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Eamonn Farrell via RollingNews.ie

A disputed Irish-UK territory is one of many fishing problems caused by Brexit

Both Ireland and the UK claim Lough Foyle as their own – so what fishing rules will be implemented after Brexit?

LOUGH FOYLE IS an estuary located between counties Donegal and Derry.

Its waters are home to a variety of marine life, including mussels, which attracts the attention of fishermen from the North and the Republic. But since Brexit, it’s had attention turned onto it for different reasons as politicians debate what should be done about fishing quotas, and who should have the right to use Lough Foyle.

This isn’t a problem that’s unique to Lough Foyle, but it’s one that’s most clearly illustrated by it. That’s because the water mass has been the subject of a territory dispute between the United Kingdom and Ireland since the border was first drawn – that’s a dispute that quietly continues to this day.

Although that’s a problem unto itself, it creates a new one when coupled with Brexit – when the UK eventually does leave the European Union, what fishing regulations will be put in place at Lough Foyle, and which vessels will be allowed to use its waters?

About the territory dispute

Lough Foyle Lough Foyle. Google Maps Google Maps

Sinn Féin’s Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, who’s on the Oireachtas committee on Agriculture Food and Marine, and who represents constituents on the Donegal border, explains part of the reason why the dispute has continued for so long.

“The normal way of resolving this would be to split the lake or sea in question straight down the middle - Carlingford Lough is divided down the middle for practical purposes,” he told TheJournal.ie.

But the difficulty [with Lough Foyle] is that if you have vessels going into port of Derry, you have to go through Lough Foyle, and if you split it down the middle ships and boats would have to go on the Irish government’s side of that line in order to take the safest navigation channel.

“This wouldn’t be an issue for commercial vessels, but it might be an issue for navy vessels, for example.”

He believes that is the unofficial reason why there is still a territorial dispute at Lough Foyle, but that a workaround is still possible.

Enter Brexit 

Earlier this year the British government announced that UK waters would only be available to British vessels and trawlers when they pull out of the European Union.

Although a trade deal has yet to be struck between the UK and EU, it’s likely that the two negotiating teams won’t find much to compromise on the subject of fishing, as “taking back control” of UK waters was one of the main reasons why the UK voted to leave (though it was somewhat overshadowed by the debate around immigration).

In July, the UK environment secretary Michael Gove announced that the UK would be withdrawing from the London Fisheries Convention 1964, an arrangement that was incorporated into the EU Common Fisheries Policy.

The deal allows neighbouring countries to fish right up to each other’s shores in line with historic fishing practices. Unless the UK agrees a new deal with the EU, the UK’s withdrawal from the Convention means that Irish vessels won’t be allowed to fish in UK shores and vice versa.

This will be particularly problematic for Lough Foyle, where, up until now, there was no need to decide where UK and Irish vessels could fish, as they both abided by EU rules.

Mac Loughlin says that many fishermen he’s spoken to are “deeply concerned about Brexit”.

Only 5% of all fish caught in Irish waters is produced or processed in Ireland, he says, citing a European Parliament figure.

“Around 40% of the catch from the Irish fleet is caught in UK waters. If you lost that type of catch it would be devastating.

Irish waters are badly squeezed as it is in terms of fish going to foreign quota. A lot of fishermen going to UK waters and have their own fish squeezed too.

He says that the policy of voisinage should be kept – on the provision that the Irish government legislate to exclude multinationals from the arrangement.
“Irish mussel businesses, mostly multinationals, are coming in through this loophole to hover up the mussel beds, which is a national resource.

“The Irish government has failed to legislate to close this loophole against multinationals and still allow small boats from Northern Ireland to fish.”

In relation to Lough Foyle and Northern Ireland’s fishing boats, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine said that up until now, ”the fishery has operated on an all-island management basis” between the Republic and Northern Ireland.

Following a Supreme Court judgment, the Department has been looking at how the judgement can be applied to the fishing industry.

The judgement recommended that permits should only be issued to Irish sea-fishing boats doe sites subject to domestic legislation.

It also added:

An in-depth review has been undertaken of the particular situation in Lough Foyle in view of the fact that domestic legislation does not currently afford the mussel producers there an opportunity to secure an appropriate consent for their aquaculture sites.

Open waters

The worries for Ireland’s fishing industry don’t quite end there.

If the UK does close off its waters to foreign vessels, which it is likely to do, it means that other foreign vessels that previously fished there will most likely turn to Ireland as their next fishing spot.

That’s already something European fleets are aware of – nine EU countries including France, Germany and Spain have already banded together in a newly-created European Fisheries Alliance and have warned of steep losses to fishing hauls if divorce proceedings turn bitter.

European fleets obtain one-third of their catch in the exclusive economic zone around the British Isles, and loss of access to those waters could cut their profits in half in the short term, the fishing alliance says.

In the long term, EU fleets could lose a combined 500 to 600 vessels if they were excluded from British waters, representing up to 3,000 fleet jobs.

From 2011 to 2015, European fleets caught 700,000 tonnes of fish and seafood in British waters, valued at about €612 million, the NAFC said in a report published in January.

British vessels, by contrast, caught just 92,000 tonnes, valued at £110 million, in other EU waters.

MacLoughlin reckons that this will be used as a negotiating chip in Brexit talks – if the UK allows a certain amount of EU ships into its waters, it will get something in return (a better trade deal, for example).

But at the moment, there’s a real battle ahead for Ireland’s fishermen.

Ireland’s fishing industry would be destroyed if the UK government do what they say they’ll do.

Read: Ireland calls UK withdrawal from fisheries agreement ‘unhelpful and unwelcome’

Read: The government wants to open up Ireland’s exclusive fishing boundaries – and Senators aren’t happy

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    Mute Philip Kenna
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    Mar 10th 2013, 5:50 PM

    What are these people thinking!

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    Mute Terry Morgan
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    Mar 10th 2013, 5:52 PM

    Profits!

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    Mute Justin Devaney
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    Mar 10th 2013, 6:21 PM

    It’s only a matter of time before I see a cow in a tiny pair of speedos covered in fake tan in a field flexing his muscles.

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    Mute mohamad oconnor
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    Mar 10th 2013, 7:05 PM

    Beef is so last year 2013 it’s all about horse!!

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    Mute richardmccarthy
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    Mar 10th 2013, 11:36 PM

    Hey leave my horse outside

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    Mute Mike Clinton
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    Mar 10th 2013, 5:51 PM

    How many steroids does it take to turn a cow into a horse ?

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    Mute Stephen Church
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    Mar 10th 2013, 5:58 PM

    Ask sarah jessica parkers plastic surgeon ?

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    Mute Mike Clinton
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    Mar 10th 2013, 6:01 PM

    @ Stephen…
    Oh dear Jases, I havn’t laughed that much in ages . 10/10

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    Mute damien foley
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    Mar 10th 2013, 6:04 PM

    how many does it take to turn u into ass

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    Mute Mike Clinton
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    Mar 10th 2013, 6:05 PM

    Or for you to kiss mine !!!

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    Mute Griffosaurus
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    Mar 10th 2013, 6:16 PM

    JasuZ damo who pissed in ur cornflakes…..

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    Mute Little Jim
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    Mar 10th 2013, 9:31 PM

    Mad for ass that lad, mad for it..

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    Mute Dave Murray
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    Mar 10th 2013, 6:40 PM

    This is arguably worse than the horsemeat scandal.
    Irish beef is such a fantastic product, I’m surprised the IFA even let it get this far.
    I mean, is this not Angel Dust by a different name?

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    Mute dermot ryan
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    Mar 11th 2013, 12:50 AM

    The I.F.A. have a turnover of 44million and a retired cop on his pension as its leader …what makes you think that the I.F.A. care about farmers, farming or indeed the consumer …………. think Jack O’Connor and you have the I.F.A. …in my opinion ..
    It’s as simple as this folks this is being done to open up the american beef producers to the european market and to hell with the consequences , the same thing happened when the original CAP was introduced but in that case it was the brazilian beef market and the result ? ………. rainforest destruction and no tarriffs put on Brazil ! …….It’s only a matter of time before drones fly over Ireland !

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    Mute Barry McSweeney
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    Mar 10th 2013, 9:57 PM

    It is worse than the original article describes.
    “At the same time as it scrapped illegal steroid use from cross compliance, the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament also dropped water quality from the same system of checks and balances.”

    So while “feck it up” Phil is making rural dwellers pay for their septic thanks, his European colleagues want to lower standards. Can I have my money back, Phil?

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    Mute Stephen murphy
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    Mar 10th 2013, 7:07 PM

    Proof of the lobby groups power in Europe, We’re a member of a Cartel!

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    Mute Mary Kavanagh
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    Mar 10th 2013, 6:55 PM

    Short term greed, long term loss and when it all goes belly-up who’ll pay the tab? Why, the tax-payer, of course.

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    Mute Eoin Darcy
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    Mar 10th 2013, 6:56 PM

    Why are we in the eu again?

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    Mute Begrudgy
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    Mar 10th 2013, 9:57 PM

    Grants for farmers.

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    Mute Harvey Lumpy
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    Mar 10th 2013, 8:38 PM

    So they are saying to the farmers go ahead and break the law to make higher profits and we’ll continue to pay you to do it. Muppets. It would be very shortsighted of farmers to do this.

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    Mute Barry McSweeney
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    Mar 10th 2013, 7:58 PM

    No-one knows what happens in the European Parliament which is why these bastards can get away with murder.
    What have the Eurofanatics eg Brigid Laffan to say about this?

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    Mute chair man
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    Mar 10th 2013, 6:33 PM

    I see that they haven’t learned from the horse/beef scandal ….

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    Mute Justin Devaney
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    Mar 10th 2013, 6:41 PM

    I wonder will Ikea put steroids in their shit cakes?

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    Mute Barry McSweeney
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    Mar 10th 2013, 8:42 PM

    Where were our farming organisations in all this?
    Still bullshitting us that Irish meat can be trusted from “farm to fork”? While they picket Coveney’s office for more money.

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    Mute Michael Roughan
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    Mar 10th 2013, 10:56 PM

    Eat any meat at your peril, they are all pumped with hormones, antibiotics , growth promoters, animal vaccination , etc. they you kill them when they are in a slaughter house, pumping with animal adrenaline on top of all the chemicals. No wonder people’s body chemistry has changed for the worse

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    Mute Michael Gorman
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    Mar 10th 2013, 10:02 PM

    That it I’m finished with Irish beef going to Tesco’s and get English beef at least it wont have that shit in it.

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    Mute Ciaran MacAoidh
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    Mar 10th 2013, 11:06 PM

    This isn’t about Ireland, it’s about the EU and England is in the EU too.

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    Mute Michael Gorman
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    Mar 10th 2013, 9:59 PM

    That finish’s me with Irish beef only English beef from Tesco’s from now on it cant be any worse than this irish shit.

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