When EU politicians burn the midnight oil over fish quotas each December, they do so in the knowledge that scientific opinion cannot be ignored for too much longer. Traditional stocks are under pressure, and that's why a £1 million programme to explore deep water alternatives is due to begin off this coastline next year.
Mora mora, orange roughy, alfonsino, forkbeard and siki shark are some of the species targeted by the programme, which aims to determine their location in hidden, largely unexploited, depths.
A fleet of up to seven fishing vessels, comprising half a dozen offshore trawlers and one longliner, will participate in the project under the direction of Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).
The programme will draw on the knowledge already gained over the past four years during deep-water trawling trials on the MFV Mary M, from Killybegs, Co Donegal, and the MFV Arctic Sun, from Greencastle, also Donegal. The vessels trawled in depths of 500 metres to 1,000 metres, mainly west of the Shetland Islands, west of St Kilda and to the north-west of Tory island off Donegal and the MFV Arctic Sun targeted grounds to the north and west of the Porcupine Bank.
Longlining in deepwater also had potential to yield mixed species such as blue ling, tusk and shark, while there are opportunities for Greenland halibut. While the Irish palate is still fairly conservative, BIM says that the demand for exotic deepwater species is growing elsewhere in Europe, particularly in France.
The Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods, demonstrated his enthusiasm for new seafood when he tasted some of the species at BIM's annual Christmas dinner in Caviston's restaurant, Glasthule, Co Dublin, earlier this month. He was presented with cardinal fish, forkbeard, argentine and bluemouth - and told that the "big eyes" on the whole fish were nature's way of allowing them to spot "lunch" in the deep, deep dark.
The fact that these species are still not subject to quota presents a major advantage, but markets will be the main concern of skippers who decide to pursue this route. The Minister has emphasised that non-quota and deepwater fish are the focus of the Government's £70 million whitefish fleet renewal programme.
All new vessels funded under the programme will be required to have a minimum of 30 per cent of these species in the total catch.
New technical measures aimed at conserving fish, subject to quota, come into effect from January 1st, and BIM has just produced a waterproof, fingerprint-proof, user-friendly guide to the measures. The regulations include definition of fishing areas, restrictions on mesh sizes of nets and their construction, minimum sizes of fish and shellfish, and areas where certain fishing activities are restricted. The colour guide is available from BIM at (01)2841544.
Also on New Year's Day, one of the State's most eminent fisheries research scientists, Dr David Griffith, takes up a new position as secretary-general of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). ICES is the world's oldest intergovernmental scientific organisation, and its work is focused on living marine resources in the Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea. Ireland has been a member since 1925.
Dr Griffith has been director of the Marine Institute's fisheries research centre at Abbotstown, Dublin, and has served as scientific adviser to the Minister for the past decade.
