Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The point being made is that everybody buys into conservation. What is needed is trust and the establishment of relationships. Deputy Ferris highlighted the matter of the oysters. There must be buy-in, and it is the same in any sector - for example, greenhouse gas reduction in the agriculture sector. There must be trust. If the evidence says stocks are depleted and need to be conserved, we must have a reserve area and boxes knocked off from fishing, but when the evidence demonstrates clearly, through bodies such as the Marine Institute, that it is now possible to increase fishing, that information should be utilised in the same way. Good practice and goodwill from both sides are needed. Certainly, as an ecologist, Ms Gomes will understand that there is a balance between over- and under-stocked. If one knocks that balance out of kilter one will have all sorts of knock-on problems. When a group of us went to Scotland as a sub-committee to look at various aspects of shellfish fishing and aquaculture, we saw that the Scottish Marine Science Association was looking at multi-species fish farms. This was to create a healthier environment within a fish farm - an aquaculture site - and there is a lot of research going on into that. There are many different trials, research projects and experiments going on in order to nurture the sea. It is very important. The assimilation of 22 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per day is something in which sea life plays a part, but it is very important in the context of the planet.

This discussion has been useful, but I hope Ms Gomes gets the sense from committee members, including the one who was a fisherman in another life, that conservation is also in the interests of those who depend on the sea for their livelihood. They understand it better than anybody else. On some of their practices, it has been a question of survival, unfortunately, because of the failure to use up-to-date data to allow fishermen to return to driftnet fishing where it is sustainable to do so. This failure has also forced some to continue fishing a particular species to its detriment. That must also be borne in mind when people are reluctant to use information that might allow increases in stock. Is that a fair summary of the situation?
I thank the delegates for attending the hearing and providing clear and concise testimony for the committee. The clear message from the meeting is that sustainability and economics are one and the same. What is needed is goodwill and trust between the two sides, the scientific side and the fishing side, and a balance between the big players within the sector. In many ways, this balance is the most critical factor. As we argued in our report, if the traditional under-15m vessel was to fish Ireland's shores ad infinitum, it would never damage fish stocks. That is the bottom line. In reality, that will not happen, but it shows how one could conserve stocks if there was ever a way to do it.
That concludes our proceedings. We will meet again tomorrow morning to engage in pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of the Horse Racing Ireland (Amendment) Bill 2014. That meeting will be attended by officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.