Mr. Jerry Early:

I thank the Chairman for the invitation to present to the committee. It is our third time to attend here and we are quite chuffed to be back a third time. Our organisation which was originally the Donegal Islands Fishermen's Group has evolved into the Donegal Islands Marine Resource Organisation, DIMRO, on which I will expand later.

I welcome the report. It is a fantastic report and it offers us a fantastic opportunity. The reaction of the islanders in general to the report has been very positive. That is a step forward. I want to put on record that I believe it is imperative that this report is implemented. I hope our good friends lobby as hard as they can to get whatever must be done to achieve that. It really and truly serves as our best and last hope for progressing on what we have achieved so far.

My colleague Mr. John O'Brien, who was in the Donegal Islands Fishermen's Group and is now in the DIMRO will speak about certain proposed amendments to it and the members of the committee might like to talk to him about those. Ms Majella Ní Chríocháin is from Comdháil na nOileáin and she will speak about how we intend to broaden our horizons within the islands group to include all the islands. At present the islands group is the DIMRO but we want to expand to include all the islands off the island of Ireland.

The history of the Donegal Islands Fishermen's Group started in 2007 with the ban on drift net fishing of salmon.

We felt it was a huge blow not just to the islands but to the entire west coast region. The islands in Donegal were heavily dependent on salmon fishing. While we were fighting that case, restrictions on area 6A were introduced. These exceeded our own role and required us to look further afield because we were fighting a battle on two fronts. We were fighting the salmon ban as well as trying to restore what we regarded as our resources and our right to fish in area 6A. That battle took us to Brussels and many other parts of Europe.

The Donegal islands group comprised three islands in particular, Aranmore, Inisbofin and Tory, to a lesser extent. We are self-funded and have never sought funding from other sources. We believed it was something we had to do as a legacy for our own children. Our fight took us on a journey that none of us expected to last seven years. I am hopeful this report may finally allow us to take a step in the right direction. I hope it will be seen as progress. The Common Fisheries Policy negotiations happened to take place while we were on our journey. We met with Commissioner Demanaki, who was very sympathetic given that she also was an islander. Amendment No. 14a to the final draft of the CFP states: "Small offshore islands which are dependent on fishing should be especially recognised and supported both financially and through the allocation of additional resources, in order to enable them to survive and prosper in the future". That was a significant provision but the matter stopped there. We need guidance from the sub-committee because, at the end of the day, we can only play the small islander card. That appears to be a major statement of intent but we need guidance from members on how we can benefit from what they are telling us in the corridors of Europe. We need help and guidance on how to break down that amendment to make it work to our benefit.

The inshore sector in Ireland is generally recognised as fragmented, with no defined goals or roles. For the want of a better word, it is a mess and it needs to be totally revamped. I suggest that a new group be established to oversee the sector. Approximately 80% of fishermen in Ireland operate in the sector. They are not being represented at any level, however. The bigger, pelagic, boats are represented by the KFO and the IFPO, which are paid on a commission basis. Unfortunately, we cannot afford to pay the commissions these groups request. In the last month, due to the lobbying power of the pelagic fleet, the mackerel quota was increased by 65%. I am very happy for those fishermen but that does not solve the problems that the other 80% of fishermen face. Particularly in Donegal, inshore fishermen have no choice but to fish for two species, namely, crab and lobster. Last week, unbelievably for the beginning of May, lobster made €10.50 per kilogram. That is a disaster because at this stage of the year the prices are not going to increase. The price has not even bottomed out. We have been corralled into one fishery and confined to two shellfish stocks. Foresight is needed from either the Oireachtas or the Minister in expanding on this report, which offers something for everyone, not just the islanders but all those who live in coastal regions. The inshore sector has to be dealt with as a matter of urgency. It is far too easy for Departments to push the problem elsewhere while there is no defined single line of responsibility. I acknowledge that BIM is trying its best but it is overloaded in the wrong areas.

We believe these changes are important to our continued existence on the islands. I do not say this lightly. It was a survival plan and that is why our fight has continued for seven years. Our existence depends on this report being implemented. People need to stop the talking and devise a plan. Everybody we speak to wants the islands to survive but, as far as I can see, that is not happening. A structured plan is required whereby all the political parties come together to preserve the islands as the jewels in the crown for this country. The sooner we do that, the better. This report offers the best chance of achieving that objective.