Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses to the sub-committee. I am delighted that they are here today. Within their sector, there is huge potential for development.

If we were to consider rural recreation in its widest form, from walking to angling on lakes and rivers, from cliff climbing to surfboarding and every recreational activity on sea and land, it would be possible to create 6,000 jobs, spread around the coast, which would be totally sustainable. That is a conservative estimate when everything is taken into account.

Inland Fisheries Ireland is talking about one element. We need an overall picture of what we could do with our land and marine resources to exploit them in a positive and totally sustainable way to bring people to Ireland for activities, particularly the areas best suited to this which do not have many industries and tend to be remote. I commend Inland Fisheries Ireland's approach. Work was done on the issue of rural recreation, particularly walking. We were expanding to include everything from hang-gliding to whatever people wanted to do, whether it be angling on inland waterways, walking along canals or sea angling. Inland Fisheries Ireland's figures are very impressive, but we are only scratching the surface. When people talk about areas in Britain for walking and I see what we have and our small population, I think we are sitting on a goldmine that we have not yet exploited. We underestimate how urbanised Europe has become; even Ireland is becoming urbanised and because of this people want to get out into nature again. I am delighted that representatives of Inland Fisheries Ireland are present.

Another positive aspect of the industry is that it is locally-owned. There are small owners with multiple participants between providers of tackle, services, accommodation and so on. That is why it is very sustainable. This has to form a key part of any effort to help coastal and island communities. The integrated product presents the challenge. If we want to bring people in, we have to have the accommodation, back-up services, boats and so on that they need. If one goes to a ski resort in Austria or Switzerland, there is a very comprehensive package, even though they are all private operators; everything is laid on, including equipment rental and so on, making it possible to do it whatever way one wants. We have not reached that level of integration; for example, our range of accommodation does not always match what is possible. Some people want high quality hostel accommodation, not the sort found in the 1960s but more suited to 2013. Others want to stay in hotels, guesthouses and so on. We have a lot to do in providing these choices.

The debate started because the Aranmore fishermen wanted to fish wild salmon. I have a certain sympathy for them and notice that wild salmon angling was not included in the presentation. If we are serious about alternative activities for islanders and the more remote coastal communities, this should be considered in a structured way. We set up Comhairle na Tuaithe and brought all the players around the table, including Waterways Ireland, to discuss walking and associated activities such as mountain biking. For a long time there was an argument about who might be responsible for marine leisure activities. There was an intention to set up what I would call Comhairle na Mara to do what Comhairle na Tuaithe was doing but in a water-based context; it would not confine itself to the sea but would include estuaries and inland fisheries. It would seek to bring together Waterways Ireland, Inland Fisheries Ireland and other interests to try to develop an integrated product and encourage people to get involved in this industry. Is there any talk between Departments of setting up an umbrella organisation of that type to bring all the players together to iron out difficulties because there are always some and to consider the matter in a positive way?

If one is setting up a business, one needs grant aid. There is plenty of grant aid available under the Leader programme which has funded angling boats. That was in response to individual applications, but it was not part of a master plan in which all of the elements were seen and the jigsaw was put together until the picture was complete. Has there been development in trying to get all of the players around the table, including the Leader companies, to develop a co-ordinated approach in order that there will be a drive to provide top quality services? One can market all one wants, but one can only market what one has available. It is fine to have fish in a beautiful sea, but if the backup services are not available, people will gravitate towards places where it is easy to access services and get the product, all done to a high standard and which is marketable. We have a wide variety of products, but what is being done to develop them? What could this committee do to make a detailed recommendation to the Government on how to expand on Inland Fisheries Ireland's work to reach its potential and bring all of the players together? For example, would it be a good idea for us to recommend for sea-based activities a body such as Comhairle na Mara to bring everyone together to draw up plans and mediate where conflicts or other problems arise?

This industry is particularly suited to the mind-set of people in these communities. Many rural people like to be involved in small operations. They like to be self-starters because they are used to having their own boats which they might have used for salmon fishing, the starting point for this debate. They do not particularly want to become employees. They like the concept of local control and working for themselves. This work is particularly suited to the psychology of these communities.

Would it be possible to explain the remit of Inland Fisheries Ireland? I know it deals with inland fishing, for example, on Lough Corrib and Lough Mask. However, does it have responsibility for sea angling, no matter how deep the sea or the species involved? I know it has responsibility for salmon fishing and understand this extends to wherever salmon are found within our waters.

Ms Campion spoke about perceptions and concerns.

What is the perception of intensive fish farming? I understand there is a plan to put approximately 100,000 tonnes of farmed salmon around the coast on a phased basis. I am not talking about any particular application because that is under consideration but about the larger issue of major aquaculture. If we are to follow the example of Norway in aquaculture, would that affect the perception and the quality of the product? Does it matter to people that there are major aquaculture fin-fish farms? Do they want to go to those places or not? Ms Campion said that sea-anglers fish for mackerel. An inshore fisherman in Connemara told me that where there are fish farms the mackerel are scavengers and tend to be bloated and not the kind of fish that one would want to eat because they eat the residue of the fish in the farm. I do not know whether this is true. If it is, are there other species of fish in that category? Is that a concern?

How much of a threat does illegal fishing and netting pose? There is good sense in the adage about poacher turned gamekeeper. I am not justifying illegal fishing or netting but many people feel that their livelihood was taken away and they are damned if Europe or the State or anybody is going to take away something their forefathers did. The only way to deal with that is to provide alternative activities. They could have a stake in the preservation of the fish. I recall when oysters were being taken illegally from Bertraghboy Bay. I was on the board of Gael Linn at the time and it decided to sell it to the local co-operative. Once the co-operative owned the oysters the poaching dropped dramatically because it was in the interest of the local people to ensure that seasons were observed and people did not damage the oyster fishery. How much could one reduce the incidence of illegal fishing? It will never be policed. If the whole country decided to break any law it would not be possible to police it. Most laws are policed by those who agree with the law and adhere to it of their own volition. If this industry could be developed and made profitable and the benefit lay in protecting the species, would that be a way of reducing the threat of illegal fishing and netting? I believe that when people own a resource they tend to respect it and want to preserve it, whether or not the State is watching them. The State cannot watch everything at once. This is exciting.

Finally, to the National Parks and Wildlife Services, I was reading its Natura 2000 document. We face a challenge in the way this has happened, and I have been involved with it. Except when it suits them, most people in rural Ireland see Natura 2000 as an imposition from above with no benefit and a lot of rules. It seems to say "No" to everything. If all of this protection is so important to Europe there must be some way to exploit it commercially. If people want bog cotton or salmon we must find ways with the local community of exploiting it in a positive way. Why preserve it unless somebody is interested in it? If there are hundreds of thousands of Europeans interested in this conservation, if it is so beautiful and wonderful why are they not coming to look at it? Why are we not organising for them to crawl across the bogs if that is what they want to do or to go around the coast looking at all the wonders we are preserving for them, whether they be bottle-nosed dolphins, seals or whatever? The agencies in the Gaeltacht which are linked to the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht should try to draw up a plan for a sustainable way to attract people to look at these wonders on which we spend millions of euro and for the sake of which we impose restrictions on people. There should be some new economic gain from the conservation so that the local communities can see conservation as a positive contribution to society rather than the set of "no-nos" that it seems to be.

There is a significant fear factor. When one reads the small print one is told on the notifiable actions-----