From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue today attended the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg where there were a number of important fisheries items on the agenda.
Amongst those were an exchange of views on the EU priorities for the upcoming ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna) meeting in Cairo.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue welcomed the positive stock assessment for Northern Albacore tuna and the significant increase on the current total allowable catch.
Speaking at Council today Minister McConalogue said:
“Ireland calls to reopen a discussion within the EU on internal reallocation of the EU’s Bluefin Tuna quota in light of the new management plan and the recent adjustment to the ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna) sharing arrangements.”
Another important aspect of the meeting were contributions from Member States on the ongoing negotiations in respect of the Baltic Sea 2024 Fishing Opportunities Regulation. Minister McConalogue welcomed the progress that had been made by the participating member states on the Baltic Sea 2024 Fishing Opportunities Regulation.
Minister McConalogue will attend the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture Food and the Marine later this week, 25 October, to present the Sustainability Impact Assessment in relation to 2024 fishing opportunities for Ireland. This is an important step in Ireland’s preparation for the annual fisheries negotiations and is an opportunity for the Minister to hear the views of the Oireachtas Committee before the negotiations commence later this month.