The decision by the Government to ban eel fishing for 90 years is another excessive response to a concern expressed by the European Commission about the management of eel stocks in the EU.
This was stated by Independent MEP Marian Harkin when she described the action of Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources as the kind of overkill already seen in over designating ‘Special Areas of Conservation’ and bogs.
“The artificial outrage of Fianna Fail politicians at the Committee on European Affairs this week which debated the eel ban, suggests that the Green Party has a majority in the Oireachtas and in the cabinet where this unrealistic and unfair eel fishing ban was decided”, she said.
She continued:- “No other country in the EU has imposed a ban on eel fishing. The response of the Irish Government is not based on good science and is a bureaucratic response to the current problem – it seems to be a matter of “it’s just too much trouble to assess the situation properly and propose a workable solution – let’s just ban it”.
“This is totally unacceptable and I have written again to the EU Commissioner on this matter to see if he has any influence with the Irish Government. There are 200 eel fishermen whose livelihoods are at risk and many others in downstream jobs. At a time when so many people are losing their jobs, it is beyond belief that the Minister would take action to axe several hundred jobs in this industry.
“It is clear that the Minister and his officials have disregarded every single suggestion put forward by the fishermen. This makes a mockery of the so-called consultation process and seems to be a case of – “Yes of course we will consult you, the EU requires us to do so and then we will ignore you”.
“Time is running out, the Minister and the Department need to get their act together. They need to listen to the fishermen and to the Oireachtas European Affairs Committee, they need to reverse the ban on eel fishing and put in place various measures to help the recovery of eel stocks”, Marian Harkin concluded.
