Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)

I welcome Mr. Conneely and Mr. Bonner, and Mr. Early who is listening to us online from Arranmore island. I also welcome Mr. Neily Kavanagh, Mr. McBride and Ms Muireann Kavanagh. This is probably a small committee room compared to the committee room where Muireann addressed the European Parliament fisheries committee last year.

It is important that we hear from the witnesses. We have their statement and Mr. Conneely has referred to its main points. The islands have 6% of the boats compared to 0.06% of the population. The only fish they can fish are the non-quota species. I would like to think they would have an opportunity to fish the quota species because the amount they would require is very little.

Recently I tabled a question to the Minister on pollock and the research and scientific advice. The status of the stock is now an element to be considered as part of the TAC settings for 2026. I hope that good sense will prevail and the Commission and the Council of Ministers will accept that the amount of pollock would be so little that, while it would be important to those who fish it, it would not have any great implications for the stock.

With regard to access, historical track record does not stand up when it comes to quota species.

This is something we should look at also. I would like to get the witnesses' views on the pollock stocks that are there.

Unfortunately, a decision was taken to terminate drift net salmon fishing. At the time, I laid a lot of the blame on Iceland. Iceland said it would make a major contribution financially towards the losses but we have never heard from it. The major contribution was not even a single euro. I would like to hear the views of the witnesses on this because there is no one better than them to establish what stocks of salmon are there at present. Should we think of reverting to this, even with small TACs and quotas of salmon? I do not know what the scientific advice is, and I may table a question to establish it from Inland Fisheries Ireland. It is important to have the view of the witnesses and I will leave some time for them to answer the questions.