THE Irish Whale and Dolphin Group has backed a ban on trawling by vessels greater than 18 metres length inside the six mile limit.
A public consultation is open until April 12th seeking public and industry opinion on fishing with trawls inside the six nautical mile (nm) zone and the baselines.
The public consultation offers four option – no change to the status quo (no restrictions); all sea-fishing boats excluded from pair trawling inside the six nautical mile zone and baselines; all sea-fishing boats over 18m in length overall excluded from trawling inside the six nautical mile zone and baselines, or all sea-fishing boats over 15m in length overall excluded from trawling inside the six nautical mile zone and baselines.
The IWDG is asking the minister to take the option to ban all trawling by vessels greater than 18 metres length inside the 6nm limit and the baselines.
The IWDG says it believes this option to have the greatest conservation value ‘balanced with fairness to the fishers’.
The IWDG claims that uncontrolled fishing of sprat and other forage fish in inshore waters by large pair trawlers has caused huge environmental harm by removing thousands of tonnes of fish which otherwise would be available for whales, dolphins, birds and predatory fish.
‘This targeting of a vital trophic link is both environmentally destructive and damaging to the inshore fisheries sector,’ it said.
‘This public consultation gives us a unique opportunity to have our voices heard and to influence the Minster’s decision in what will, we hope, prove to be a very important conservation measure.’
The consultation document can be viewed at tinyurl.com/v9v2zhz4
