Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am very conscious of time. This is the final point I wish to make. I come from Wexford. There are other counties that have bigger fishing communities, but the fishing community that we have in Wexford is based predominantly at Kilmore Quay. When one talks to the processors, engineers, the garages and takes everybody into consideration, they depend on this industry, as do a significant number of people in our coastal communities. The fallout from Brexit will have a greater effect on people on the eastern seaboard than it will on those on the western seaboard. Fishermen have told me that they do not want to be steaming from Kilmore Quay right around to the west coast of Ireland in order to fish because this will involve a great additional cost in terms of diesel and so forth. I am aware that the Minister is very conscious of that and I ask that the Minister take the effects of this on the eastern seaboard fishermen into account because this is of significant concern in small rural communities who totally depend on the fishing industry. Many strides have been made in the past number of years. I worked closely with Deputies Coveney and Creed when they served previously as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I know that we will be able to do the same again here but I ask the Minister to be very conscious of that in the further negotiations.

On the SFPA and the arrests that have been made, does the Minister have specific figures for the number of fishermen who have been arrested, the number of vessels boarded, etc., in the past year? Are the numbers up or down on previous years?