Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Scientific Advice Prompts Industry Alarm A proposal to reduce the European Union’s mackerel fishing quota by 70% for 2026 has sparked strong criticism from Irish MEP Maria Walsh, who warns the move would “threaten the livelihoods of people across rural Ireland.” The recommendation comes from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), an […]
A proposal to reduce the European Union’s mackerel fishing quota by 70% for 2026 has sparked strong criticism from Irish MEP Maria Walsh, who warns the move would “threaten the livelihoods of people across rural Ireland.”
The recommendation comes from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), an independent scientific body that advises the European Commission on marine resource management. ICES cited a decline in mackerel stock size and a reduction in the number of fish capable of reproducing as the reason for the proposed cut.
Walsh said the recommendation would be “devastating for Ireland’s fishing sector,” especially in coastal communities already suffering from shrinking quotas in recent years.
Speaking in the European Parliament, Walsh warned that a 70% quota cut could result in a loss of €66 million to Ireland’s fishing industry. She noted that Ireland’s mackerel quota has already declined from over 75,000 tonnes in 2020 to a projected 10,800 tonnes in 2026 if current trends continue.
“Mackerel is worth €94 million in exports and supports thousands of hardworking families in our coastal communities,” said Walsh.
She has written to the European Commission demanding that Ireland’s quotas be protected, and has submitted a written parliamentary question seeking a formal commitment to safeguard the Irish fishing sector. She also raised the matter in the Parliament during a plenary session.
The Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO) echoed Walsh’s warnings, stating that ICES’s recommendation, if implemented, could “wipe out Ireland’s offshore fleet and devastate coastal economies.”
IFPO CEO Aodh O’Donnell described the quota cut as a direct loss of around €72 million, adding:
“These cuts will destroy our most valuable fisheries and cripple the towns that depend on them unless the EU acts decisively.”
O’Donnell stressed that sustainability is crucial, but blamed the crisis on the EU’s failure to stop overfishing by non-EU countries, specifically Norway, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands, which he accused of “flagrant overfishing of shared stocks.”
“[We need to] push the EU to apply trade and access sanctions against non-EU states that continue to overfish and threaten shared fish stocks. Market access for these rogue states should be conditional on compliance with sustainability rules,” he said.
The IFPO also criticised the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy, noting that although Ireland controls 12% of EU waters, it receives less than 6% of EU fishing quotas. The organisation is urging the Irish government to:
Provide short-term financial support schemes for impacted fishers
Push the EU to deny fishing access to non-EU fleets that fail to honour quota-sharing agreements
Call for a scientific review of mackerel and other pelagic stocks in 2026 if new data supports upward revision
The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is a globally respected scientific authority, but even its models carry uncertainty. Fish populations are notoriously difficult to measure, especially pelagic species like mackerel that are highly migratory and influenced by changing ocean conditions.
Some industry stakeholders argue that ICES’s 70% cut recommendation is overly cautious, especially if based on incomplete or outdated survey data.
To address this, groups like the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO) are calling for a review of the science in 2026, especially if new data from acoustic or egg surveys suggest a rebound in stock levels.
Walsh argued that the fishing crisis reflects broader issues with how scientific advice is enforced unevenly, with EU fleets constrained by regulations, while non-EU actors continue to exceed limits.
“Irish fishing communities are bearing the cost of the Commission’s failure to confront non-EU countries that have flouted scientific advice for years,” she said. “If we don’t act, we risk losing an industry and a way of life that has sustained generations.”
She called for a long-term plan that ensures both sustainability of fish stocks and viability of rural coastal economies, including clear support mechanisms for workers displaced by any reductions.
As EU policymakers consider the ICES recommendations, pressure is mounting from Irish representatives and industry leaders to ensure that quota decisions are fair, science-based, and equitable. The debate highlights the fragility of coastal economies, the challenges of international fisheries governance, and the urgent need for unified enforcement of sustainability standards.
The coming months will prove critical for Ireland’s pelagic fishing sector, as stakeholders push for a policy response that protects both the marine ecosystem and the communities that depend on it.
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