Sean Kelly MEP on our bass conservation measures

[JimH]

Ireland's ban on commercial bass fishing. Read what MEP Sean Kelly has to say about it in THE MARINE TIMES.

Remember it's election year

[yappo]

Here's a link.

http://www.seankelly.eu/news-and-events ... -tac-kelly

Yappo

[shortcircuit]

Very dangerous talk from Kelly there. On the one hand bigging up our conservation efforts- but on the other saying that because of them we deserve a good place at the trough !

[salar]

"TACs would unfairly benefit countries with the most complete records of landings. Due to us having had conservation measures in place for a long time, we wouldn't have a track record and if the TACs were to come in, it could discriminate against a country like Ireland which has already done so much in this area. I ask that any potential moves towards TACs would recognise Ireland's unique position in this regard, as it would send a bad signal for conservation measures in general were Ireland to be penalised for having no track record."

These two sentences sum up the apalling record of Ireland's fishery rights within the EU. Despite contributing one of the largest and most valuable fishery blocs to the EU, Ireland's allowed quota of its OWN fish is miniscule because it was based on a track record which almost non-existent because historically it had little control over its its own fishery policy.
Ireland's eu entry negotiators that went along with this in the 1970's were uninformed and naive idiots and I have seen nothing since then emanating from the political classes to change my opinion on that.