25/04/2024 (Agence Europe) – Irish fishermen spoke to MEPs in Strasbourg on Wednesday 24 April about the negative effects of the recent closure of the pollack fisheries on island and coastal communities in Ireland and elsewhere in Europe. “Although pollack stocks remain high in Ireland and angling is having an exceptionally low impact, directed fishing has been closed on the basis of advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)”, explains Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) in a press release. In Brittany, French anglers have been drawing attention to the state of pollack populations for years. They proposed several safeguard measures, which were rejected. According to LIFE, the survival of the industry is now in jeopardy. (LC)