Mr. Francis O'Donnell:

Deputy McNamara talked about sustainability. Sustainability and responsibility go hand in hand. Inshore fisheries, in the main, have a low impact. The consumer is becoming more aware. There is no reason inshore fisheries in Ireland, particularly those associated with specific species, could not fish under a responsible brand. The consumer would be aware of the provenance of the product and of the route from pot to plate. Breaking into niche markets in emerging economies would be difficult and producers would need a lot of capital to do so. We are told continuously there is rising demand for food, including seafood, globally. We must have management and policy in the first instance because that is what the consumer wants. Consumers are becoming extremely aware. It will not be long before a consumer will be able to walk into a supermarket anywhere in the world and scan a product using a smart phone app to determine where it was caught. There are opportunities in this area but we need to have policy and proper regulation for inshore fisheries before we can tap into the market.