Fine Gael has called on the Government to explain why it has abandoned its commitment to seek at EU level to ban "flag of convenience" fishing vessels from Irish waters. Under this system Spanish fishermen can take fish from Irish and British EU catch quotas by registering and flying Irish or UK flags.
The promise to seek a ban at EU level was published in the 1997 Action Programme for the Millennium, published by Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats. However, it has been "quietly dropped" from the recent review, according to Fine Gael's spokesman, Mr Michael Finucane, who has sought an immediate explanation from the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods.
"Flagships have always been a serious issue for the fishing industry here", Mr Finucane said. "With whitefish stocks off the south and west coasts suffering particularly badly from over-fishing by non-Irish vessels, it comes as a serious blow to our fishermen to see that the Government is unwilling to fight for their rights."
Flagships or "quota-hoppers" are vessels which take advantage of another member-state's fishing quota to increase their catch under the EU Common Fisheries Policy.
Some 150 such vessels on the British register have been working in these waters, as have a dozen here, and the majority of arrests by the Naval Service relate to flagship activity.
The EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr Franz Fischler, has been urged by both Irish and British industry representatives to take action on the issue, following a recent House of Lords ruling which allowed 97 Spanish flagship operators to apply for compensation for attempts by a former Tory government to curtail their activities. The compensation awards may cost the British taxpayer up to £100 million.
"I can only assume that the House of Lords ruling has deterred this Government from pursuing its commitment," Mr Finucane said.
"The Minister should be pursuing this at the highest level with the Commissioner rather than simply rolling over and playing dead in the hope that nobody will notice."
