Mr. Fintan Gorman:

The Deputy is absolutely right, the numbers have declined dramatically, as the figures show. The quality of the fishing available to them has declined. I suppose all the plethora of agencies that Deputy O’Donovan referred to have to take responsibility for that. As a nation we have not protected, developed and invested in that great asset that could provide a livelihood in rural depopulated areas, places where companies such as Intel and IBM will never come to employ anyone. If the asset of angling tourism was invested in, nurtured and developed it would provide sustainable jobs. It is the only thing, along with agriculture, that will provide the jobs.