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

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh ár gcuairteoirí. Tá brón orm go raibh mé beagáinín deireannach ag teacht isteach, ach tá go leor rudaí ag tarlú inniu.

Is dóigh liom gur fiú go mór dár gcuairteoirí teacht anseo agus is dóígh liom gur cuireadh fáilte croíúil rompu, ach is dóigh liom freisin go gcaithfidh siad ceist a chur orthu féin agus go gcaithfidh muidne ceist a chur orainn féin an bhfuil muid sásta an obair chrua, thar tréimhse fada, a dhéanamh le difríocht a dhéanamh, mar ní thagann athrú thar oíche sa Teach seo. Tá sé spéisiúil gur tháinig na toscairí anseo inniu, ar lá go ndearnadh cinneadh tábhachtach san Eoraip breathnú i ndiaidh na bhfeirmeoirí beaga ar bhealach níos fearr ná mar a bhíothas ag breathnú amach dóibh go dtí seo. Tháinig an cinneadh sin ón gCoimisiún. Mar sin, is féidir athruithe móra a dhéanamh, agus teastaíonn athrú an-mhór ó thaobh an cur chuige ó thaobh cúrsaí iascaireachta de.

The chart at the end of the submission says it all. A total of 75% of the boats are less than 10 metres but, like everything else, if their catches were compared to those of the large boats, the breakdown would be 90:10 or worse and that is the nub of the issue. If we are to pursue this path together, we must first arrive at a cross-party consensus. We will then pursue a line that many people will say is attractive but will never succeed. A short effort will be put in and then it will be dropped. A fundamental change in how we do business is needed.

When I was first approached by this organisation, I was interested in a number of basic concepts. The first is the concept of de minimis. In other words, we are forever micro managing the small operators but, in many cases, the larger operators are governed by the same rules. I recall during the drift net debate going out fishing one evening with guys in a currach to pull in the nets, which was legal at the time. It was man against nature in a big way. The reality is that over 100 years they had not managed to out-fish the capability of fish. Mechanisation and automation have made many things unsustainable and, therefore, coastal communities must fish in an area exclusive to inshore fishermen in which all the stock can be fished in the knowledge that one will never be allowed to have a boat bigger than 10 metres. The boat will be always limited in hauling in nets over a certain size. In that way, fishing by definition would be sustainable.

If we try to say we want a special deal for Ireland on inshore fishing, we are doomed to failure. On the other hand, if we said coastal communities with small boats should have first call on stocks adjacent to their shores and the same should apply in Spain, Portugal, Great Britain and other maritime countries and we worked at gathering support for that, we might succeed because we would then create a pan-European demand among such communities for a fair share of the stocks within a set radius of the shore. Limiting the number of stocks that can be fished, as Mr. Ó'Corcora said, would put impossible pressure on the remaining stocks and, therefore, the limits should be applied to the size of boats and nets and all stocks should be fished. If the change is to be made at European level, it will take five to ten years. When I say that to people, they realise if they had started ten years previously, they would be home and dry with this change to the Common Fisheries Policy. If the representatives wait another five years to come in and have a bitch at us about what is not happening and we all give out to each other about what is not happening and we say if it does not happen tomorrow, it will not happen, we will be exactly where we are now. We all have to decide whether we have a common position and, if so, whether we are willing to take whatever time it takes to achieve long-term results regarding the European input into this issue. This is a major European issue in the context of quotas, TACs and so on.

I refer to salmon fishing. Without Inland Fisheries Ireland declaring that there is surplus fish, the organisation is dead in the water but, luckily, its staff have said there is a surplus in certain areas, although there is a particular difficulty in County Donegal because there is mixed stock fishing. When I was in Cabinet we fought powerful forces on this issue, which we must recognise. The Minister at the time, Mary Coughlan, fought them. I used to always argue that none of the drift net fishermen wanted an unsustainable fishery. If they did, they were fools because they were cutting off their noses to spite their faces. However, we must recognise that to make progress, we must make alliances with those engaged in the science of this issue and work with them to come up with solutions over which they can stand in order that, internationally, we can prove we are not in any way damaging stocks. Anything else would be foolish and would not lead anywhere productive. Just saying "we want" will not achieve anything. If we tried to return to where we were, I estimate 85% of Deputies across all parties would oppose it. I recall having that argument with fishermen. I would love to see a free vote on this issue because I guarantee if we tried to return to the old status quo, it would be roundly beaten in the House. We should recognise the challenge we face. Fishermen living on the coast should have access to surplus stock as long it is sustainable. It must be done in a way that is saleable nationally and internationally. That is a major task but one on which we should work. IFI, which has responsibility for salmon rights, has a key role to play and we need to work with its staff.

I agree with Mr. Ó'Corcora on the seals. At the end of the day, there is no point making poor old homo sapiens starve while there is an overabundance of a predator that has done more than fishermen ever did to decimate stocks.

There are humane ways of dealing with culling and the issue should not be off-limits.

I was interested in what Mr. O'Corcora had to say about crayfish and what could be done immediately. He pointed out that we have a different standard from the European standard. We should direct our attention to that and try to deal with the specific issue. We should do the same with regard to bass.

I was also interested in what was said about food imports into Europe, which is an issue we could deal with instantly. This issue arose in a different context recently regarding the standards that apply to fish food imports into Europe compared to standards applying with regard to European fish. The issue arose in regard to horsemeat, where the standards that apply to the imports of American horsemeat through Mexico and Canada into the European Union are different to the standards that apply to the slaughter of horses here and the placement of that horsemeat into the food chain. If the American standards do not kill people, why do we need to have even higher standards? To put it another way, if we have a very high standard to ensure people are not put at risk, why does the same standard not apply to American horsemeat? The same issue arises with regard to fish. If we impose all sorts of high standards on our fishermen, in terms of catch, mesh size and various other standards to ensure sustainability of the seas - the seas and fish around the world do not recognise national boundaries - it would seem reasonable that Europe should insist on the same standards for imports. This should apply to all food products for consumers, whether with regard to food safety standards, environmental standards, standards on the use of chemicals or any others. The standards should be the same for all and Europe should set out clearly that with regard to the exploitation of the planet, it does not make any difference whether it happens within or without the European Union. As far as Europe is concerned, citizens should not eat food that is not produced sustainably.

I was glad to hear my colleague say that this submission was one of the best we have had and that it addressed the issues bang on the nose. One other issue that arose in this debate, which is one that has annoyed me over many years, was the theory of an alternative job. This theory is that we will stop fishermen from fishing but give them an alternative job. I have found two problems with this theory. First, most fishermen know fishing best and want to continue fishing. They do not want another job and if they are trained for another job it is not where their heart is. Second, the alternative job very often does not materialise. The ban on drift net fishing was a perfect example of what happens. The significant income that came into coastal communities from drift net fishing has disappeared, but there has been no sign of any huge growth in tourism, angling and so on. Perhaps there has been growth in the odd area, but in no way has there been sufficient growth to make up for the loss of income. Tá ceist mhór ansin.

Molaim an méid dua agus oibre atá curtha isteach san aighneacht chuimsitheach seo. Tá aontas mór eadrainn mar coiste go bhfuil toirt agus foirfeacht ag baint leis an gcur chuige atá curtha in ár láthair agus nuair a bheidh muid ag cur tuarascála le chéile, beidh muid in ann tarraingt ar an gcáipéis seo agus leas mór a bhaint aisti. An rud a tharlaíonn anseo ná go gcuireann an coiste cáipéis le chéile. An bua a bhaineann le cáipéisí ón gcoiste seo ná go mbíonn tacaíocht iomlán an choiste ag cibé cén cinneadh a thagann muid air ag an deireadh, trasna na bpáirtithe uilig, Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, Páirtí an Lucht Oibre agus na Neamhspleáigh. Cuirtear sin i láthair an Aire agus bíonn deis againn ansin, go gearrthéarmach agus go fadtéarmach, feidhmiú ar sin mar chlár oibre agus iarracht a dhéanamh torthaí a bhaint amach bunaithe ar an gcáipéis anseo san Oireachtas, ach freisin ag leibhéal na hEorpa.

Ar deireadh, is féidir linn roinnt áirithe a dhéanamh anseo sa mbaile, ach caithfimid dul i gcionn ar an Eoraip chomh maith ó thaobh na pobail cois cósta. Tá cuid d'fhuascailt na faidhbe anseo, ach tá cuid thall san Eoraip freisin. Ní bheadh a fhios ag duine ach oiread, nach bhfaighfeadh muid tacaíocht forleathan san Eoraip, ach fís soiléir a bheith againn mar pholaiteoirí céard atá uainn agus comhcheangal a dhéanamh le pobail mar a chéile ar na chóstaí ar fud na hEorpa.

It is important to know that we will put a document together. We can do a certain amount here, but we must, once we are clear on our policy - it would be a good idea to have a cross-party policy - work through our MEPs or otherwise to connect with all coastal communities and countries to try and find a common cause for the 75% of fishermen who, like those in Ireland, work in small boats and are being squeezed out, with very little effect on conservation.