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

I will speak about some of the other issues. Hake preferences and prawns are not applicable because when the hake preferences were negotiated in the 1980s prawns were not considered an important enough fishery to be covered by it and it would be impossible at this stage to have the scope of hake preferences extended to other species. There is huge resistance, even though it is one of the instruments in our tool box for getting the best possible outcome. It is very resistant and is not even a guaranteed card to play but extending it to Nephrops would not be possible.

Brexit is in many respects a different debate to the one we are having today. Bearing in mind in the context of the referendum, as Deputy Pringle knows better than most, the expectations of the fishing community in the UK were elevated higher than those of any other community, if the UK were to leave with its territorial waters and jurisdiction over them I fail to see an opportunity. We catch 38% by volume and 36% by value of the effort of the Irish fishing fleet in the UK territorial waters. If we are displaced from that by the stroke of a pen when Brexit negotiations conclude we and all others who fish in those territorial waters will move into smaller waters chasing a finite resource. That can only have calamitous consequences for us. I raised the longstanding fishing practices of the Irish fishing fleet over generations last week when I met Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsom, on Brexit related matters in the UK.

While she prefaced her remarks by saying that these matters are subject to negotiation between the UK and the European Union, she did acknowledge traditional fishing practices. This obviously raises the Voisinage issues, which were also discussed and on which we hope to have progress. I brought a memo to Government today on drafting legislation. If possible, I hope to have that legislation published before Christmas and, with the assistance of Members, to have that legislation passed through the Houses of the Oireachtas early in the new year. Brexit is an enormous challenge, particularly if the UK decides to go and take for its exclusive use its own territorial waters.

Deputy Ferris also raised the issue of bass. This is an issue of the scientific evidence as well. All that is left is the angling opportunity for bass, which is restricted. There is no commercial fishery and unlikely to be for quite some time, based on the science.