Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

If the committee has received it, I have not seen it, but I apologise for saying nothing had been received.

With regard to the total allowable catches, TACs, for next year, every year we go through a phase where doom and gloom is predicted in December, but then the negotiations take place and it never turns out quite as bad as had been proposed initially and the result is deemed to be good. Perhaps we should pursue a different tactic and try to right some of the historical wrongs done to the Irish fishing industry since our entry into the European Union. Perhaps we could achieve more in terms of protecting our fishing industry rather than seeing it cut constantly by adopting a tactic on the proposed measure and highlighting it consistently. Perhaps we could rebalance some of the disparities in terms of what we can access in our waters, as opposed to what other fleets can catch in our waters.

Some of the proposed cuts are startling, particularly the 21% reduction for white fish and prawns, the 12% reduction in the Celtic Sea and the 44% reduction in the Irish Sea. However, we know that it will not end up as bad as that, because of the negotiation process that takes place. The Minister did a very good job last year and held out for as much as he could and we expect he will do the same again this year, because he is committed to the development of the fishing industry. This process highlights how this system works and how false it really is. The scientific evidence is given, the Commission puts out its proposals and there is a lot of toing and froing. We need to look at a different way of doing it and to consider rebalancing it so that Ireland can achieve some real benefits from the stock and potential we have. I understand this is a difficult task and that it will be hard to achieve, but if the Minister does not start on that road, he will not be able to achieve the aim of protecting the industry as much as possible.

With regard to the herring quotas, the management plan for the northwest is welcome. There will be some reductions in the initial years, but the plan will pay dividends in the long run, as can be seen from the experience in the Celtic Sea. It is good the industry has put forward proposals on this and that the plan has been accepted. It is the only way forward, but will probably involve a few years of reductions

However, the potential is there to be seen and there can be increases in the future. A sustainable fishery can be brought back, which would be of benefit to everyone.