According to Killeen there should be a comprehensive fisheries control and inspection framework. At the Fisheries Council in Luxembourg Minister of State Killeen said that his main priority was to secure measures that will give our fishermen confidence that there is real intent and the necessary tools in place that will address illegal fishing in the waters around our coast.
It is told that these measures will help to deliver the level playing field on control that is necessary to rebuild fish stocks and protect the livelihood of our coastal communities which are fully dependent for their future on healthy fish stocks fished sustainable by all operators in our waters. He believes that these new measures are not a threat to Irish fishermen who have already moved substantially to a culture of compliance. As fisheries are a common resource it is vital that all operators from all EU fleets respect the rules.
It is the duty of every citizen to rebuild the fish stocks by implementing conservation measures and tackling illegal fishing by fleets in our waters which is the major cause of the decline in our fish stocks and quotas. The new Regulation introduces a new and common approach to control, from net to plate. It will cover every stage in the process that sees fish caught, landed, brought to market and sold.
Minister of State Killeen informed that he was satisfied that here early this morning we have delivered a strong and effective new regime that will support the accurate recording of fish catches and detect and help prevent infringement of conservation rules.
