A new scientific study on pollack is urgently needed so that accurate and up to date stock data can be collected to properly inform fisheries management, according to The Irish Islands Marine Resource Organisation (IIMRO).
The recent closure of the pollack fishery based on ICES advice is causing a disproportionate social impact on island and inshore fishing communities.
IIMRO states that the current advice is based on a new stock assessment benchmark which used a flawed survey methodology that should never have been accepted. It has resulted in the closure of the pollack fishery across a huge sea area from the West of Scotland to the French coast. Such a drastic and socially destructive action based on flawed data will not improve the stock or any conservation objectives.
‘Pollack has become one of the few remaining species we were permitted to fish on our Islands,’ said IIMRO chair Jerry Early.
‘We cannot accept the flawed scientific data behind this fishery closure and we offer to work hand in hand with the relevant bodies to provide accurate data.’
The pollack closure has recently been highlighted by fourteen-year-old fisher and IIMRO member Muireann Kavanagh, who is based on Arranmore Island, Co. Donegal. She has fished pollack with her uncle for the past two seasons from a small boat using a darróg.
This is a traditional wooden frame for holding the line and the six hooks used to catch pollock from the inshore waters around her island home. This highly selective and low-impact fishing method provides a high-quality catch for sale and local consumption.
‘Fishing is in my blood,’ Muireann Kavanagh said. ‘I don’t see why I am being forced to stop a tradition that goes back hundreds of years in my family. It looks like my future has been decided for me.’
IIMRO PO members are offering to participate in a new scientific programme to collect line caught pollack samples from inshore waters which will give realistic data on pollack stocks around the Irish coast and improve data for pollack management.
