#Coastguard - The Irish Coast Guard's Waterford-based rescue helicopter recovered two casualties in separate incidents on Sunday, according to the Irish Examiner.

One fisherman was retrieved from the French fishing vessel Larche some 50 nautical miles south of Cork after complaining of chest pains and difficulty breathing.

The man was winched on board coastguard helicopter Rescue 117 and transferred to hospital in Cork for treatment.

In a separate incident, a hillwalker was airlifted from Slievenamon in Tipperary after suffering leg injuries in a fall - the second such accident in the area over the weekend.

#Fishing - Important talks on EU fisheries reform are continuing in Brussels after progress in Clonakilty recently, according to RTÉ News.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Marine Minister Simon Coveney welcomed a deal signed on Friday 18 January between the EU and Norway on allowable catches and quotas.

The agreement was seen as a positive move at the end of a week of talks at the National Seafood Centre, which followed a number of false starts due to difficulties in balancing mutual access and management arrangements.

Minister Coveney said that meetings taking place in Brussels today (28 January) are "about setting the scene for six months of intensive work" to produce dossiers for both the Common Fisheries Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy, for which he hopes definitive reforms can be achieved by this summer.

Both the CFP and CAP account for 40% of the European Union budget.

#Howth - "Disastrous" could be the effect for Howth's economy if car parking charges proposed by Government are introduced, as The Irish Times reports.

Tommy Broughan, Labour TD for Dublin North East, hit out at plans to charge for parking in the harbour area of the North Dublin fishing village, describing them as "crazy" and potentially devastating for Howth's marine and tourism industries.

He also criticised the failure of Marine Minister Simon Coveney and his department to consult with local stakeholders before pressing forward with the plans.

However, Minister of State Dinny McGinley argued that the vast majority of the 500 spaces available in Howth village were being used by park-and-ride commuters, and that only a small number of users involved in the fishing industry were effectively funding the service for all.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

Minister Simon Coveney T.D. has welcomed the international fisheries agreement signed between the EU and Norway at 6am this morning.

The negotiations commenced in Clonakilty on Tuesday morning and were hosted by Ireland, who in its role of Presidency of the EU, co-ordinated the EU position in these international negotiations. The Minister said "the fact that this agreement was concluded in Clonakilty this morning is positive for our fishermen and allows fishermen and fish factories to get on with their business in the normal way in these important fisheries."

The negotiations agreed:

the total allowable catch (TAC) for important stocks that are managed by both EU and Norway.

the sharing of these stocks between EU and Norway

· the transfer of quotas between EU and Norway as part of a balanced deal in the interests of EU and Norwegian fishermen.

The negotiations covered many stocks in both the North Sea, the western waters around Ireland and Scotland and stocks in Norwegian waters.

Issues of particular interest to Ireland included the setting a total allowable catch for the €1 billion Mackerel fishery and the sharing of that between EU, Norway and the other participants in the Mackerel fishery. The agreement reached this morning allocated 90.38%

of the TAC for Mackerel to the European Union and Norway, which is a continuation of the normal sharing arrangement which EU and Norway have applied in recent years.

This arrangement does not reward Iceland or the Faroe Islands with any larger share of the Mackerel stock, which they both have been demanding in association with their overfishing of this stock in recent years. Minister Coveney said "I do not accept that Iceland or Faroes should have been rewarded for their overfishing by EU and Norway granting them larger quotas at these negotiations. EU and Norway have acted responsibly by cutting their own catches by 15% in response to scientific advice on the impact of Icelandic and Faroes overfishing on the Mackerel stock. Iceland and Faroes need to come back to the table with much more realistic expectations of the share of the stock they can expect, if we are to get the mackerel fishery back into a sustainable position in the interest of all parties"

Minister Coveney also said "I welcome the agreed 64% increase in the Blue Whiting Total Allowable Catch to 643,000 tonnes for 2013. This fishery is important for our fishermen and for our fish factories who process both Irish, Norwegian and Scottish catches of this species for human consumption exports." The Minister added that he also "welcomed the fact that the percentage of Blue Whiting TAC which is transferred by EU to Norway as a traditional part of this deal has been negotiated down from 7.7% last year to 7% this year which will increase the amount of Blue Whiting available to our fishermen." The agreement signed in Clonakilty paves the way for the final negotiations on access for EU vessels to Norwegian waters and Norwegian vessels to EU waters to be concluded in a final meeting in London next Tuesday.

#Lifeboats - TheJournal.ie reports that RNLI lifeboat crews from Dunmore East and Fethard rescued two fishermen from their vessel off the Waterford coast yesterday (14 January 2013).

Rescuers sped to the scene after the 10-metre fishing boat got into difficulty and grounded close to the shore north of Loftus Hall.

Despite the receding tide, the lifeboats managed to tow the vessel carefully off the rocks "without any major damage", according to a spokesperson. The two crew were uninjured in the incident.

It marked the third major call-out in a week off the Waterford coast - following a similar rescue effort last Tuesday, and just days after the tragic loss of a local fisherman on Thursday morning on the sixth anniversary of the sinking of Dunmore East trawler the Pere Charles.

Meanwhile, on Sunday afternoon volunteers with Achill Island RNLI went to the assistance of an injured fisherman off the Mayo coast.

The lifeboat station received the distress call around noon to go to the assistance of a fishing party north of Clare Island, where the crew removed a man from the vessel who had suffered an eye injury from a fishing hook.

He was subsequently transported on the lifeboat to Kildavnet, where a local doctor examined his injury before referring him to Castlebar General Hospital for further attention.

#fishing – Ireland, on behalf of the European Union, is hosting important fisheries negotiations between Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal and Ireland. These negotiations on the annual fishing arrangements for 2013 between the European Union (EU) and Norway commence at the National Seafood Centre in Clonakilty tomorrow, Tuesday the 15th January.

Economically one of the most important fishing agreements entered into by the EU, the talks involving Norway for 2013 have not concluded successfully so far due to difficulties on a number of fronts notably, balancing an exchange of fishing opportunities, mutual access arrangements, and cod management arrangements.

Over seventy delegates from across Europe and Norway will meet at the National Seafood Centre in Clonakilty for the week long talks.

The talks will in part deal with the arrangements for 2013 for the annual €1 billion mackerel fishery. It is expected that, in light of the continuing refusal of Iceland and the Faroe Islands to enter fair and appropriate management arrangements for mackerel, both the EU and Norway, as the largest shareholders of the North East Atlantic mackerel stock, will take this opportunity to finalise fishing limits for mackerel for 2013.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney stated "I hope that the question of quotas for mackerel in particular are finalised this week to allow our industry plan for the year ahead. I also expect that with a successful outcome on the exchange of fishing quotas and access arrangements will enable the finalisation of quotas for other stocks such as Blue Whiting and the Herring in Norwegian waters which are of major importance to our pelagic fishing fleet. Agreement on access for Norwegian vessels to EU waters is also vital to facilitate the landing and processing of Norwegian Blue Whiting in our pelagic factories along the west and north west coasts. "

On mackerel the Minister added "I am very concerned about the ongoing crisis associated with the mackerel stock. It is imperative that pressure is applied to Iceland and the Faroes to cease their unsustainable fishing operations and come to the table with meaningful proposals to resolve the impasse. With that in mind, I am seeking a joint approach by Norway and the EU on appropriate measures to address the current overfishing of Mackerel by Iceland and the Faroes"

Concluding the Minister said "it is a good opportunity for Ireland, at the start of its Presidency of the European Union, to host these important talks and to put Ireland again centre stage in terms of our positive role within the European Union. Over seventy international delegates descending on Clonakilty for a week in mid January will bring a welcome boost to the local economy ".

#Coastguard - The Irish Times reports on the death of a local fisherman off the Waterford coast on Thursday morning in an incident that prompted a major coastguard and lifeboat search and rescue operation - six years to the day after the tragic sinking of Dunmore East trawler the Pere Charles.

The Irish Coast Guard's Rescue 117 helicopter was dispatched to before 8am along with the RNLI lifeboats from Dunmore East and Tramore to the scene off Brownstown Head after a 16-foot fishing boat capsized, throwing its two-man crew into the water.

James Tate reached the shore unaided after some two hours in the water to raise the alarm. He was later treated for shock and hypothermia.

His friend Johnny Flynn - a former member of the Dunmore East lifeboat crew, according to the Irish Independent - was found unconscious in the water by the coastguard helicopter before 8.30am, but efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

The men's boat has been recovered, and a spokesperson for the Marine Casualty Investigation Board confirmed that a full investigation and inquest into Flynn's death would take place.

The incident came just two days after four fishermen were rescued from their boat off Hook Head in Co Waterford.

Elsewhere, it's reported that a Spanish fisherman died after sustaining head injuries on a trawler off Loop Head in Co Clare on Thursday morning.

The Irish Times has more on both stories HERE.

#Angling - The Minister of State for Natural Resources has said the unchanged cost of fishing licences this year should encourage angling tourism in Ireland.

Commenting Thursday on his approval of the new regulations and by-laws for Ireland's wild salmon fishery which came into force on 1 January, Minister Fergus O'Dowd said: "Last year I lowered the cost of fishing licences and I have decided to maintain that price cut for 2013.

"I am anxious that lower costs will encourage sales of annual licences and incentivise angling tourists to avail of the Ireland’s first-class angling product."

Last week Afloat.ie reported that the Irish Times' angling correspondent Derek Evans welcomed the regulation changes for the start of this year's salmon season.

In an update to previously reported figures, conservation measures for this year involve the closure of 58 rivers due to a lack of surplus fish, down from 64 closures in 2012, while 62 rivers are open for fishing in what marks a significant rise on last year.

"This will provide opportunities for commercial fishermen and anglers to share this important resource on a sustainable basis," the minister commented.

Additionally, the Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme regulations are "in essence unchanged" from last year.

#MCIB - The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) has again advised recreational boat users to prioritise safety while on the water following the death of an angler on Lough Corrib earlier this year.

Clarifying the story previously reported on Afloat.ie, Michael Ruane died by drowning after he and angling partner Donal Coyle were knocked overboard from their small craft when it heeled over on a large wave off Annaghdown on 19 March 2012.

Coyle was treated for hypothermia after an unsuccessful attempt to search for his colleague, whose body was recovered by the Irish Coast Guard more than two hours after he entered the water.

The MCIB report into the incident found that the revolving seat used by one of the two men on board meant that "both his height above the gunwale and his position right forward may have had an influence on the handling and stability of the boat", which was not compliant with the EU Recreational Craft Directive.

It also found that while both were wearing personal flotation devices (PFDs), they were only loosely fitting - explaining why Ruane became separated from his lifejacket shortly after going overboard.

Moreover, the kill cord on the boat's engine was not used by either man, which caused them to be separated from their vessel. "The consequence of this," the report said, "was a long period of immersion in cold water which led to the death of one of the men and hypothermia of the other".

There was also a delay of more than an hour in raising the alarm as the men in the water had no means to indicate their distress. Coyle had a mobile phone but it was rendered useless by immersion.

The MCIB has recommended that owners and operators of recreational craft should be aware and follow the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport’s (DTTAS) Code of Practice for the Safe Operation of Recreational Craft. The complete report is available to download below.

Meanwhile, problems with the auto-pilot system were judged to be the trigger of events that caused the scuttling of fishing vessel Jeannete Roberta in Glandore Harbour last December.

The prawn boat was returning to port on 11 December 2011 when the skipper had difficulty switching the helm from auto-pilot to manual due to a known issue with "sticky solenoids".

While the skipper addressed that issue, the boat suddenly altered course without warning - another issue known to occur randomly - and was holed on rocks on the southern side of Adam's Island before eventually sinking.

While castigating the owner/skipper for continuing to sail the vessel with persistent navigation issues, the MCIB also noted that all six crew survived the incident uninjured, finding that all stayed calm and organised as they abandoned ship, and that all safety and communications equipment functioned as required.

#Fishing - The EU fisheries deal secured by Marine Minister Simon Coveney in Brussels yesterday has been variously described as "horrendous" and "a mixed bag" by Irish fishing industry stakeholders, as The Irish Times reports.

Yesterday Minister Coveney said he was pleased to secure "a good deal for Irish fishermen" after difficult negotiations, one "that will support our fishing industry over the coming year and which is sustainable in terms of the fish stocks on which we are dependant".

A total in excess of 216,000 tonnes of fish quotas is available to Irish fishermen in 2013 under the deal, split between more than 35,500 tonnes of whitefish and 180,000 tonnes of pelagic fish such as herring and mackerel.

But Ebbie Sheehan, chair of the Irish Fishermen's Organisation, described the deal as "horrendous" - singling out cuts to Ireland's haddock and monkfish quotas, species of which he said "there is an absolute abundance".

Meanwhile, Federation of Irish Fisherman chair Eibhlin O'Sullivan, while welcoming the increased quotas for prawns and blue whiting, claimed the agreement was "a mixed bag" for Ireland, noting that the cut in the haddock quota runs contrary to moves to bring and end to fish discards - a process the minister committed to supporting earlier this year.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.