Proposed Northern Ireland prawn quota cut reduced
The European Commission' s proposed 17% cut in the 2010 prawn quota for NI fishing fleets has been reduced to 3%.
Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Michelle Gildernew took part in negotiations in Brussels as part of the December Fisheries Council on Tuesday. The minister said the reduction represented a saving of over £4m for the local economy. Ms Gildernew said: "We have done a huge amount of work to reach the deal in the past 24 hours." The minister said she had also pressed for an increase in the Irish Sea herring quota which was raised by 10%. "As well as the increase in herring stocks, we reduced the decreases they had proposed for both the haddock and cod as well," Ms Gildernew said. "We also looked at a review of the Irish Sea and a different management system for the industry."