Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On the Celtic Sea and Irish Sea stocks and the reduction in cod and whiting, an increase in haddock is also proposed for the same area. It is not possible to catch cod without haddock as far as I know. What impact will the increase in the haddock quota have? The Minister has outlined some of the by-catch that will be allowed there. What overall impact will that have on the whole process? In mixed fisheries it is going to have a severe impact. How will that work out?

In the section on biological assessment, the Minister stated:

There is a higher number of sustainably fished stocks, at 35, and percentage, at 47%, in 2019 compared with last year. The percentage, at 18%, and number of stocks, at 13, overfished has also increased in 2019 whereas the stocks with unknown status has remained at 26, or 35%.

That does not make sense to me. It means there are extra stocks in there somewhere or else the stocks we had figures for have declined or we have not got any figures for them this year. Could the Minister explain a bit more about that?

In the submission from BirdWatch Ireland on the Common Fisheries Policy review, it estimates that by setting quotas below the scientific advice, Ireland will increase landings by 200,000 tonnes and increase income to the fishing sector. Has the Department looked at that or formed a view on it? I presume that is in respect of the maximum sustainable yield or whatever, that if it is set at that level we will increase catches and increase revenue to the fishing sector. Has the Department looked at how feasible that would be?

On the ICES figures there was some reporting a couple of months ago about mackerel and how ICES had got the figures wrong. I understand proposals were put forward by Ireland that corrected those figures, which may have led to the increase in quota allowable. How satisfied is the Minister about the ICES figures and scientific advice? I think it was some sort of technical figure on how the calculation came about. If that can happen for one stock, surely it can happen for additional stocks as well. Is the Minister satisfied with that?