Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We would like to think that but we do not underestimate the challenge. In the Common Fisheries Policy Spain is "Mr. Fish". It sees a real opportunity here. It would be a major problem for us. We understand the complexity related to the landing obligation. The industry here has been very proactive in securing new fishing gear and adjusting net mesh sizes to meet the challenges on landing obligations. However, many of our fisheries are mixed fisheries in contrast with other fisheries. For example, the Baltics have clean fisheries where the fishermen who go out today will only catch cod. In our case fishermen bring in a mixed bag of fish. This can mean that one species caught early on will choke the opportunities for a host of other species. The Commission's response is to allow everybody go hell for leather at it without having an individual quota for each member state. We believe that is a really damaging proposition for our interests.

I have just been handed data in response to one of the Deputy's earlier questions. Overall quotas increased from 2015 to 2017, but in 2018 the quota decreased by 8% in volume and by 1% in value. The quotas in 2017 were the highest since 2002. That is the position we are trying to defend as we go into the 2019 negotiations.