Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed TD today welcomed the agreement reached in London between the European Union, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland regarding the Blue Whiting fishery for 2020.
The Minister said that “This agreement provides welcome stability in this important fishery for Irish fishermen. There will be a small increase compared to 2019 with a quota of approximately 38,500 tonnes in 2020 for Ireland.”
The total allowable catch of 1,161,616 tonnes agreed between the parties is fully in line with the scientific advice provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES).
Minister Creed went on to say “In these uncertain times, stability for our fisheries sector is always welcome. The agreement reached following the negotiations this week, in which Ireland was an active participant, will provide a quota worth approximately €11.5 million for our fishermen next year. This follows the international negotiations two weeks ago which agreed to a 41% increase in the Mackerel quotas for 2020 in line with the scientific advice, giving Ireland a mackerel quota of over 78,000 tonnes worth over €80m directly to our catching sector for 2020.”
The Minster also acknowledged the assistance provided on the Irish delegation by the Marine Institute and fishing sector representatives.
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