The European Commission has put forward a “concrete and specific package of measures” to ensure Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) compliance that will see some Irish fishing fleet quotas slashed by thousands of tonnes, as The Irish Times reports.
The move announced today (Monday 15 February) follows a formal inquiry into the State’s application of CFP rules, the findings of which were delivered to Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue before Christmas.
It’s understood that overfishing of quotas for mackerel, horse mackerel and blue whiting between 2012 and 2016 will be subject to a “payback procedure” in future quotas.
And weighing of catches will now have to be done upon landing at the quayside instead of later in processing facilities, after investigators found suspected incidences of tampering with weights in a 2018 audit.
The State’s failure to implement the penalty points system for CFP infringements is also the subject of infringement proceedings by Brussels.
The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.