Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the sea-fisheries sustainability impact assessment with the committee. As in previous years, a rigorous assessment has been undertaken to examine the implications for Ireland of the Commission's proposals for the fixing of total allowable catches, TACs, for the coming year. The EU Commission proposal was issued on 27 October and a number of so-called non-papers updating the proposal have issued throughout November. As the committee will be aware, the final arrangements for 2017 are due to be negotiated at the Council scheduled for 12 and 13 December. The levels of TAC and the quotas for Ireland will be determined at that meeting following intensive negotiations with member states and the Commission.

The waters surrounding Ireland are a precious natural resource containing some of the most productive fishing grounds in the EU. We have a duty of care to protect their biological richness and, as such, they must be managed responsibly and sustainably. Ireland's total allocation of quotas in 2016 amounted to 216,261 tonnes with a total value of €201 million. There are also very valuable inshore species which are not subjected to EU TACs, such as crab, whelk, scallop and lobster, and which are fished by the Irish fleet inside our 6-mile coastal zone. The process of preparing for the Council is well under way. The proposal covers stocks which are not subject to third-party international agreements and are, in the main, whitefish and prawn stocks. Stocks which are subject to ongoing international negotiations such as blue whiting and whiting in the Celtic Sea are not included in the proposal as yet.

On 19 October, I was pleased to announce that an international coastal states agreement for mackerel was finalised in Clonakilty which, economically, is Ireland's single most important stock. The negotiations resulted in a quota for Irish fishermen for 2017 of 86,429 tonnes, an increase of more than 10,500 tonnes from 2016. The agreement provides a high quota, stability and a framework to ensure the long-term sustainability of the stock. This quota is not included in the sustainability impact assessment as we must wait for the conclusion of all of the international negotiations. Negotiations have just been completed, on Friday last, between the EU and Norway. The EU TAC for blue whiting has not yet been finalised as there are further negotiations between the EU and the Faroe Islands to be concluded this week. However, it is expected there will be a substantial increase of more than 80% in Ireland's quota for 2017.

The year 2017 will see the continued phasing in of the landing obligation or discards ban. This was a central element of the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, CFP, and was agreed by all member states as well as the European Parliament. It will, in effect, phase out the dumping of perfectly good fish at sea and end the catching and discarding of juvenile fish. This is a common sense goal but the obligation comes with significant challenges. We must be determined to face these challenges head on if we are to ensure the sustainability of our vibrant coastal communities, which depend on healthy fish stocks.

One measure to lessen the immediate impact of the discards ban which was included in the CFP is that the Commission will be obliged to take account of previously discarded fish when considering its TAC proposals.

So-called quota uplift, or top-ups, was applied to affected stocks for the first time last year and will be applied again this year. I am closely examining the methodology used by the Commission to ensure that Irish fishermen get the maximum uplift compatible with stock sustainability.

Throughout this process, I have listened to a range of views on the Commission's proposals. It has become clear to me, however, that there is a common desire among all stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of our fish stocks is guaranteed for future generations. In order to achieve this, we need to engender a shared sense of responsibility and foster a willingness to approach the challenges that face us in a creative and open-minded way. We need to strive to make our fleets more efficient in what they do so as to maximise the economic return, protect the sustainability of our stocks and safeguard the future of our coastal communities.

In my view, knowledge-sharing is a key aspect in accomplishing these goals. The fishermen I have met have generations of experience and, more than most, fully understand the importance of protecting our natural resources. I hope to see continued engagement between our industry, NGOs, the Marine Institute and BIM to ensure that the knowledge is fully shared.

I would like to refer to one of the key objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy, CFP, namely, maximum sustainable yield, more commonly known as FMSY. This is the largest average catch or yield that can continuously be taken from a stock under existing environmental conditions. Our shared ultimate objective is to bring and maintain our fish stocks to levels that can deliver FMSY by 2020 at the latest. In line with the CFP, however, it must be implemented in a progressive manner if, and only if, its immediate application seriously jeopardises the social and economic sustainability of the fishing fleet.

The proposals are based on formal advice received from ICES, the independent international body with responsibility for advising on the state of fish stocks. It also takes account of the views of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, which gives the Commission its views on the economic, technical and social impacts of the scientific advice.

In order to inform my negotiations at the December Fisheries Council, I have had an assessment of the impacts of the Commission proposal undertaken. To facilitate the assessment, an open consultation process was initiated whereby stakeholders were asked to submit their comments and observations on the Commission proposal for fishing opportunities for 2017.

From 1 November, an online web portal on www.fishingnet.iewas activated to enable the transmission of electronic submissions for consideration. These portals remained open until 25 November and in all four submissions were received by the closing date. The full content of all the submissions received by the deadline will be published on www.fishingnet.ie. In addition to seeking written submissions, I convened a meeting of stakeholders on 2 December to give a further opportunity to interested parties to outline their positions directly to me on the many aspects of these proposals. As I have mentioned, there was a range of views among stakeholders. However, there were also commonalities and I agree with many of the sentiments expressed throughout the consultation process. These include a call for adherence to the available scientific advice to enable responsible and appropriate management decisions to be taken. This, however, must be balanced with the concern that major cuts to TACs could have severe socio-economic impacts. It is in that context, that I have given a clear message to the Commission that I will not support cuts unless I am satisfied that they are absolutely necessary and fully supported by rigorously assessed, clear scientific evidence.

I will go into more detail in this regard but I shall first illustrate what we are facing next week. These are some of the cuts affecting some of our important stocks: nephrops or prawns – minus 9%, which is inclusive of the Commission proposal for quota uplift; cod in the Celtic Sea – minus 68%; megrim in the Celtic Sea – minus 28%; and monkfish in the Celtic Sea – minus 12%. Following the consultation process and the expert advice of the Marine Institute, I do not believe that all of these reductions in quota are either justified or necessary. There are stocks in respect of which I can accept the cuts proposed – for example, those affecting Celtic Sea herring and horse mackerel, among others.

The Marine Institute and BIM have again this year made an invaluable contribution to the assessment of the Commission's proposal, which is contained in the sea fisheries sustainability impact assessment that is before members today. I would like to briefly set out the findings contained in that assessment.From a purely biological perspective, the Marine Institute's view, which coincides with the ICES view, is that there has been an improvement in the status of some fish stocks. However, others remain a concern, namely in the areas west of Scotland and in the Irish Sea.

The impact assessment summarises the pressure on the 74 stocks dealt with in the 2016 stock book. If anyone wants a copy for light reading, I can arrange it.