Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and his officials to the committee again. I am sorry I was delayed but we had two votes in the Seanad. I have read the Minister's contribution and the attached documentation. The most worrying aspects, which are outside our control, are the European Commission's proposals on horse mackerel and mackerel quotas. The Commission seems to be using that quota as a bargaining tool for Iceland and the Faroes. The Minister has gone through the implications. I thank him for the detailed work which, in conjunction the Marine Institute, BIM and other agencies, has provided us with today's update. It is important for this committee to be aware of developments and we have been briefed in that respect.

How does the Minister see this matter panning out given the commission's standpoint? What is the timeline involved? If these quota reductions are implemented there will obviously be a quota reduction as well as a drop in income for the Irish fishing and processing sectors. Some of the proposed cuts will be catastrophic.

I am not sure what discussions have taken place with the European Commission, so perhaps the Minister can outline them and what the next steps are. Are member states being asked to make submissions to the Commission?

Mr. Patrick Barry, a fisherman who went missing off the Wexford coast recently, is in all our thoughts and prayers. His family must be going through a most painful experience at the moment.

I wish to acknowledge the excellent work of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and the Naval Service in detaining the Dutch vessel Annelies Ilena. The ship was detained 100 miles north west of Tory Island and the case if before the High Court today. While I do not wish to refer specifically to that case, a large number of huge factory ships are currently operating in Irish waters, including the north west coast in particular. Those vessels were previously fishing in Mauritanian waters off the coast of Africa, but they have been expelled from that area. As a result they are now off our north west coast and are effectively hoovering up horse mackerel and mackerel. I support the efforts of the Department, the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and the Naval Service in this regard.

Fishing industry representatives in Killybegs think that shoals of fish are being caught and graded by such factory vessels, while smaller fish of less value are being discarded. That is happening on a wholesale basis. The Minister has our full support in tackling that matter.

If there is any more information he could provide, I would be grateful.