Iceland is in “advanced consultation” with European Union officials on a deal allowing access to Irish waters to catch EUR 22.5 million (USD 24.6 million) worth of whiting stocks, according to Irish Fish Processors Organization (IFPO) CEO Aodh O Donnell.
O Donnell criticized the negotiations, saying the deal will have “no reciprocal benefit for Ireland.”
A spokesperson for Iceland’s Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries confirmed to SeafoodSource that the country is “exploring closer cooperation with the E.U. on fisheries.”
“Iceland maintains an active dialogue with other countries bordering the Northeastern Atlantic on all issues regarding fisheries,” the spokesperson said. “Sharing of straddling stocks such as mackerel, redfish, and other stocks, as well as bilateral exchange of quotas and access for fishing, are among the topics of these negotiations. Bilateral agreements have been made with other countries such as Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Norway. During the last 12 months, there have been talks with the aim of exploring closer cooperation with the E.U. on fisheries. No further comments can be made on the topic at this point.”
According to O Donnell, Ireland has suffered from decisions made in Brussels on access for Britain and Norway.
“The E.U. already threw Ireland under the bus when it came to Brexit, as we took the hardest hits,” O Donnell said.
Ireland was forced to decommission 39 vessels in the wake of Brexit due to restricted access, according to O Donnell, while Iceland’s and Norway’s fishing industries continue to expand.
O Donnell is a leading critic of fishing quota deals between Iceland, Norway, and the European Union. In a rebuttal, Norway State Secretary Vidar Ulriksen has told Irish fishery organizations to focus their frustration on the European Union.
Photo courtesy of Aodh O Donnell/LinkedIn
