Martin Ferris (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The lack of a track record is evident and has discriminated against people who did not have the opportunity, in particular owners of boats of less than 10 m. For example, how could there be a track record when fishermen did not have to log catches and so forth? This has inhibited any type of fairness in the sector's quotas.

Mr. Murray stated: "To survive, fishing on the islands needs to revert back to a system of seasonal fishing and local management". One of the most damaging changes made to seasonal fishing was the termination of salmon fishing. All the pressure then fell on non-quota species like lobster, crayfish, crab, etc. Down my way, people are fishing lobsters for 11 or, sometimes, 12 months of the year. That is doing long-term damage, but they have to fish to make a living. If there was an alternative quota species, that pressure could be relieved and the quota distributed more equitably.

Dr. Brennan referred to a "sense of belonging to the sea". There are three people present like that. I live on a peninsula and those are the truest words Dr. Brennan has ever said. We grew up and worked on the sea, and it became us. When the livelihoods of inshore fishermen and, in particular, islanders are taken away, a part of themselves is taken away. This issue needs to be addressed.

The island communities played a large role in developing this Bill. Listening to some of the contributions at our earlier session, though, one would get the sense that the island communities were against it but that is not the case. Those among the witnesses who are from the island communities need to say clearly whether there is support for this on the islands.