Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Whether we like it or not, and I do not, we are stuck with relative stability, under which the stock is split among countries in certain percentages. That percentage does not change. As the stock increases, we get our percentage increase. That is the way it works.

I omitted to make a point earlier which I should make, and both Deputies present will understand it because they know the fishing industry quite well from a technical point of view. Currently, we have what are called total allowable catches, TACs, but that is based on what one can land as fish. In other words, when someone catches haddock and whiting their quota is what they are allowed to legally land on the quayside.

We are now changing that to a catch quota. Currently, if one has a quota for 5,000 tonnes but 6,000 tonnes are caught, it means that 1,000 tonnes are dumped over the side and 5,000 tonnes are landed. Under the new system, if one catches 6,000 tonnes one must land it all. Therefore the quota is now based on what is caught rather than on what is landed. That means that the quota will increase overnight when one changes that system.

Currently, the science of landing quotas factors in a 30%, 40% or 50% discard rate - that is, fish being killed - in certain fisheries. If one is going to land everything, the quota has to increase correspondingly, taking account of the extra fish one is going to catch but cannot discard. That is excluding the juvenile fish, which one should certainly be able to avoid catching. Switching from a landing quota to a catch-based quota should therefore result in an increase in the quota for fishermen. It is good news even though it is a bit more complex for them in that they cannot turf over the side what they do not want.