Norway 'secure more out of fishing deal than Ireland'
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The EU has given Norway permission to catch four times more blue whiting in Irish waters than Irish fishermen and women are allowed.
Under the deal, Norwegian fishers can catch 224,000 metric tonnes of blue whiting in Irish waters this year — an increase of 110,000 metric tonnes on how much they were allowed to catch last year.
In contrast, Irish fishermen and women are only allowed to catch 52,000 metric tonnes of blue whiting, up from the 28,000 tonnes they could catch last year.
In return for allowing Norway greater access to Irish waters, Ireland has also been allowed by the EU to catch just over 258 metric tonnes of arctic cod and 2,640 metric tonnes of Atlanto-Scandia herring in Norwegian waters.
Norway, which already had limited access to Irish waters, wanted better access so it could catch more blue whiting
The value of blue whiting fish stocks in Irish waters, where they are of better quality and more plentiful, is estimated to be between €160m and €200m.
That figure is set to increase this year because stocks of blue whiting have increased substantially, largely due to successful fish conservation measures.
While unhappy with the lack of quota parity between the two countries, fishing representatives here say the deal has an upside to it.
It stops short of allowing Norway the almost unlimited access to Irish waters it was seeking since protracted negotiations on EU-wide fishing quotas started last year.
Irish fishing bodies feared a fear a deal could be struck by the EU — despite Irish objections — to allow EU member states greater access to Norway’s cod stocks in return.
Irish Fish Producers Organisation chief executive Aodh O'Donnell said: “Norway, a non-EU member, secured more out of the deal than Ireland.
“If you do the sums, you can see they can catch more than four times more blue whiting in Irish waters than we can.
However, Mr O'Donnell said the industry counted it as "a win" because the EU refused to grant Norway’s demand for almost unlimited access to Irish waters.
“This was due to intense joint lobbying efforts with other fishing organisations,” he said.
“Our industry united as never before to make our voice heard and we are proud of what we achieved together.
“We feel there has been a discernible shift in attitude at both Department of the Marine and EU level towards our fishing industry.”
Brendan Byrne of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association said Brexit was part of the problem leading to this latest deal.
“After Brexit, Norway was excluded from UK waters,” he said.
“That displacement brought them into Irish waters to fish their blue whiting quota.
“Ireland had already donated 40% of the EU’s quota allocation to the UK so were already the biggest losers post-Brexit.
“Norway’s increased fishing off our coast thus exacerbated an already grave situation.”
He added: “The Irish Government and the EU have taken too much from Ireland for too long in fishing, so that others can benefit.
“This has led to the total decline of our industry, while countries like Norway see massive growth in their seafood sector.”