Mackerel boost for Irish fleet

Mackerel boost for Irish fleet. Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has successfully secured an increased Mackerel quota share for the Irish fleet. Following intensive engagement at the EU Fisheries Council of Ministers which began on Sunday, Minister McConalogue successfully negotiated a permanent allocation of additional Mackerel quota for the Irish fleet:- “This issue centred on the allocation and distribution of an EU mackerel quota historically linked to an agreement with Norway. This quota has been unallocated for the past two years and I was determined to reach a resolution on this issue. Mackerel is Ireland’s most important pelagic stock and the cuts due to the quota transfers under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement significantly impacted our fleet. This new, permanent allocation of Mackerel quota, while not replacing all of the quota we have lost, will be worth approximately €3 million annually for Ireland’s fishers.” This ...