Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is crucial in how we set our catches, not only in what the quotas might be for the full catch or allocated catch for the year but also how it is actually caught and that we do that in a sustainable way. It is fair to say we have a bit of a way to go with this but we have come a long way. It is certainly the case that in the past we did not have the same knowledge or understanding to ensure we were doing it in the right way. That is why some of our key fisheries have been closed and remain closed. Thankfully for the north west, herring reopened because of the conservation measures we have been taking over recent years are starting to work but herring was closed and cod, a really important traditional fishery, was overfished and it is now closed as well. At European level the move has been very significantly underway and we are making progress on it every year in terms of moving to maximum sustainable yield. The objective is to ensure that every stock is fished at that. Where the challenge can come in is where there is mixed fisheries and it becomes more difficult but it is crucial that we do it in a way that is sustainable. No one is it more crucial for but than the fishermen and fisherwomen themselves because it is central to their future careers as well.

The role fish play on the ecosystem, carbon capture, etc. is an important point. It is important that we do more research on that. The Marine Institute does a lot of work on this. It was great to launch the new boat, the RV Tom Crean, which is a wonderful vessel. It will do strong work and equip the Marine Institute team to do more in this space. Just yesterday, I met with our fish group under BirdWatch Ireland, which is advocating in this space as well. It is important that we all work together to make sure we marry the various objectives: sustainable fisheries, which are economically sustainable but also biologically sustainable, and working in a way that protects the marine environment as well.