Fine Gael has called on the Taoiseach to intervene with the EU Commission in the dispute over Ireland's fish quota negotiations. The party's spokesman on the marine, Mr Michael Finucane, said the only hope for Irish fishermen was for Mr Ahern to contact the Commission.
He sharply criticised the Minister, Dr Woods, who walked out of the annual fish catch negotiations in Brussels. Dr Woods complained of discrimination against the Republic in allocating it 26.5 per cent of the Total Allowable Catch for horse mackerel.
Mr Finucane described the walk-out as a triumph of PR over pragmatic politics. "His petulant huffing and puffing after the event cannot mask the loss of 8 per cent of quota in the crucial horse mackerel fishery, equivalent to almost £30 million in lost revenue to Irish fishermen."