A recommendation to ban fishing for cod and whiting in the Irish Sea is being condemned by fishing industry interests.
Scientists from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea are due to advise the European Commission and national governments on Friday that cod stocks in the North Sea, Irish Sea and west of Scotland have not recovered since last year, when it issued an emergency alert over stock levels.
The council's report will advise that there should be "zero"catches of cod in these areas until the stocks have had a chance to recover. Mr David Griffith, the Irish scientist heading the council, said the recommended total ban was "a final line in the sand" aimed at giving the species some respite. It is also recommending zero catches of whiting in the Irish Sea.
The Irish Fish Producers' Organisation said yesterday that the claim by the sea exploration council of low stock levels was a "total fallacy" and was not borne out by the experience on the Irish Sea grounds.
Mr Lorcan Ó Cinnéide of the IFPO said the EU would use the council's advice to extend its draconian and much criticised "days-at-sea" regime around the Irish coast; forcing fishermen to tie up for all but 11 days a month and putting many of them, and associated shore companies, out of business.
The days-at-sea regime applied to the north-west Irish coast last December has already had a dramatic economic impact on the north Donegal fishing harbour of Greencastle.
Last year, when the council publicised its forecast of cod stocks, there was much criticism of it for failing to take environmental factors into account in cod movements and for appearing to pin most of the blame for falling stock levels on fishermen.
Mr Ó Cinnéide called for a comprehensive review of the scientific advice and how it was arrived at. "We suspect that the methodology and conclusions of the 'science' are seriously questionable," he said.