Madam, - Given the astonishing history behind the shambolic EU fisheries policy and the surrender of our territorial waters 30 years ago, it is not surprising that some Irish trawlermen's anger should have spilled over into alleged illegal practices. Now it seems as if the Government's Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill is an attempt to blame Ireland's 6,500 fishermen for the actions of a tiny, exasperated minority.
Millions of tons of fish have been destroyed around these shores because of the EU discard policy - one of the most incomprehensible man-made conservation disasters anywhere in the world.
With the operation of such wasteful and unfair quota systems our fishermen are now faced with further swingeing cut-backs. Never mind that France and Spain are still taking an 80 per cent lion's share of the catch from Ireland's fished-out territorial waters.
So successful is the EU at covering up its mistakes that there is almost a conspiracy of silence among politicians and media alike. Thanks to flawed scientific data, the diktats of Brussels bureaucrats and shameless political horse-trading, the situation is getting worse. If only we could replace the Common Fisheries Policy with a system whereby coastal countries of the EU were allowed to manage their own fisheries - using the expert knowledge of the fishermen themselves.
The economic benefits to Ireland from partnership with Europe have been enormous. But the €2.5 billion a year gained by the EU from fishing our coastal waters has more than offset this. - Yours, etc,
JOE NEAL, Ballyboggan, Co Wexford.