O’Donnell to Tell TDs: Sector Faces Existential Threat
Aodh O’Donnell, Chief Executive of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation, will deliver a stark warning to Oireachtas members next Tuesday: without immediate government intervention, Ireland’s seafood sector could collapse within twelve months.
Speaking before the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs at Leinster House on 14th October, O’Donnell will outline the devastating impact of proposed EU quota cuts — 70% for mackerel, 41% for blue whiting, and 22% for boarfish. The Celtic Sea whitefish fleet faces an even bleaker prospect, with cod, haddock, and whiting quotas set at zero catch.
“This represents an existential threat to our pelagic fleet and coastal communities,” O’Donnell is expected to tell committee members during the 11:00 a.m. hearing.
Government Action Required
The IFPO chief will press the government to invoke the CFP’s Hague Preferences mechanism to protect Ireland’s share of key stocks through a coordinated all-of-government approach at EU level. He’ll also demand urgent re-engagement with the UK and Scotland to restore access to Rockall — a traditional fishing ground critical to the whitefish fleet.
On the domestic front, O’Donnell will call for a comprehensive overhaul of licensing policies to help vessels maintain viability while reducing their carbon footprint.
EU Must Act on Overfishing
The IFPO wants the committee’s backing for tougher action against non-EU coastal states. O’Donnell will demand trade sanctions against Norway and the Faroes for what he describes as years of systematic overfishing of shared migratory stocks like mackerel.
He’ll also call for Norwegian access to Irish waters west of the country to be blocked — or made conditional on compensation in fish quotas for Irish fishermen.
Central to his submission will be a demand for an emergency financial support framework to prevent mass redundancies across the catching and processing sectors.
Communities at Risk
The message to TDs will be uncompromising: decisive EU action is needed now, or fishing communities nationwide face devastating economic and social consequences. The clock, O’Donnell will warn, is ticking.
The hearing begins at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 14th October, and is scheduled to conclude at 12:15 p.m.
