The Minister for Communications and the Marine, Dermot Ahern, has denied entering an agreement with the Spanish government on fishing rights in the "Irish Box".
Mr Ahern admitted he was under pressure to allow Spanish fishermen more access to the exclusion zone, but said he resisted the pressure.
"I was being put under extreme pressure to come to a gentleman's agreement with the Spanish in relation to this, which in effect would have meant more fishing effort by Spanish trawlers in the area particularly around the west coast of Ireland," he said.
"I refused to do that and the industry exhorted me to refuse. I could have come to a gentleman's agreement, but I didn't, because I felt it was the wrong way to go."