Mr. Denis Maher:

The Chairman wanted me to expand on the proposal for legislation. A memorandum on the proposal will go to the Government shortly, after which the proposal will go for public consultation. The 1959 Fisheries Act is 53 years old and of its day because it is based on legislation that predates the founding of the State. It is increasingly no longer fit for purpose. The legislation we are proposing contains a number of key elements, one of which is the decriminalisation of some of the minor offences contained in the Act. It is hoped we will introduce a system akin to the penalty points system, rather than continuing to criminalise infringements and waste court time with minor offences, some of which have been committed inadvertently. Another key area relates to invasive species which have the potential to destroy native species. As there is no legislation on invasive species, legislative provision must be made on this issue.

We spoke of perceptions in terms of protecting the fishery resource and illegal fishing. As Deputies are aware, we are in an era of tightening resources. We would like to legislate to create a fisheries reserve. Inland Fisheries Ireland staff at local level will speak about the enthusiasm of anglers and boat skippers for helping to protect our resource. Legislating to create a fisheries reserve to act alongside our inspectors would create opportunities for Inland Fisheries Ireland to deploy its resources more effectively, for example, by using surveillance technology rather than constantly patrolling rivers. These are some of the main elements of the legislation, the main purpose of which will be to modernise the existing Act which is old and increasingly unfit for purpose as it is based on legislation that dates back more than 100 years in some cases.