Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, says the increased mackerel quota secured for Ireland at the EU Fisheries Council will be worth an estimated €4.5 million to the local economy.
The Donegal TD says mackerel is a massively important species for the local fishing industry, and for employment in Donegal with 98% of the catch landing in Killybegs.
“For every €1 of value added by mackerel, the economy benefits an additional €0.59 in the supply chain and in consumer sectors.
“Fish processing is big in Donegal as are the support industries. I fought extremely hard to make sure we got an increase in our fish quota.
“The big gain from the EU Fisheries Council this week was mackerel, which is going to have a significantly positive impact on the Donegal economy.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, pictured at the EU Fisheries Council with the President of the EU Agriculture and Fish Council, Luis Planas Puchades.
“Killybegs is the largest fishing port in the country, and this week’s development is a major boost to the town and to the local fishing sector,” he added.
Reflecting on the two days of negotiations in Brussels, Minister McConalogue said he was delighted to have secured a positive outcome when we finished our talks on Tuesday morning.
He added “The final outcomes represent a balanced result overall for the key fish quotas for Ireland. We have increases for a number of our important commercial stocks, including Nephrops in the Porcupine Bank, Celtic Sea Monkfish, and Megrim and North-west Haddock and Whiting. Restricted, by-catch only TACs have been set for vulnerable stocks to help them recover.”
Commenting on the outcome of the EU-Norway bilateral agreement, the Minister said: “I welcome the continuing downward trend in the level of Blue Whiting used in the EU’s quota transfer to Norway as well as the level of Norway’s access to fish Blue Whiting in European waters, particularly those waters west of Ireland. Ireland’s contribution to the Blue Whiting transfer for 2024 is less than the four per cent cap I established in previous years. In addition, the traditional level of Norwegian access to EU waters is also reduced to approximately 41 per cent for 2024.”
“The timely conclusion of the EU’s negotiations with Third Countries will provide certainty for our fishers and allow them to plan their activities for the year ahead. I would like to thank fishing organisations’ representatives for their engagement and work throughout this process as well as the long hours and work of my team in securing this positive outcome for Irish fishers for the year ahead.”
