Mr. Seán O'Donoghue:

I thank the Chairman, committee members and other members of the Oireachtas, for the opportunity to address them here today. We are the Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation but we do not just represent fishermen from Killybegs or Donegal and one of my board members, Pauric Conneely, is from the Aran Islands. We do not just represent pelagic fishermen, covering mackerel and herring, but also have whitefish and shellfish members.

This debate is a timely one since there are a number of issues. We were asked to address the Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017 and quota allocation. At the outset, I wish to make it clear that the KFO was not consulted in advance of the publication, on 9 February, of the Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017 and had no input whatsoever into its content.

The KFO does not support the Bill in its present form, for a number of pertinent reasons. First, no size limit is included in the Bill. It was our understanding that the voisinageagreement had a size limitation and we would strongly advocate one if the Bill goes ahead, though we see no reason for that at this moment. We note that a size limit has already been proposed by a number of Senators on Committee Stage and that there have been some amendments in that regard.

The second reason we are opposed to the Bill concerns the provisions relating to people resident in Northern Ireland. The wording is "sea-fishing boats owned and operated in Northern Ireland" but a coach and four could be driven through this. Multinational and other entities could claim to come under such a definition and it is contrary to what was envisaged in the 1965 voisinageagreement, which clearly states that only boats owned and operated by fishermen permanently resident in the Six Counties will be permitted to fish within the new limits. There is a huge issue with this.

Third, and most important, prior to the UK election the UK Government, through the media and supported by the UK industry, indicated that it intended to withdraw from the London convention of 1964. This is highly likely and the voisinageagreement, which was under that convention, would cease to exist in such a case. A new agreement, if so desired, would have to be negotiated with the 27 member states of the EU. In light of this likely UK withdrawal from the London convention, the KFO considers the proposed Bill should not now proceed.

The next critical issue for us is the allocation of fish quotas, which brings me to the elephant in the room. The mackerel review, initiated earlier this year by the Minister, Deputy Creed, is wholly unprecedented, ill-advised and bitterly divisive.

In a nutshell, the industry in the north west will be deprived of more than €10 million of mackerel catch this year if this review goes ahead as planned. If our current share of the quota is cut, it will ultimately lead to the loss of jobs at sea in Donegal as well as employment ashore in the highly developed pelagic industry in the wider north west. While we accept that no decision has been reached, we in the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation believe that the course of action being adopted is fundamentally flawed and that its activation will penalise the refrigerated seawater, RSW, sector in a disproportionate and unfair manner.

What is more, we had a review in 2009, copper-fastened in 2010, which made changes to the sharing arrangements. It is important to note that Deputy Creed's predecessor as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, also rejected numerous requests to take quota from the RSW sector and allocate it to the 27 polyvalent vessels with mackerel entitlements. A letter dated 23 May 2014 from the Minister's private secretary to the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation stated that, "The Minister considers that the percentage based allocation between the segments can properly deal with year on year fluctuations in national quota in a fair, transparent and balanced way," and formally rejected the organisation's lobbying to take quota from the RSW sector. A copy of this letter is attached to my opening statement for those who wish to read it in full.

It is important to note that in 2014, Ireland had the highest mackerel quota in this history of the State. We now have 18,500 tonnes less than we did then. What circumstances have changed with this review, given such a huge reduction in the share? In 2016, we were also hit by a 15% cut in the mackerel quota. When there was suddenly a supposed increase in the quota last autumn, the Minister appeared open to the idea of making it available to the 27 vessels in the polyvalent sector which have a mackerel entitlement for nothing other than purely parochial reasons. This is something we cannot and will not stand idly by and accept. We cannot countenance a situation in which the south is taking from the north west, from families who have spent generations building up businesses and borrowing to invest in their vessels, and from the many businesses which rely on this.

Moreover, since the public consultation exercises started last January and February, it has come to light that the scientific advice used to calculate the 2017 total allowable catch was erroneous, representing a sizeable cut of 13% in the 2016 catches rather than the 14% increase previously advised. Aside from the obvious embarrassment caused by this mistake by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea in calculating stock size, it has created huge uncertainty for our members who are trying to run businesses and provide valuable employment. We could now be easily facing a 20% reduction next year, given that the new advice will not be fully taken into account until then.

Unemployment is running very high in a county like Donegal and is far above the national average. Only last month, 765 people were on the live register in a relatively small town like Killybegs. Our economy in Killybegs is built around fishing. Our town, our region and our livelihoods depend on pelagic fishing. With the banks monitoring their exposure to industries like ours, we cannot live with the risk of someone trying to undermine our bottom line. We cannot be victim to any change in the current arrangements which might jeopardise this vital industry.

The review also ignores the fact that the 27 polyvalent vessels which stand to benefit have already been boosted by a 750% increase in mackerel tonnage since 2000. The Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation has gone on record numerous times stating that it has no wish to be the cause of job cuts in Donegal. While the sentiment expressed is noble, if the ISWFPO gets its way and deprives us of 100% of the additional quota, there will be redundancies in the north west. I should also point out that not all the 27 vessel owners agree with the ISWFPO request to take 100% of the allocation. This was communicated by them in writing during the review process and can be read on the Department's website. That in itself is a damning indictment of what is going on here. Producer organisations which previously stood shoulder to shoulder and built up valuable relationships are now divided. The industry as a whole has lost focus at a very important time as Brexit looms on the horizon.

The Irish RSW sector has invested heavily in specialised vessels and has played a major role in developing the mackerel fishery in this country. Prior to the introduction of the total allowable catch, TAC, and quota systems in 1983, it established a credible track record in catching mackerel. Without this excellent track record, Ireland’s current 21.2% share of the western mackerel TAC would probably only be somewhere between of 1% and 2%.

When no one else wanted to invest in a fleet capable of fishing mackerel, not least our colleagues in the south and west, the entrepreneurial, skilled and committed fishermen of the north west did just that. When no one was interested in fishing mackerel, KFO members identified an opportunity, rose to the challenge and developed a fishery that is now the envy of many others. Is it in any way just that a change in quota sharing arrangements would now seek to take the metaphorical fish from our table?

I will give the committee the example of one our skippers. Marc Gallagher is 38 years of age has worked on a pelagic vessel since he left school after the leaving certificate. He has huge monthly repayments in excess of €80,000 a month. If we lose out on this, not only Mr. Gallagher's boat but many other pelagic vessels will become unviable. We will then be left with the huge problem of losing jobs in Killybegs, both at sea and ashore.