A delegation of small-scale fishers from five EU member states, including Ireland and the UK, met representatives of the European Parliament and European Commission gathered in Brussels to discuss fair access to fisheries and low impact fishing practices.
Chairperson of the National Inshore Fishermen's Association Michael Desmond said they sought to establish common ground and a collective course of action with EU counterparts.
"During the discussions with Portuguese, Swedish and French representatives, we realised their plight is a mirror image of ours regarding the distribution of pelagic quotas to the inshore sector by our respective Governments," Mr Desmond said.
This week's event was organised by the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) and Blue Ventures and co-hosted by MEPs including Luke Ming Flanagan and EU Commission representatives.
A spokesperson for LIFE said the discussions provided an opportunity to discuss "the vital yet often overlooked role of small-scale fishers" at a time when the EU is conducting a public consultation on the effectiveness of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) regulation".
"The discussions centred on the ongoing injustices faced by small-scale fishers, who continue to be disadvantaged by an unfair system," they said.
They added the closure of targeted fishing for high-value species like pollack in the Atlantic, while by-catch remains permitted highlights deep inequalities in fisheries management, leaving small-scale fishers struggling to sustain their livelihoods
President of the Low Impact Fishers of Europe Gwen Pennarun said: "The species that sustain our diverse small-scale fisheries have significantly declined, and even when stocks are abundant, as in the case of bluefin tuna, quota distribution remains opaque and unfair."
The discussions in Brussels heard calls for the "gap between policy and practice" to be bridged and for Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) to be fully implemented by Ireland and others.
Article 17 of the CFP mandates that EU Member States allocate fishing opportunities based on several criteria including social, and economic circumstances.
"Full and effective implementation of Article 17 requires more than the use of transparent and objective criteria by Member States when allocating fishing opportunities," MEP Luke Ming Flanagan said.
"It requires concrete incentives for low impact fishing practices that make fishing opportunities genuinely accessible in practice, and not just in theory, to the small-scale fleet, which makes up the vast majority of the EU and the Irish fishing fleets".
The NIFA delegation met a cross section of Irish MEPs including Mr Flanagan, Nina Carberry, Barry Cowen, Michael McNamara, Ciaran Mullooly, Kathleen Funchion and Billy Kelleher.
Mr Desmond said the NIFA delegation "had constructive dialogue with Irish MEPs who agreed to meet with us to discuss the need for immediate financial supports for the beleaguered forgotten sector that inshore has become".
