The Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, Michael Creed, revealed that the international fisheries negotiations have agreed to a 20% reduction in their Mackerel quotas for 2019.
Speaking in response to the event’s conclusion in Bergen, Norway, the Minister said: “These challenging international mackerel negotiations, at which Ireland was a central participant as the second largest EU quota holder, have been finalised today.
“The reductions reflect the available scientific advice that the abundance of this stock has declined. This level of reduction is seen by all parties as essential to ensure that the stock is fished sustainably.”
Holy Mackerel
Irish fishermen will now have a quota worth over €55 million, or just over 55,000 tonnes, directly to Ireland’s catching sector for 2019.
Mackerel is Ireland’s single most valuable fishery, and the Minister said that the agreement provides stability combined with a precautionary approach to help ensure the long-term sustainability of the stock.
“While the quota for Ireland is less than that of recent years, those quotas were unusually high by historical standards. The quota of 55,000 tonnes achieved today is in line with our historical average quota,” the Minister said.
“We must continue to be cautious with this crucially important stock. As always, industry representatives, in particular, Sean O’Donoghue of the Killybegs Fishermen Organisation were extremely helpful to the Irish negotiating team.”
© 2018 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
