Environmentalists have welcomed the decision by the Minister for the Marine to refuse a permit for commercial sea bass fishing in the Celtic Sea, The Irish Times reports.

The Friends of the Irish Environment hailed Minister Simon Coveney's retention of the total ban on commercial exploitation of sea bass stocks. 

Anglers are only permitted to keep two of such fish measuring more than 40cm in any 24-hour period.

There has been much opposition to the proposal by the Federation of Irish Fishermen to lift the ban on commerical bass fishing.

The species has been on the protected list for more than 20 years but this protection was only made permanent in 2006.