Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish we had a lot more time on this because it seems that on the shellfish side, rather than on the finfish farming side, which I will park for a minute, the vision Bord Iascaigh Mhara was putting forward was that we needed very large processing companies to make it economical and to become a player. That always raises two questions. First, who would work in these factories? Would it be the indigenous population? Therefore, is the gain quite as high as it is made out to be, especially for local populations? Second, does one have to introduce non-native species to achieve the required quantity? Is much more in-depth analysis required? If everywhere else opted for production and the island of Ireland, North and South, decided to proceed in the natural way, could one create a very sustainable industry with mussels from Killary and lobsters and scallops? Could one create, while taking local people, in particular, into account, a very sustainable industry that would support a large number of communities? Would one get the extra price in the market if one proceeded in this way?

The second question I have relates to ceist a thógadh níos luaithe. Tá mé ag féachaint ar Seán Ó Conghaile. Is í an cheist atá ann ná seo. Luadh ceist na feamainne. Bhí mise ag iarraidh a rá, dá mbeadh ceadúnais á dtabhairt amach, nach mbeadh aon chead ag aon duine feamainn a bhaint ar chladach Chonamara nó ar aon chladach eile in Éirinn murach mbeadh taithí, abair, cúig bliain nó cúrsa traenála déanta aige nó aici i mbaint feamainne den chineál áirid sin, i gcomhthéacs na hÉireann, agus, ar ndóigh, go mbeadh se mar choinníoll d'aon cheadúnas nó mar chead innealra a dhéanamh faoin scrios a úsáid.

I put forward an idea on seaweed. One could also consider this in connection with shellfish. If a licence were to be granted to somebody to cut seaweed, the cutter would either have to have a grandfather clause - in other words, five years' experience of cutting seaweed of the species in question on the seashores in question - or would have participated in appropriate training on the specific type of seaweed and the specific types of shoreline, such that he could not employ many people who would cause a lot of destruction because they did not know the eco-balance. Would this be relevant in the issuing of licences? Should it be required that the people doing the farming – I am not saying the owners – should have knowledge of the local seas and nature? If a farmer does not understand the nature of his own land, all the expertise in the world is of no benefit. One cannot buy the kind of expertise local knowledge gives one, particularly in the very dynamic and quite complex environment at the seashore.