers from five European countries are meeting in Cork this week in a attempt to take their future back into their own hands.
Disenchanted with "a lack of understanding by bureaucrats" and "a crisis of confidence" within the industry, the representatives from Ireland, Britain, Spain, France and Belgium have gathered to discuss their own solutions.
The meeting is being hosted by the Irish South and West Fishermen's Organisation (IS&WFO) over the next two days in Clonakilty, Co Cork. Conservation and the concept of "no take zones" to protect fish stocks will be debated in the context of the forthcoming review of the EU's controversial Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
The IS&WFO has expressed serious concern about the "alarming decline" in fish stocks off the south-west coast. It says this has been accelerated by foreign fleet activity on monkfish and hake grounds in particular. It also says there is a total crisis of confidence among fishermen in the Common Fisheries Policy, which, it says, is being dictated by bureaucrats who have no idea of the impact their actions are having at ground level in the industry.
The IS&WFO believes that regional management might help to redress the situation, by allowing those most affected by decisions to have more input into taking them. It intends to use the meeting as a starting point for further discussions on conservation issues which, it says, must be implemented as a matter of urgency. It has invited the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods, to open the meeting today.
Also in Cork, a conference on coastal shellfish opens tomorrow in Jury's Hotel. The third international conference on shellfish restoration will discuss protection of the resource at a time when there is an "intolerable" strain on coastal environments in the developed world. Some 60 international speakers will address the gathering over the next four days, with a session on harmful algal blooms on Saturday.
