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

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh na hoifigigh ar fad atá anseo tráthnóna. Is é an cúlra a bhaineann leis seo ná gur tháinig daoine a bhíodh ag plé le sruthlíonta chugainn ag rá nach raibh an tslí beatha traidisiúnta a bhíodh acu fós acu, agus nach raibh rogha malartach curtha ina áit. Baineann sé go mór le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta os rud é gur tháinig formhór na ndaoine ó Oileán Árainn. Bhí siad ag iarraidh go ndéanfadh muid an cás go mbeadh cead acu dul ag plé le sruthlíonta arís. Mar is eol don údarás, mura mbeidh obair le déanamh ag pobal na n-oileán agus ag pobal an chósta - mura mbeidh saothrú le fáil - ní bheidh aon phobal ann, agus muna bhfuil aon phobal ann ní bheidh an Ghaeilge ann.

The background to these hearings is that some fishermen from Arranmore did not take up the buy-out package as to do so would have required them to affirm that they would never go out drift-netting again. They attended the joint sub-committee and spoke to us. This is about the vulnerability of coastal communities, which has come to the fore in the context of the challenge of up-siding in other people's interests. Deputy Pringle is from the constituency in question. The fishermen's position is that the sea is full of fish, which they do not have the wherewithal to get at. They do not have piers to go out to the deep sea, they are not allowed to fish salmon and they are ill-equipped to fish year-round for other species.

We must consider this on a cross-agency basis. It is a pity there are no representatives in attendance from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine or the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, as one of the most significant deficiencies is the lack of infrastructure. The chief executive of Údarás na Gaeltachta raised a fundamental point when he referred to licences but I raised an even more fundamental one in a previous incarnation, which was that, with the exception of Inishmore, there are few significant fishing licences in the islands. That is for the simple reason that piers were not built on the various islands in time for them to acquire the licences in the first instance. When I was Minister, we were trying to build a pier on Arranmore and got as far as the design stage. I think the project has run into the sand. Tory Island had no significant pier until approximately ten years ago. Inishmaan had nothing that one could reasonably call a pier - it had a slipway. Inisheer had a very poor pier at which boats could not be left during the winter. Despite the fact that these islands are sitting in the middle of the Atlantic, many of their communities do not have the wherewithal to fish. They lack either the necessary quotas or licences.

As I have only five minutes, I will focus on a few issues. What is the potential to increase the output of shellfish by semi-farming it? I use the term "semi-farming" to refer, for example, to Údarás na Gaeltachta and its ownership of the oysters in Kilkieran Bay where, since it took over from Gael Linn, there has been good co-operation with the local co-operative. Mussel farming in Killary Harbour uses absolutely natural mussels which attach themselves to ropes and is not done in the traditional way. What is the potential for inshore fishermen to increase their income through the various aquacultural processes, including V-notching, which do not rely purely on nature but are developed in a natural way using nature's own tendencies?

Seaweed has been mentioned only in passing today. What is the potential for inshore communities to develop low-volume, high-quality products from seaweed? What do we need to do on seaweed rights? There is a saying in Connemara about "spite feamainne" and neighbours who are having a dispute. In the lore, an argument over seaweed rights is more bitter than any other argument. Is there anything we can do through the Marine Institute to create further natural products, exploit different types of seaweed and move up the market chain? Údarás na Gaeltachta knows my view that seaweed was a high-volume, low-value product for years, which I was anxious about. Údarás na Gaeltachta is now seeking to move up the chain to a higher-value product. Is there more we can do with seaweed?

Given the constraints on fishing, is there more we can do on marine leisure? Where does that fit into the picture? Given that the sea is not privately owned, will coastal communities have a role in renewable energy? If tidal or wave energy production develops, will it be the preserve of large multinationals while local communities have a purely employee role in the sector? Is there significant potential to use the sea to create renewable energy?

Can Mr. Whooley clarify something? He referred to an upsizing of companies. There are many small processors operating in small, isolated communities that employ people here and there. Does he envisage a consolidation of the processing industry or is he talking about all of these small companies growing while a few large ones emerge in parallel? I would be very surprised if someone were to suggest that we should get rid of highly successful niche companies which have established high-value, low-volume markets for their products. It would fly in the face of what is happening in the land-based food industry, where we have Kerrygold and Glanbia operating alongside a hugely expanded artisan food industry. Where does BIM see us going in that context?

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and a graph has been circulated which refers to 1,614 boats under ten metres in length. We are here to discuss the owners of those boats today, not the owners of the large boats. This whole issue is about the small boats. How do we sustain those people and their communities?

I have one question for the Marine Institute involving special areas of conservation. From memory, I believe a bay must be surveyed before an aquaculture licence can be issued. As a result, there are significant delays in issuing licences. What is BIM's role in issuing licences and preparing bays, particularly bays which are special areas of conservation, for licensing? There was a reference in another context to a competent authority. Regarding compliance and special areas of conservation, including Cuain Chill Chíaráin and other bays, what is the competent authority? Is it the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority? Does it depend on the species?

My understanding is that there is one agency appointed by the State which has the competent authority to rule on whether a person is in compliance with SAC legislation-Natura 2000, which appears to be always a huge barrier.