Following the announcement by EU Fisheries Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius that he has ordered a “full evaluation” of the Common Fisheries Policy and reports that 43,000 tonnes of fish were uncaught by Member States, other than Ireland, European fishing regulations under the CFP should have a “Use It, or Lose It” principle according to MEP, Billy Kelleher, whose constituency includes coastal communities in Munster and South Leinster.
“Member States such as France have a habit of not catching their full quota,” he said. “There is 43,000 tonnes of fish, worth an estimated €177 million per annum, left uncaught by other Member States, while it is next to impossible for Ireland to access this spare quota, which would support existing jobs and possibly create thousands of new jobs in coastal communities in Ireland. I have been suggesting in the European Parliament for the past three years that spare quota should be used. A possible review of the Common Fisheries Plan must make this easier to organise. It would be of major benefit to the Irish fishing sector, which has caught its full quota and needs more quota for the industry to survive. As many as 2,500 jobs could be created if the EU re-allocated other member states’ unused fishing quota to Ireland, newly released figures show.”
MEP, Billy Kelleher, whose constituency includes coastal communities in Munster and South Leinster
Access to unused quota has previously been sought by Ireland but rejected by the EU Commission because any change to quotas would affect the Member States which don’t catch their quotas, even though the CFP has given them much bigger quotas in Irish waters than Irish fishing boats have.
The upcoming European elections, mean that the Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries will complete his term in office. Marking that, he has announced that a full evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) will be undertaken. That Policy, it is fair to say, is not liked in the Irish fishing industry because it has given non-Irish EU Member States the biggest amount of fishing catches in Irish waters and kept the Irish share so low that the Irish industry has suffered because the national fleet is not allowed to catch enough fish.
EU Fisheries Commissioner, Virginijus Sinkevičius is to conduct a full evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)
For years, the Irish industry has been seeking a complete review of that Policy, backed by a report from a Government-appointed Committee, which was rejected by the EU Commissioner. So why have the Commissioners now announced a “full evaluation”? Note those words? Long years in journalism have taught me to note the use of words, particularly in political statements. “Evaluation” – as stated by the Commissioner and “Review” as sought by the Irish industry have very different meanings. So, while there has been some welcome for the Commissioner’s announcement, there is also caution.
