Martin Ferris (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his presentation. I concur with the remarks of Deputy Pringle. Each year we get a report suggesting it is hitting the floor and then the Minister comes back with a great success. This is a game plan and it does not wash with me. I imagine it does not wash with anyone who has been involved with the fishing sector over the years.

Let us consider area VII. It includes Dingle, Kilmore Quay and many other areas along the south coast that are being hit. These areas are the poor relation when it comes to fishing. They are being hit again and this will have a major effect. Are there other fisheries that have not yet been tapped into? I am specifically referring to spurdog. I have organised public meetings all along the south coast from Kilmore Quay to Fenit. Everywhere I go I am told that the waters are thick with spurdog. Fishing spurdog has been banned. This even applies to those who are potting. They are coming up in the pots and there are many of them. Is this not an opportunity to help those in the inshore sector who are having a terrible time? Should they not have an alternative? There could be many advantages if it was possible to have it opened up. For example, it would take pressure off other sectors such as lobster, crayfish and people involved in gill netting. They could have another source of income. It should be considered for smaller inshore fleets and smaller boats. They could attain some sort of sustainable income. Then, there is the question of bass. This is a thorn in the side of many fishermen. Boats from other jurisdictions are able to fish bass, albeit outside the 12-mile limit, yet we cannot catch bass in our waters. This is coming up at all the meetings.

The Minister referred to a figure of 86,429 tonnes for mackerel and said it was up by 10,500 tonnes. How will this be distributed? Are we going to have the same allocation of quotas as in the past? In many areas they were political allocations ring-fenced for certain people. This is a chance to try to do something. I am not at all concerned about the 23 or 24 millionaire big boats. I am concerned about the fisherman who works out of Ballycotton or Youghal, over as far as Helvick Head, Dingle, Castletownbere and so on up as far as Rossaveel and back to Kilmore Quay. They are trying to make ends meet.

A quota is a huge problem. There is nothing but reductions again this year. In regard to cod in the Celtic Sea, there is a minus 68% proposal; megrims, 28%; monkfish, 12%; and prawns down by 9%. I know these are in negotiation but there will be cuts again. It is destroying a way of life. Some mechanism has to be found to try to protect that way of life not to force people into the opportunity to decommission and get out of the industry as has happened in the past. This has had serious social consequences for coastal communities. Is there any way the spurdog industry could be started up again? I understand there is some research going on to see will it go. If it does that would give people with small boats a good opportunity to stay in the industry.