Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his very competent responses and his presentation this afternoon. Regarding where we are going with the Faroe Islands, Norway and Iceland, regarding the mackerel quota, the Minister mentioned that there was a 2% reduction in the stocks. According to the papers, the negotiations on this issue have not been very fruitful. If there was a continuation of fishing at 55% above where the science is, where does the Minister predict the stocks will be in a few years? How bad will the issue get and what impact will it have on the entire industry in Ireland? It is worth a considerable amount of money in the south west and in other parts of the country. Where are we going to end up in a few years if this continues?