Taoiseach remains silent as fishing communities ‘utterly betrayed’ – MacLochlainn

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Fisheries and the Marine, Pádraig MacLochlainn TD, has slammed the Taoiseach’s refusal to stand up for Ireland’s fishing communities.

MacLochlainn blasted: “Does he consider Ireland and our waters as a colony of the big European States?”

The Donegal TD was commenting on the latest EU fisheries deal that permits Norway to catch another 50,000 tons of blue whiting in Irish waters, with mainly Dutch and Danish-owned fleets benefitting from an exchange arrangement to fish Norwegian herring.

This follows the recent devastating cuts to Ireland’s fishing fleet due to the overfishing of mackerel by Norway and other countries.

Teachta MacLochlainn said: “Last night, the European Commission traded thousands of tons of fish in Irish waters with zero benefit to the Irish fishing fleet, as the small allocation of Norwegian herring they have received in exchange is not workable or economical for various reasons.”

“Unbelievably, our government meekly abstained rather than standing up for our fishing communities. This is truly shocking, considering all that has happened to Ireland’s fishing fleet over the last short while.”

“Ireland had built up an industry on fishing mackerel that sustained for many years, but we were handed another devastating 70 per cent cut at last December’s EU Fisheries Council, due to reckless overfishing by Norway and other north Atlantic countries outside the European Union. Our government knows very well the huge cost to our fishing communities, both in terms of lost revenue and jobs. That’s why they have established the Michael Berkery-led Task Force.”

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The Buncrana Sinn Fein man added: “Further, in another crushing blow, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Poland united in support of the huge fishing corporations to block Ireland invoking the Hague Preferences last December. This was the last veneer of protection for Ireland from the Common Fisheries Policy and had never been blocked before.”

“So essentially, the European Commission has rewarded industrial-scale fishing with super factory ships and reckless overfishing again and again – while our Irish fishing fleet, which has played by the rules, has been thrown against the rocks and utterly betrayed. This is rotten to the core.”

“When will our Taoiseach stand up to be counted. Does he consider Ireland and our waters as a colony of the big European States?”