Martin Ferris (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This meeting has been very informative. It would be very helpful if the paper that was submitted this morning was given to each member in respect of the further debate we will have with the Minister and his officials.

My information from people fishing out of Fenit is that they have never seen so much spurdog there. I raised this with the officials from the Department, Dr. Cecil Beamish and Ms Josephine Kelly and somebody from the science section of the Department. They said they would conduct trials. It has gone nowhere. Are the producer organisations putting on pressure in order to get some type of that fishery reopened, as it would be of some help, to inshore fishermen in particular?

In regard to sea bass, up until last year, boats from outside Ireland were able to fish for bass and Irish fishermen were not allowed to fish for it in our own waters. This is the hypocrisy of the representation by successive Governments.