Dr. Cecil Beamish:

Senator Mac Lochlainn asked how the industry has conveyed its concerns and objectives. I will address the process, because that will answer some of the questions Deputy Pringle asked. The Commission has the right of initiative. This is a co-decision, not one made by regional member states. The Commission has made the proposal and has the complete right to do that. Member states feed into the Council of Ministers and the Council will take a general approach, possibly by June. The Parliament then takes its approach. The Council and Parliament then come together to try to hammer out a common approach which is adopted. This proposal will go through the co-decision and co-legislation process. The Commission has made a proposal and it is now in the Council. That is normal business in terms of looking at the detail and getting into the technical detail.

Before we get into the technical detail, I wish to state that CFP reform requires that the stocks all be managed for a maximum sustainable yield by 2020. From 2015, we have had to bring more and more stocks into this way of managing. At the moment, that is based on advice that there is a particular point at which one should set the total allowable catch. The system is quite rigid. If all of the stocks are set on that basis, there is no margin for manoeuvre in mixed fisheries. Sometimes in mixed fisheries one stock is going up and another coming down, fish are getting caught together and one or other stock has to be fished at the upper or lower end of the range in order to stay related to what is happening for fishermen in the water. The plan allows for flexibility. The ranges we have discussed will allow the Council some margin of manoeuvre when it is deciding the total allowable catches.

The industry understands this and that, in broad principle, it is a good thing. It allows flexibility in management, reduces unwanted catches, etc., while protecting sustainability. The industry would like to have maximum sustainability ranges in the multi-annual plan in broad terms before we get the 2020 stock figures. Industry is generally supportive of the direction of travel. We are into the detail after that.

Industry understands that the timeframe is quite tight because there will be elections to the Parliament next year. We can only get a co-decision if the Parliament and Council reach a common position. Therefore, the Council needs to move quickly to get a decision and the Parliament needs to move quickly, probably at best by the end of the year. The two together then have to come out with a common position, which makes for quite a tight timeframe early next year. In general, industry is in favour of trying to get a multi-annual plan in place before we hit the 2020 deadline.

On the specifics, the Marine Institute has advised on the list of stocks it feels should be covered by this. We have shared this list of target stocks with industry and talked about it. We are all broadly on the same track. The concerns I have talked about are broadly shared with industry.

Senator Mac Lochlainn raised the issue of sea-bass. Sea-bass fishing in Ireland was prohibited for more than two and a half decades because we are at the northern range of the sea-bass population. We are at the outer limits and therefore the population is more vulnerable. When the stock was depleted in our area in the mid-1990s, it was decided to effectively close commercial fisheries to sea-bass but to retain some recreational fisheries because of the recreational tourism business in the southern half of the country.

That position continued until a couple of years ago when it was possible to get agreement at EU level to close all commercial fisheries in our area. Prior to that, the Irish fleet was restricted but it was not possible to restrict other fleets in our area. The western waters comprise a large area. Sea-bass is much more prevalent in the Channel and is a big target for fishing. The stock is in some trouble and many measures are being brought in to manage it, but it is still a commercial operation in that part of the overall area. As an Irish industry we are not engaged in that, but France and the UK are.

The inclusion of sea-bass fishing in the western waters is really with a mindset towards that area rather than our area. We do not want such fishing included in our area because we do not want to reopen commercial sea-bass fishing, which remains vulnerable and is the scientific advice in our area. I apologise for the long story but sea-bass is a particular case.

In terms of deep-sea stocks, at this stage they are largely fished by France in deep water. That fishery has been reduced to a low level. The plan focuses on the main target stocks, for which we are setting total allowable catches.

Deputy Pringle also asked about sea-bass and I have dealt with the matter.