Minister Dooley visits Defra headquarters
UK Fisheries Minister Daniel Zeichner met his counterpart Timmy Dooley, the Republic of Ireland’s minister of state for fisheries and marine, in London last week.
According to the Irish Government, the ministers discussed ‘issues of mutual interest’ including competition for the use of marine space, increased challenges facing the seafood and fisheries sectors, and the need to manage the seas in a more sustainable way.
Timmy Dooley raised Ireland’s ambition to develop a national Designated Marine Area Plan for offshore renewable energy, and its intention to designate 30% of its seas as Marine Protected Areas by 2030. He also spoke of Ireland’s desire to find ‘a mutually agreeable way forward’ on Rockall, where fishing access is disputed.
Both ministers are said to have recognised ongoing work by the EU and UK on sustainable fishing and rebuilding stocks, including through the EU-UK Specialised Committee on Fisheries.
Ireland will take on the presidency of the Council of the EU next year, and Minister Dooley indicated an aim to progress the EU Commission’s evaluation of the CFP Regulation and the Vision 2040 for Fisheries and Aquaculture.
Following the meeting, Timmy Dooley said: “I very much welcome the opportunity to have met Minister Zeichner today and, following in the spirit of our leaders, strengthening the relationship between our two countries and, indeed, our two departments.”
This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.50 here.
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