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

I thank the members for their engagement on the issues. They will appreciate that it is a very technical area. I welcome the input from members and all the stakeholders. Last Friday in Clonakilty, I had a very useful engagement with all the producer organisations, POs, and the environmental pillar. That was an important voice also. Ultimately all stakeholders have a fundamental interest in ensuring the viability and sustainability of the industry. That is based on science and sometimes the science does not tell us what we would like to hear, but we ignore it at our peril. Obviously we feed our science into the deliberative process through the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES. I understand Ireland has been a member of that council almost since the foundation of the State. Its job is to provide a rational basis for the level of fishing that is sustainable.

We have some issues with it and argue on those points, but the industry itself acknowledges the evidence on quotas in certain areas. For example, it agreed to restrict the fishing of nephrops in the Porcupine seabight several years ago. As a consequence, stocks in the area have returned and there is a proposal to double the outtake in the next year. That will be a help, although there is a proposal for an overall 9% reduction.

There are other areas of science that we do not dispute and where fisheries will be closed. If we overfish, we run the risk of doing permanent damage to fishing opportunities in the industry. That industry is located on the periphery. If fisheries go, there are not many alternative enterprises available to people. It is my ambition to deliver the best possible outcome for the industry in what are seen as challenging circumstances.

I thank the committee for facilitating this engagement.