A fool and his money are soon parted

Although the saying ‘a fool and his money are soon parted’ first occurs in 1587 in the writings of John Bridges, an earlier version appears in Proverbs (NET):

“Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no intention of acquiring wisdom with it?”

Either version is certainly apt when it comes to the Irish mismanagement and EU abuse of the rich waters of Ireland.

Editorial comment,

Cormac Burke, Irish Fishing & Seafood Alliance

When Ireland signed up to the European Economic Community (E.E.C.) in 1973 surely no one in the Irish fishing industry could have foreseen how bad things would turn out as the ‘economic community’ became the european ‘Union’ and took on an entirely different political persona to the one that started with simple promises of economic protection to its members.

Of course the 1973 Irish government weren’t so naive to not realise that in doing this ‘deal’ to join the EEC they were in fact sacrificing a big slice of the massive resource within Irish waters but it was deemed worth the loss when compared to potential economic benefits for other Irish industry sectors (agriculture to name one) for investment, development, markets, and the European ‘pot’ of grant aids to flood Ireland to repair roads and create new infrastructure.

But the reality is that, for major European powers observing, particularly those in the fishing industry, the sight of Paddy from Ireland coming down the road with ownership of the golden goose (in the form of priceless sea areas) must have evoked images of the boy looking to sell the family cow and being conned into trading for a handful of magic beans instead of real value.

Home to roost

For quite some time it did appear that the EEC/EU deal had indeed been good business - - and EU investment flowed into Ireland in the form agriculture grant aids and funding for infrastructure.

But the reality was that no one was seriously monitoring the activities at sea and that so many other EU members had begun ‘filling their boots’ in harvesting fish from Irish waters.

Perhaps it was, in the late 1970s and into the 80’s, because the Irish fleet was enjoying a reasonable EU allocated quota in their own waters so as to remain profitable whilst operating a sustainable fishing industry, that little notice was paid to the growing number of ‘foreign’ vessels in Irish waters.

But gradually over time a sinister trend was emerging where allocations from the EU every December announced quota percentage fractions up and down in various areas, but always done in such a complicated manner so as to veil the fact that the shares given to other Members States in Irish waters was slowly increasing while Ireland’s share in its own waters continued to decrease year on year, and continues to do so to this day.

As the decades passed, whenever Ireland raised complaints about their quota share, the EU Commission would suggest that the Irish fleet must be reduced in numbers to fit the available quota and subsequently they [EU] gladly provided grant aid money to Ireland to carry out such decommissioning schemes (three times in 20 years)but, no sooner than the fleet was reduced then another EU quota ‘adjustment’ would see the Irish quota in Irish waters reduced once again, putting Irish fishermen back in the same situation they were previously in.

Across the board

While the Irish whitefish fleet continues to suffer this ever-decreasing circle to this very day, the Irish pelagic sector which were once considered international leaders in these fisheries, have seen their quotas reduced so much that their entire year’s work at various different species (such as mackerel, scad, blue whiting & boarfish) is completed within just ten weeks, after which they must tie up for the rest of the year and watch on as Dutch factory ships and other non EU nations continue to harvest Irish fish from Irish waters.

In some regards this article may be preaching to the choir but for those of you readers not already aware of Ireland’s situation it should be enough to understand that unofficially the EU no longer recognises ‘Irish’ waters and the sovereignty of such and that everything is ‘EU waters’ to do with as they please.

With this in mind readers please note the following few examples:

• last year non EU nation Norway, after concluding a deal with the EU (that brought almost zero benefit to Irish fishermen) were given an EU blue whiting quota in Irish waters of over 200,000 tonnes while Ireland’s quota for this same species in the same Irish waters was approximately 60,000 tonnes. And it is now strongly believed that additional EU / Iceland talks are ongoing for a similar deal in Irish waters;

• The EU allocates Belgium, a country with a coastline smaller than Co Louth, a black sole quota in excess of 700 tonnes for Ireland’s Areas f & g while the Irish fleet, in its own waters, are allocated 50 kilos per vessel per month - - equating to, per annum, Belgium 700 tonnes versus Ireland 33 tonnes;

• As demersal vessels with flags from Spain, France & Germany, but many of them owned by companies in the Netherlands, work all year around off the Irish coast, allocation of quotas from the EU for Irish fishermen means Ireland is now only allowed 14% of Irish fish from Irish waters.

• As far as Irish fishermen are concerned, the EU’s use of scientific advice for quota allocations has also become suspect - - as seen in recent years, with for example, Irish vessels being denied fishing their traditional grounds on the Porcupine Bank for a period of time in a stock conservation move, but the same advice issued by the same Commission, permitted Spanish or French vessels to continue to operate on these same grounds during that same period with no word of stock conservation concerns.

Data for everything - everything except the facts

Isn’t it strange that of all the mountains of statistics produced by consecutive Irish governments and by the EU Commission over the last 50 years not one single report informs us on the exact value of fish taken from Irish waters every year… and it’s difficult to even get an exact figure on the true volume of fish taken from Irish waters every year as, on top of all the quota taken by Member States’ and non EU vessels in deals, it is widely suspected that there also exists many vessels from various EU nations (yes, EU vessels!) undertaking illegal fishing operations in Irish waters, going unchecked every year.

According to assets.gov. “Being part of the EU's Single Market makes it easier for Irish businesses to trade on European and international markets. Ireland has received over €42 billion in funds since we joined the EU”

So, €42 billion sounds impressive - - until one begins to realise that the EU fleet and non EU nations that the Commission does ‘deals’ with has taken at least €1 billion per year for each of the past 50+ years - a value that continues to increase year by year.

If that sounds far fetched then remember that, of the blue whiting fishery alone, mostly all of it off the west coast of Ireland, last year the international fishing fleet took 1,700,380 tonnes whilst Ireland’s allowance in these same Irish grounds was approximately 60,000 tonnes.

Giving away another ‘Irish’ golden goose

And so while Ireland continues to go to great lengths to pretend to its citizens that a mammoth cock-up has not been, history appears to be repeating itself in recent years as a marine version of a ‘land grab’ is underway as renewable energy companies (almost none who are actually Irish-owned) are in a bidding war for Irish government-issued licenses for Irish marine sites to erect wind farms that will not only take away another golden goose from Ireland as the the profits from these ventures will again see profits from a resource owned by the people of Ireland going into the pockets of non Irish companies and, in the process, these sites will also displace many Irish inshore vessels from traditional fishing grounds that they have worked for years.

Ireland has, in recent months, established a new coalition government with new ministers in some briefs, and already some Irish MEPs have become more active in Brussels in highlighting the crisis in the Irish fishing industry but they, and this new Irish Government, must remember the words of the EU Fisheries Commissioner Sinkevičius two years ago during a visit to Ireland when he said that there “is no appetite for changing of the Common Fisheries Policy amongst EU members” - - obviously not when everyone else has their snouts in the trough of Irish waters while the Irish fleet and everyone in the Irish fishing industry ancillary sectors go hungry…

Clearly Ireland has many challenges for its fishing industry, and clearly the other EU Member States have no intention of relinquishing what by now they see as their ‘entitlement’ in Irish waters…

… but Ireland must urgently seek, by all legal means possible, recognition of the continuing injustice and highly suspect division of quota shares being carried out by an EU Commission that many believe has been infiltrated by those with political and commercial interests widely outside that of the proclaimed EU ‘community’ spirit and are certainly not in the interests of ‘protecting’ Ireland as an EU Member State.