Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Pikitch for an illustrative and very informative presentation. As somebody who does not have a great knowledge of fisheries, a sector on which she has expounded, I would like to ask a couple of questions. How important a role do forage fish play in the ecosystem? Will Dr. Pikitch outline the main predators that cause concern? In terms of conventional management and maintaining the maximum sustainable yield, I am somewhat confused. What are the best management approaches to achieve conventional management of forage fish? Will Dr. Pikitch explain the underlying objective which can be achieved by raising the floor in terms of biomass? What role does she see for fisheries monitoring and enforcement in achieving the objectives she set out in the complex three-tiered diagram, for example, limiting fish numbers to half the conventional rate? How does she believe this can be achieved? It is fine to have an objective, but enforcement in order to attain it is extremely important in the overall context of trying to set out what she has achieved in her scientific analysis. I would be grateful if she could try to address these questions.