CORE UNIT: REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY Under the CFP, EU fishermen have equal access to member states’ waters. Access
to Ireland’s 10 km coastal zone is confined to Irish-registered fishing vessels and vessels from Northern Ireland. In the 10 – 20 km coastal zone access is limited to some Irish and some EU vessels. From 20 – 320 km access depends on quota entitlements. Every December the EU Council negotiates arrangements for managing fish stocks. These negotiations set the total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for each fish species caught by each fishing state. Special arrangements apply to the Irish Box – a large area (100,000 km2
) off the
south and west coast of Ireland. The time spent in this area is capped for all fishing vessels to protect important young fish.
Fig. 18 Each year fish stocks are analysed to help the EU Council decide the total allowable catches and quotas for each fishing species.
15˚W
10˚W
5˚W
Fig. 19 The Irish Conservation Box and Ireland’s territorial waters
55˚N
50˚N
Irish Box Irish Conservation Box
Irelands territorial waters Edge of continental shelf