Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I realise and appreciate that. I thank the Chairman for accommodating me. I had the opportunity to read the presentations and I would like to thank the organisations. All of this can be understood by looking at the maps, the red and the green. Of course the Scottish fisherman would be most anxious to ensure that there is Brexit. Once they trigger Article 50, my understanding is that there is no looking back. After the Article 50 negotiations, the UK will realise that it is too late at that stage and that there is no going back. We are squeezed in between the red and the green. When one looks at the red, we see it is not only Irish boats which are fishing there but also other European boats and they will be excluded and will have to find fish in other European waters.

There is only one resolution there. Negotiations must include the coupling of trade and fisheries. Looking further down the road, if Brexit happens and if we are excluded from these waters, the only solution for us and the other European maritime states is to renegotiate the Common Fisheries Policy. Then we will have an opportunity to have a greater percentage of the fish in our waters. Apart from that, I agree with the comments that it could spell the death knell of the fishing industry because vessels are finding it difficult to survive at the moment. The owners of vessels have made financial decisions over the last number of years to buy new boats, to have boats lengthened and to refurbish their boats, and now they find themselves in this position. I want to thank them and say that they have done the industry some service and have educated the politicians but the Government and the Taoiseach must take on board that it is not a question of getting the best deal. There is no best deal here for fisheries. There has to be a renegotiation of the Common Fisheries Policy post-Brexit. We would then get our fair and equitable share and maybe reverse the injustices that were done in the past.