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

I thank Mr. O'Corcora and Mr. Connolly for their presentations and circulating the document which is very comprehensive and covers many of the issues I had hoped the committee would address as part of its deliberations. The committee was tasked with drawing up a report to consider what policy initiatives could be implemented to aid the inshore fishing sector to allow people to continue fishing. Much of the focus has been on alternative industries - in tourism and aquaculture, for example. It is useful to have seen a fishing-based document and heard a presentation that demonstrate how people who want to remain in the industry could be facilitated and assisted. I hope the report, when produced, will include some of the policy initiatives recommended in the document and put them onto another plain that could result in their implementation.

It is good that there is an organisation for inshore fishermen and that their voice is represented. It is very disappointing that Ministers have not been meeting the delegates and taking on board what they have been saying. We should be able to make policy decisions that allow for inshore fishermen to remain in the industry and continue to work together. That is for the common good. Too often, people have regarded stocks as their own rather than those of the nation. We should be able to devise policy in ways that will allow everybody to have a share of the stocks and maintain their livelihoods. This is important.

The submission contains some interesting ideas on fishing seasons, closed times, etc. These ideas should be considered on a regional basis across the country. They should inform policy-making and decision-making. We should not devise a policy that excludes people; we should facilitate everybody as much as possible. Of course, there will be horse-trading and some will be disappointed, but we should definitely not specifically exclude anybody. The salmon fishing ban has highlighted this to a large extent. Fishermen can now focus only on crabs and lobsters, which makes no sense. I welcome some of the policies included in the document and hope they can be integrated into a report and included in the final report. I hope we will be able to engage with the delegates in the future and encourage the relevant Ministers to do so also.