Ireland's share of catches next year from the EU "pond" has been welcomed by the Federation of Irish Fishermen, following annual all-night negotiations in Brussels.
The federation, representing three of the main coastal groupings, says it is "satisfied" with the deal secured by Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Mary Coughlan and her junior counterpart, John Browne.
However, Northern Irish fishermen are less than happy with the performance of Ms Coughlan's counterpart, Michelle Gildernew, following imposition of further cuts of up to 18 per cent on days at sea for the prawn/ whitefish fleet in the Irish Sea.
The federation said that cuts proposed for key stocks, such as monkfish, haddock and cod, were avoided, and Ms Coughlan has described the deal as "balanced, stable and sustainable" and one that would "underpin our €750 million seafood sector".
The whitefish quota of 35,612 tonnes is similar to last year, and the pelagic deal includes a 24 per cent increase in horse mackerel and a series of conservation measures to rebuild herring stocks in the Celtic Sea.
A late attempt by the Portuguese presidency, with Spain's support, to reduce minimum net sizes for gill nets off the Irish west coast from 120 to 100 millimetres was defeated, and agreement was reached on Ireland's designated offshore special areas of conservation (SACs), designed to protect sensitive cold water coral under the EU Habitats Directive.
Federation chairman Seán O'Donoghue said he was "particularly disappointed" with "Spanish efforts" to reduce net sizes off the west coast. Larger mesh allows small fish to escape.
Not only did it pose a "direct threat to long-term sustainability", but the proposal was a "major distraction that undermined efforts to address several other key issues", he said. Ms Coughlan described the Iberian attempt as "anti-conservation" in nursery grounds for hake and other stocks.
The federation expressed relief that the Hague Preferences, which provide Ireland with certain protection on quotas, had been "robustly defended" by the Irish negotiating team. These preferences, dating from 1976, effectively reduce the level of cuts that might otherwise be imposed on Ireland.
The federation cautioned that the industry is in the middle of a "difficult change", including a decommissioning scheme to cut the size of the whitefish fleet by up to a third under the Government's €600 million seafood plan.
