Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and his officials from both the Department and the Marine Institute. Proposals always make bleak reading at this time of year. Negotiations will take place at Council level. I am concerned that the prawns or Nephrops are not included in the assessment. What is the potential impact of this? I am glad the Minister outlined in his statement that he will defend the existing allocations, presumably based on the scientific interpretation of the Marine Institute. I hope the proposals can be countered very strongly. The prawn fishery is a very significant one right around the coast. After the mackerel fishery, it is our second most important. It is critical that it be defended, particularly where every demersal species faces a cut. Megs and hake appear to be the only two demersal species in respect of which an increase is proposed. The Minister has been consistent in recent years in defending the argument for increased allocations because the science backed up his positions. However, the proposals affecting haddock, monkfish, cod and whiting have been crippling. We often hear the debate pitting the scientific argument against anecdotal evidence gleaned from experience on the ground. Such evidence suggests cod is much more plentiful this year because of the recovery plans. It is a question of how the circle will be squared. How can the scientific advice justify a proposal to cut haddock quotas by 75%? This seems very severe.

How does this subject link with maximum sustainable yield? There is always a balancing act. Ultimately, fishing communities will have to buy into the idea of maximum sustainable yield. In the herring fishery in the Celtic sea, short-term pain has yielded a longer-term gain for the industry. The idea that maximum sustainable yield is factored into the proposals is significant but even more significant is communicating that to a community that is entirely dependent on demersal species. It is the whitefish fleet proposal that affects that vast majority of communities right around coast. It is encouraging to note the increases regarding the pelagic species. Mackerel is extremely important to the Irish fishing industry but, in terms of numbers, bodies and even the inshore fleet, which comprises 85% or 90% of registered vessels that fish quota species, it is the critical demersal sector in respect of which the greatest cuts are proposed. Could the Minister take the opportunity of tying the concept of maximum sustainable yield, which is a noble but painful objective, to the proposals? His doing so would be worthwhile.

With regard to mackerel, which is being debated at a higher level in the European Union, I am concerned we may be tempted into a deal whereby we might again see a short-term gain in terms of the TAC but a detrimental result for the Irish fishing industry in the longer term. Could the Minister comment on that?