Ireland’s fishing industry leaders have warned that the country faces a full-scale economic and environmental crisis, as 2026 quota cuts and ongoing overfishing by non-EU fleets threaten to devastate coastal livelihoods, processing jobs, and the sustainability of key fish stocks.
At a hearing of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Marine Affairs on Tuesday, 14 October 2025, representatives of Ireland’s main fishing organisations described the situation as “unprecedented” and “existential”, warning that inaction from the European Commission has left Ireland defenceless in the face of systematic quota inflation by Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Russia.
Brendan Byrne, CEO of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association (IFPEA), told the Committee that the scale of the 2026 catch reductions, including a 70% cut in mackerel, 40% in blue whiting, and 22% in boarfish, amounts to “four years of Brexit losses condensed into one”. Byrne said the impact on Ireland’s processing and pelagic sectors would be “catastrophic”, adding that the European Commission has failed to use its legal powers under Article 1026 to defend EU fishing interests.
“Europe has the legal means to respond to unfair competition through trade and market restrictions,” he said. “Yet the Commission has refused to act, while fleets outside the EU continue to exploit shared stocks far beyond scientific advice. Ireland’s pelagic industry is being hollowed out in real time.”
Overfishing by Non-EU States
Aodh O’Donnell, Chief Executive of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO), said the crisis stems directly from uncontrolled overfishing by non-EU Coastal States. “In one week alone in 2023, Norwegian vessels caught 40,000 tonnes of mackerel; more than Ireland’s total quota for the entire year,” he said. “These nations have collectively taken over one million tonnes above scientific advice in the past five years. The EU has to stop rewarding them with access to our waters.”
O’Donnell warned that without immediate sanctions and fair quota-sharing arrangements, Ireland’s pelagic sector, one of the most efficient and modern in Europe, could collapse within a year. “Our vessels can’t survive on paper quotas while others take freely from shared resources,” he said.