Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 23 September 2015

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications

Inland Fisheries Ireland: Chairperson Designate

11:00 am

Mr. Fintan Gorman:

I see the absolute logic in that. We are responsible, as I understand it, for inshore fisheries going out for a few miles and after that the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency takes over. At least in a field there is a boundary but it is senseless out at sea, to mark where one begins and the other ends. Many of the things we do are senseless. There should be a rationalisation of how all these services are provided. We can only work, unfortunately, within the legislation and the regulations. Much of that is very prescriptive and very wasteful.