The European Fisheries Alliance is calling on the European Commission and EU member states to adequately prepare for all scenarios, including implementing a suite of mitigation measures in place in the event of a hard Brexit.

It says measures must be aimed at protecting fleets, fishing communities and the value chain.

The European Fisheries Alliance (EUFA) which was established less than two months after the British vote in June 2016 to protect the interests of fleets from national organisations in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden.

The alliance accounts for over 18,000 fishermen and 3,500 vessels with an annual turnover €20.7 billion ($23 million).

It's a theme taken up by Irish trade body the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation.

The trade body is calling for a suite of mitigation measures for fisheries to be spelled out clearly by the Irish Government in the event of a hard Brexit, something it said hasn’t been presented in any detail anywhere until now.

The producer organisation said the government should "move might and main to ensure the best interests of a sector which sustains 14,500 jobs and is worth €1.15 billion ($1.31 billion) to the Irish economy, are vigorously protected."

The likelihood of the UK leaving Europe without an agreement on the terms of its withdrawal may have increased after lawmakers this week overwhelmingly rejected a deal overseen by British Prime Minister Theresa May.