#Fishing - Marine Minister Simon Coveney has welcomed the positive outcome of the international fisheries negotiations that concluded today (Tuesday 27 October) at the National Seafood Centre in Clonakilty, Co Cork.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the negotiations between Norway, the Faroe Islands and the European Union concerned the management of mackerel in the North East Atlantic.

The mackerel quota for Irish fishermen for 2016 will be just over 75,000 tonnes. This reflects a precautionary approach in accordance with the latest scientific advice and the long-term management strategy also agreed between the parties today.

“I welcome the outcome of the international mackerel negotiations today, which Ireland not only hosted but was also a central participant as the second largest EU quota holder," said the minister.

"Irish fishermen will now have a quota of 75,000 tonnes, worth over €63m directly to our catching sector, for 2016 and the new long term management strategy will provide stability to our fishermen in this vital fishery for Ireland by avoiding large variations in the quota from year to year.”

Mackerel is Ireland’s single most valuable fishery and today’s agreement provides a high quota, stability and a framework to help ensure the long term sustainability of the stock.

The latest agreement builds on the five-year sharing agreement reached in March 2014 between those parties. Further discussions on that agreement are expected in the coming months.

Minister Coveney added that “while the quota achieved by Ireland is less than that of the last two years, those quotas were unusually high by historical standards.

"The quota of 75,000 tonnes achieved today is considerably higher than our historical average quota of approximately 54,000 tonnes, apart from the last two years. Crucially, for the sustainability and stability of this vital fishery for Ireland, we now also have a long-term management strategy in place for mackerel.

"As always, industry representatives, in particular, Sean O’Donoghue of the Killybegs Fishermens Organisation were extremely helpful to the Irish negotiating team.”

#RNLI - Rosslare Harbour RNLI's volunteer lifeboat crew participating in an exercise on Sunday morning (25 October) in Rosslare Bay were diverted to a fishing vessel with an injured crewman on board.

The fishing boat was a mile northeast of Rosslare Europort when the lifeboat station was alerted at 10.30am.

First aid was given by the volunteer crew who assisted the injured fisherman on board the lifeboat, which promptly returned to station to transfer the casualty to a waiting ambulance.

Conditions at the time of the callout were good, with light westerly winds and morning sunshine.

Commenting on the callout, Rosslare RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer Jamie Ryan said: "The RNLI volunteers were very swift in transferring the casualty to shore as they were already at sea on exercise."

#Fishing - Overfishing. Pollution. Exploitation. Carelessness. The story of one American fishing captain's experiences onboard a nominally US-flagged boat in the Pacific tuna fleet is an alarming one.

Writing for Matter, science writer Kalee Thompson reports on Doug Pine's near-mutiny on board the tuna boat Majestic Blue, the culmination of a series of disturbing events themselves the end result of dodgy deals involving a Korean conglomerate with a reputation for illegal fishing, and congressional lobbyists pushing for ever more lax regulations in order to preserve a paper presence in the tuna business.

Efforts to save America's dwindling tuna fishing industry in the wake of the dolphin catch scandals of decades past found a solution in outsourcing – and have produced a farcical situation where American 'captains' preside over what for all practical purposes are foreign boats with foreign crews, with no actual control over what happens at sea.

And that's only the half of it when it comes to the so-called 'distant water tuna fleet', operating amid a kind of lawlessness akin to piracy around the poverty-stricken islands of the Western Pacific, at the expense of marginalised crew and vulnerable marine wildlife alike.

Matter has much more on the story HERE.

#MarineScience - Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) and Northern Ireland’s Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) welcomed delegates to the second International Sea Trout Symposium, which took place this week from 20-22nd October in Dundalk.

The symposium’s key objective was to promote the wider application of an evidence-based approach to the future management and regulation of the sea trout. It also considered developments since the last symposium, held in 2004, and highlighted priorities for future investigation.

International scientists, managers and policymakers interested in the conservation and protection of the sea trout attended the conference.

Sea trout is a valuable natural resource in Ireland, offering an exceptional angling experience to both tourists and locals. Irish fisheries managers are therefore very focused on the sustainable management, and, where required, the restoration of these valuable stocks. Outputs of the symposium will be used to develop national sea trout policies.

Northern Ireland’s Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure Carál Ní Chuilín commented: “Last year I brought in new legislation to protect both salmon and sea trout in our native rivers. All salmon and sea trout caught must be released back into the water, unless those rivers are meeting ‎their management targets.

“We are delighted to be working with Inland Fisheries Ireland in advancing our knowledge of this species so that we all can enhance our understanding of their complex life history and ensure that we are taking all the necessary steps not only to conserve them but also to enhance stocks in our rivers.”

Meanwhile, Joe McHugh TD, Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, expressed his appreciation for "all the scientists, managers and fisheries stakeholders on their passion and enthusiasm in extending their knowledge and understanding of sea trout management and conservation.

"The presence of this iconic migrant, which leaves freshwater and wanders our coastal waters to feed heavily before returning to its natal streams to spawn, is considered by many as a very positive environmental indicator. I look to Inland Fisheries Ireland to ensure that sustainable management of sea trout is prioritised, and that the loss of sea trout populations, which has occurred in some areas, is halted."

Minister McHugh added: “I will work with Inland Fisheries Ireland to ensure that serious efforts are made to restore and conserve this valuable component of biodiversity in Ireland. I also applaud the North-South approach being taken in supporting science and management issues; this is required to ensure the future effective management of sea trout stocks."

#Fishing - Marine Minister Simon Coveney called for "increased flexibility" in fish quotas at the latest meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg yesterday (Thursday 22 October).

“I have called on the [European] Commission for increased flexibility in the management of certain fish quotas, which will allow member states carryover quotas to the following year," he said at the meeting of the EU's agriculture and fisheries ministers.

"I have sought flexibility specifically for mackerel, Celtic Sea herring and horse mackerel. This flexibility will to help alleviate pressure in the sector caused by the Russian ban on imports“.

Minister Coveney also used the opportunity to reinforce Ireland’s commitment to 'climate-smart' agriculture.

"It is important to encourage a coherent approach to agriculture and land use and to incorporate the critical role that afforestation and forest management plays in carbon sequestration," he said.

Ministers also had an exchange of views on the EU/Norway fisheries negotiations and discussions on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive.

#Budget2016 - The Seafood Development Programme will get a boost from next year's Budget, according to Marine Minister Simon Coveney.

Welcoming the €94 million in national co-funding under yesterday's Budget 2016 announcement, the minister says it will contribute, along with the allocation of almost €147 million for Ireland under the new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund 2014-2020, to enabling the launch of "new schemes" under the programme launched in March this year.

These will be "aimed at promoting the sustainable development of the seafood sector to 2020 and availing of the opportunities presented by the growing demand for seafood internationally."

Pending approval of the programme, Minister Coveney said he is "providing some €36 million to my department, the Marine Institute and BIM to fund the roll-out of capital investment schemes for the seafood sector under the programme.

"In 2016, this is expected to include the launch of a range of new investment schemes for the CFP discards ban, decommissioning scheme, sustainability in the inshore fisheries sector aquaculture development, seafood processing and Fisheries Local Action Groups."

The €36 million will come from the €103.8 million allocation for fisheries, fishery harbours and marine-related non-commercial State-sponsored bodies: the Marine Institute, Bord Iascaigh Mhara and the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority.

Minister Coveney also welcomed the publication yesterday of the independent Marine Taxation Review, which recommends potential areas for support of this key sector through the taxation system.

“I look forward to further engagement with Minister Noonan on the implementation of these recommendations, particularly in relation to the proposed extension of seafarers tax allowances to the fishing industry; and the recommendation for appropriate tax treatment to support the fishing vessel decommissioning scheme.”

#Missing - Independent.ie reports on an ongoing search for a lobsterman feared missing off the Mayo coast since yesterday evening (Friday 11 September).

A fishing vessel was spotted on the beach at Benwee Head close to where the lone fisherman was thought to be working off Belmullet, but there was no sign of its occupant.

Searching was set to resume this morning with local lifeboats and coastguard teams includinng Shannon's Irish Coasrt Guard helicopter Rescue 115 on callout.

#MarineScience - The second International Sea Trout Symposium will take place in Dundalk, Co Louth from 20-22 October, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

Building on the success of the previous symposium on the biology, conservation and management of the important fishing species, held in Cardiff in 2004, next month's convention will bring together fishery scientists, managers, policy makers and other interested parties to discuss developments over the last 11 years, identify strategic gaps in knowledge and review priorities for future investigation.

Inland Fisheries Ireland's (IFI) head of research Dr Cathal Gallagher says: “This is a great opportunity for all those interested in the ecology, management and conservation of sea trout to interact with the leading international scientists, managers and policy makers working in this area.

"It is hoped that the outputs from this important symposium will help to drive Ireland’s policy for the future management of our sea trout populations.”

Dr Ciaran Byrne, IFI chief executive, added that the symposium "gives us an important opportunity to review the progress in improving our understanding of biology, ecology, genetics and behaviour of sea trout [since Cardiff] and to identify knowledge gaps required to support the future management of this important species.”

For more information visit www.fisheriesireland.ie

#Fishing - Donegal fishermen are counting their lucky stars after a near-miss with a submarine last week.

As TheJournal.ie reports, Seán Ó Briain says his crab boat came within just 200 metres of the sub, which appeared with little warning about 22km northwest of Tory Island last Thursday (3 September).

While the "general rule", according to Ó Briain, is to give right of way to fishing vessels such as his when setting or pulling pots, in this case "we needed to slow down to let the submarine pass".

Ó Briain added that daylight added to their luck both this time and in a similar incident this time last year, as they were able to take evasive action.

The story will bring to mind an Ardglass skipper's complaint that his prawn trawler was dragged backwards by a submarine in the Irish Sea this past April – an incident finally confirmed by the Royal Navy on Monday (7 September).

According to the Belfast Telegraph, Britain's Ministry of Defence admitted to the incident, which caused an estimated £10,000 worth of damage to Paul Murphy's boa and fishing gear, after "new information" came to light. More on the story HERE.

#scallop – The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney T.D. today announced that measures to manage scallop fishing in Blacksod Bay Special Area of Conservation (SAC) had been signed into law. The measures aim to mitigate the risks, of fishing for scallop with dredges, to sensitive habitats within the Bay so as to protect and maintain these habitats.

Speaking about the Fisheries Natura Declaration for Blacksod Bay in Co. Mayo, the Minister said "Blacksod Bay contains habitats which are particularly sensitive to certain fishing activities and it is important that measures are put in place to manage the scallop fishery in this case. The quality and preservation of our marine environment is vital to the sustainability of our seafood sector and I commend the North West Regional Inshore Fisheries Forum for its work in bringing stakeholders together to address the risks posed by scallop fishing to the Blacksod Bay SAC. Stakeholder involvement is a critical success factor in developing and implementing meaningful fisheries management measures to facilitate fishing in harmony with the protection of sensitive habitats in our bays."

The Fisheries Natura Declaration gives legal effect to a risk mitigation plan prepared in partnership between the Marine Institute, the North West Regional Inshore Fisheries Forum and representatives of the fishing interests in Blacksod Bay. The measures in the Declaration include defining the footprint of the fishery to a specified zone; restricting fishing for scallops to a season from October to February inclusive and requiring fishing boats to carry GPS monitoring devices while fishing for scallop to demonstrate compliance and to contribute to data for scientific purposes. GPS monitoring devices are being funded, on a limited basis, by the Marine Institute. The Declaration and the mitigation plan will be published on www.fishingnet.ie.

The Minister re-iterated his commitment to ensuring that Irish seafood is produced in an environmentally-responsible way and stated "I have allocated almost €10 million through the Seafood Development Programme 2014-2020 to support implementation of EU environmental law, to help protect vulnerable habitats and species and ensure that our seafood sector continues to operate and grow in a sustainable manner. This investment will target a range of actions including data collection, scientific research, the use of environmentally-friendly gear and mechanisms to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the marine environment."