An unfolding development in the fishing industry is causing concern among the shellfish sector.
Strangford MP Jim Shannon MP has expressed concern at the ROI imposition of a 6-mile limit on the NI Fishing Sector around the ROI coastline.
He said: “It seems that this all started over the mussel fishing sector when the ROI unilaterally closed the fishing ground to boats from Northern Ireland. The agreement that was in place is one which was signed back in the 1960’s by the ROI with the UK and applies to NI Fishing boats.
“It is with great dismay that ROI has taken such drastic action without consideration or discussion with the NI Fishing sector. The ramifications of this decision now reaches out towards all fishing trawlers operating in the 6-mile disputed waters.
“It is imperative that the Republic of Ireland and UK come to an arrangement that enables both fishermen from both jurisdictions to be able to fish in the waters of both jurisdictions as they have been doing for the past number of years.
“In the past both NI and ROI Producers’ Organisations had a good working relationship – this cooperation for mutual benefit is what is needed now more than ever in the past and I support the Fishermen in their calls to have this ban overturned.”
Dick James, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Fish Producers’ Organisation, said: “There was an agreement in the 60’s which was an exchange of administrative letters called the Bonisage Agreement giving equal access around the Irish coast to the ROI and Northern Ireland fishermen
“However, mussel fishermen in the North had been collecting seed mussels from areas such as Galway and depositing them in settled areas along the Northern Ireland coast for harvesting at a later date.
“As the seed got scarce this became a limiting factor as both jurisdictions competed for the seed mussels. One court case recently which went up to the ROI Supreme Court overturned the Bosianage Agreement. However, it will require an act of parliament in the ROI to make this official.
“Fishermen from the North now cannot fish on the East Coast or the South East, and in the South West and North West. These are now a number of no-go areas and in the North up to fifty mussel boats are affected.
“The ROI government previously could not establish a quota for mussels and this decision to shut out the Northern boats may make their administration a bit tidier. But they are losing out too as for example, half of the mussel boats in the Skerries are registered in the North. It will certainly affect their own fishing too to some extent.”
Mr James added: “We have the situation too where Northern registered boats fishing static gear ie pots for crab an lobster will also have to stop fishing these waters in the ROI. These ten boats now will have to find somewhere else to fish and that could cause congestion along our local fishing waters.”
In a world of uncertainly following the UK EU referendum, fishing interests are becoming very nervous. In the ROI quite a number of mussels boat licenses have been bought by the more bullish Dutch owners and this too adds to the difficult political mix in trying to sort out this problem in a corporative way.
