Mr. Greg Casey:

I will pull out a few strands from what has been addressed by all speakers. The EU published a paper in April in regard to what it calls the blue economy. The paper is based on studies conducted on inshore boats in the Mediterranean. It is intended to use the paper as a blueprint to look at the north-west waters, the Atlantic and the North Sea. It is clear from the paper that the number of knock-on jobs resulting from a small inshore fishery is approximately three to one, whereas for Atlantic and North Sea non-coastal, that is, seagoing fisheries, the figure is one to one or two to one. That is an enormous difference highlighted by the study.

According to the European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, the EU will look at examining the blue economy and the inshore fishery along the Atlantic shoreline up to the North Sea. Ireland Inc. needs to get involved in that with the EU because of a rarely-mentioned quirk in how we deal with our fisheries in this country. When Ireland joined the EU in 1973, it was on the basis, as outlined in the Treaty of Accession of 1972, that it was signing up to the Common Fisheries Policy of 1970. That policy makes clear that Ireland was giving up to the EU the waters and fish in the waters on the seaward side of what is known as the baseline. That has been the position ever since. We have never given over jurisdiction for fish inside the baseline. On the east coast of Ireland, from Carlingford Lough to Carnsore Point, the baseline is the median high-water mark.

From Carnsore Point, down to Fastnet, out around Dursey Island and the Skelligs, up past the Blaskets, parallel to County Clare, going around the outside of the Aran Islands, out around Inishbofin, up around the top of Mayo and across Donegal Bay, technically speaking, all the waters inside that line are not within maritime jurisdiction at all. In fact, in accordance with the Treaty of Accession signed by Ireland, which has never been changed under any subsequent treaties, we have never given the fish within the baseline to the EU. It was retained within the ownership of Ireland.

Throughout Ireland's membership of the EU, however, it has become the practice that fish caught inside the baseline by Irish registered boats are not EU fish. These boats are generally small 30 ft. or 35 ft. boats such as half-deckers or small trawlers fishing inside the baseline all across Donegal Bay, Galway Bay and all along the south west coast, up towards Bantry Bay, Kenmare River and Dingle Bay. Over the years, the threat has been that if fishermen do not log the catch they will be prosecuted for failing to log it. The fact of the matter is this fish was never granted to the EU by Ireland. In the context of fisheries as we go forward, and especially with Brexit where there is an enormous threat coming down the tracks to Ireland's fishing industry, anything we can do alleviate pressure on fishermen and fisheries should be seriously examined.

The first thing this committee should do is examine whether or not it is as I have said, and that Ireland has never actually granted jurisdiction or responsibility for those fish to the EU.