Irish fishing leaders are in Brussels to seek the support of MEPs "on the changes needed to prevent the collapse of their industry".
Key stakeholders in the fishing sector have formed a new alliance called Seafood Ireland to collaborate on a way forward for the industry.
Seafood Ireland said Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority figures shows vessels landings fell in value by €37m in 2023 when compared to the previous year.
They maintain Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) statistics show a similarly bleak picture with a 82% reduction in gross profit of the fishing fleet last year.
Seafood Ireland includes the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO), Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO), Irish South & West Fish Producer's Organisation (IS&WFPO), Irish South & East Fish Producers Organisation (IS&EFPO) and the Irish Fish Processors & Exporters Association (IFPEA).
Aodh O'Donnell of the IFPO says the future viability of the fishing and seafood industries are under serious threat.
"We are witnessing adverse impacts across the board, from inshore boats to the largest vessels, targeting pelagic species such as mackerel and herring. This includes the entire onshore fish processing sector which has suffered huge losses in turnover."
"Unless immediate action is taken, there are fears of widespread business closures and that many Irish fishermen will permanently leave the industry.
"Meanwhile, non-EU members such as Norway, persistently overfish our shared migratory stocks of mackerel," Mr O'Donnell added.
Seafood Ireland will meet with MEPs from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Sinn Féin, as well as Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly.
Chief Executive of the KFO Dominic Rihan says the alliance members will present a position paper on key challenges facing the industry.
"We will also be making clear calls for action on mitigating the impacts of Brexit and reforming the Common Fisheries Policy. It’s time our share of EU quotas reflected our 12% share of the waters."
Chief executive of the IFPEA Brendan Byrne says they want urgent action to address the huge losses being faced by the fish processing sector.
Mr Byrne says profitability across the board is reducing at an alarming rate with some companies suffering a three-fold decline.
He said several fish processors have already closed with the loss of 151 jobs since the start of this year while other companies are downscaling and reducing employment.
"Ireland could lose 30%-40% of its fish processing capacity within two years without direct action," Mr Byrne added.
He gave a stark warning this year is set to be "the worst year in the history of Irish fish processing."
Chief executive of IS&EFPO John Lynch says they will urge MEPs to seek the implementation of the latest recommendation of the Common Fisheries Policy Report.
"We need to place the Irish fishing industry back onto a level playing field with our European partners, after the disastrous Brexit outcome for our sector," Mr Lynch said.
Ireland has no representation on the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries (PECH) which deals with the review and planned reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.
The Chief executive of IS&WFPO Patrick Murphy says the industry’s presence in Brussels at fisheries negotiations is limited.
"Our industry is forced to rely on its own sources for information and quite often is 'in the dark’ on the progression on legislative proposals and the state of negotiations."
Mr Murphy says they "want the Government to establish an integrated hub and point of contact at the heart of Europe in Brussels to act as a conduit for information between the administrative officials and the industry."
