Environmental campaigners call for end to overfishing

Campaigners from Extinction Rebellion and the Irish Wildlife Trust have gathered at the gates of Leinster House calling for an end to overfishing.

With two "mermaids" listing out the fish stocks that have depleted in Ireland's waters, they led a chant of "hey hey, ho ho, overfishing has to go".

Campaigners say the Government has failed to ensure sustainable fishing levels and that the inaction will lead to significant cuts in quotas.

They said the closure of fisheries must be considered in order to meet the EU's 2020 deadline to end overfishing.

The campaigners say Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed must start making difficult decisions to rebuild stocks, instead of fighting to maintain the status quo.

They said they hope he takes on board what they have called for today ahead of next week's EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council.

Pádraic Fogarty from the Irish Wildlife Trust said the fishing industry should not be concerned about losing business because if there was an end to over fishing, there would be more fish in the sea.

He described the situation as dire and said "we are looking at the total collapse of the ocean eco-system from over exploitation of fish and marine life as well as climate change and pollution".

Mr Fogarty said the prime responsibility for this was with the Minister and the Government and it was not fair for consumers to decide in supermarkets whether produce was ethical or contributing to the collapse of the oceans.