Analysis by Tom MacSweeney
The Chief Executive of the Irish South and East Fish Producers’ Organisation, John Lynch, summed up the situation of the Irish fishing industry after the EU Fisheries Council negotiations very bluntly: “This is a sad day for the Irish fishing industry, a very sad day for Ireland and a disaster for the dysfunctional fisheries council process.”
As Afloat reported earlier, The Seafood Alliance, which is a joint representative body of the fishing industry, including catching and processing, says the Irish fishing industry will have 57,000 tonnes less quota to fish in 2026.
Over 2,300 jobs in coastal communities face immediate danger, and the wider economic impacts could reach €200 million next year. Coastal communities in ports such as Killybegs, Castletownbere and Howth will be decimated.”
Fisheries Minister Timmy Dooley has acknowledged that the outcome will result in severely reduced fishing opportunities for 2026. “The scientific advice upon which the Council’s decisions were based reflects the impact of overfishing of the mackerel stock by certain third countries. The advised 70% drop in the total allowable catch for mackerel is compounded by a 41% reduction in blue whiting and a 22% reduction in boarfish.”
“Ireland has consistently called for action against those countries who overfish mackerel.”
These include Norway, the Faroes and Iceland, about which the Irish industry has strongly complained but the EU has failed to take effective action against them.
Ireland holds the largest share of EU quota for mackerel in the western waters area, the devastating impact of the decline in this stock will be acutely felt.
Minister Dooley said the Government has called for the EU to send a clear message that actions that threaten the sustainability of our shared stocks are not acceptable.
One of the biggest blows to the Irish industry and a condemnation of other EU Member States is the blocking of the Hague Preferences which would have been of some assistance to Ireland.
Having invoked the Hague Preferences for 2026, Minister Dooley expressed his extreme disappointment at the actions of a group of Member States who chose to block this protection mechanism for Irish fishermen and women. The Hague Preferences were created to account for Ireland’s underdeveloped fleet and to counter the impact of access to Irish waters provided to vessels of other EU nations. These amounts of fish allocated to Ireland from other Member States protected our fishing fleet from periods of severely depleted quotas. Regrettably, a group of Member States chose to block the invocation of The Hagues this year.
Minister Dooley has said he will “establish a working group under the auspices of Food Vision 2030 to develop a framework of support for the sector to address the substantial challenges in the time ahead.”
There needs to be much more than a ‘Working Group’ action taken by the Government to counter what the Seafood Alliance describes as “a betrayal” of Ireland’s fishing industry: “The Member States and European Commission has reneged on commitments embedded in the Common Fisheries Policy designed to protect our island’s reliance on fishing.”
This failure delivers a €94 million hit and threatens the survival of many Irish vessels and seafood businesses, says Aodh O’Donnell of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO). “The consequences will be catastrophic. It’s symptomatic of a fundamentally unfair system where large Member States and big business can dictate what happens to the Irish fishing industry.
“If this protection cannot be honoured, why should Ireland continue to offer generous access to our rich fishing waters? The refusal raises serious questions about future cooperation with other European fishing industries.”
The Alliance says the Irish fishing industry will have 57,000 tonnes less quota to fish in 2026 and is now at risk. Over 2,300 jobs in coastal communities face immediate danger, and the wider economic impacts could reach €200 million next year. Coastal communities in ports such as Killybegs, Castletownbere and Howth will be decimated,
Dominic Rihan of the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO) said: “The actions of the Member States will see our vessels limited to less than 20 days fishing a year with the tiny quotas left to catch.”
Patrick Murphy of the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation (IS&WFPO) says Ireland is paying for others’ reckless behaviour. We are being punished unfairly.”
“Non-EU states ignored science and inflated their catches. They created this crisis. Ireland fished responsibly, yet we now carry what are proportionately the heaviest losses.”
Brendan Byrne of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters (IFPEA) says processing plants now face a huge threat. “They cannot survive without supply. Less quota means less fish and less work. Many plants may not survive this blow without raw material.”
John Lynch of the Irish South and East Fish Producers Organisation (IS&EFPO) says “Ireland’s united position was ignored.”
All sectors of the fishing industry and the Minister agreed on the approach to these talks, but were given “a slap in the face,” as stated by Aodh O’Donnell of the IFPO, by the other EU Member States.
As one example, John Lynch of the ISEFPO indicated: “We now have a situation when our fleet of fishing vessels are left with 28 tonnes of sole to catch in 2026 on the south coast of Ireland, when Belgium has 450 tonnes.”
That shows just how Irish fishing waters are exploited by other EU Member States.
The Seafood Ireland Alliance says Ireland cannot accept this outcome, while acknowledging the extensive efforts of Minister Dooley to fight for our industry. The Alliance says the EU and Government must also act to support the fishing fleet or there will be job losses on a catastrophic scale.
