Restrictions on Naval Service monitoring of catches by non-Irish fishing vessels off the coastline may be eased with this week's belated EU agreement on technology and remote sensing.
The Minister of State for the Marine, John Browne, has welcomed EU fisheries council backing for regulations on electronic recording and reporting of fishing activity that will come into force in two years.
The council also approved "significant" cuts in catches of sensitive deep-sea stocks - a move which will threaten further the viability of Ireland's small deep-sea fleet, according to the Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation. The organisation is one of four industry groups announcing a national Irish fishing industry federation in Dublin today.
"We're happy with black scabbard and round-nose grenadier allocations, which will remain stable, but a 90 per cent reduction in orange roughy over two years means that this fishery is over for the Irish fleet," said Seán O'Donoghue, the organisation's chief executive.
The deep-sea fleet of about six vessels was developed in recent years with State aid.
A Brussels-based environmental umbrella group, Seas at Risk, has accused EU ministers of a "political fudge". The slow growth and slow reproductivity levels of deep-sea stocks makes them far more vulnerable to exploitation, it says.
Under the EU's proposals, fishing vessels will be obliged to submit logbooks by electronic means at least once a day. The regulations will also allow remote sensing to detect and track fishing vessels that may have turned off their tracking devices.
