Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is the type of data we hope to collect. We hope to show that this is a fish with a cyclical pattern of increase and decline every five or seven years in order to demonstrate that this is not a declining fish stock. I refer to a fascinating book which Deputy Noel Harrington might enjoy reading over Christmas. The years 1994, 2002 and 2009 show a significant breeding recruitment. We are now seeing the returns from the 2009 recruitment with an increase in the numbers of adult fish. However, we are not permitted to catch them because a new recruitment is not imminent, according to the scientific analysis. These are the technical arguments we will take up with the Commission in a couple of weeks' time. We will argue that a pragmatic solution is required. We will invite the Commission to examine the history of the stock over the past ten years and to arrive at a practical decision that does not result in perfectly good marketable mature fish being thrown over the side next year. Using the data about last year's recruitment levels to make decisions this year does not make much sense.

The main problem with the ICES, International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, calculations is incomplete data for some of the stocks. As a result, a precautionary approach is adopted by ICES and an automatic cut of 20% is applied. If complete data is not available then decisions should be made on the basis of the limited data that is to hand rather than the application of an arbitrary and automatic cut. If I have to ask the fishing industry and communities to make difficult decisions on the basis of cutting stocks because there is scientific evidence to show the need for that, then when scientific evidence shows that a cut is not justified, that needs to be respected. It cannot be both ways; cutting stocks when the evidence shows they should be cut while also cutting stocks when there is no evidence to show it is necessary. There may be some limited scientific evidence to suggest there is no need to cut stocks. I am all in favour of conserving stocks to ensure a future for our industry but I am also interested in ensuring that this only happens when scientific justification is available. These are difficult times in Ireland. We should encourage the sustainability and commercial value of our fish stocks.