Mr. Michael Keatinge:

I think that is so. On the landings in Killybegs, the vast majority of fish caught by Irish vessels are landed in Ireland. Some of the big pelagic boats will, in some years if the mackerel are further north, land it in Norway and Scotland. I accept that, but, of late, that number has come down significantly. Nowadays blue whiting, mackerel, horse mackerel and others are predominantly being landed in Ireland. In 2013 we were able to secure an extra 65,000 blue whiting landed by Norwegian and other non-Irish vessels, which actually meant the plants in Killybegs were running well into the spring. We need new thinking on this issue.

The quota is a political battle, not one for BIM to fight, but we must focus on obtaining value for the huge resource that is available. Deputy Martin Ferris made the point eloquently that the fish in question could secure the future of coastal communities. The increase in the raw material base of 45,000 tonnes can be made up from three areas. The first is increased access to non-traditional species such as boarfish, with which we have done well, having achieved more than 80% of the quota.