Mr. Michael Keatinge:

We should be genuinely excited about the NIFF. Small boats comprise 80% of our fishing fleet. I am referring to the traditional currach and the traditional half-decker, the boats we would see not so much in Killybegs but in Belmullet. This area accounts for approximately half the total employment directly on board boats. It brings wealth to the corners of the coastline that many people do not realise or forget about at times. For many years we had very effective, strong fishermen's organisations but they were largely associated with the bigger ports of Killybegs, Castletownbere, Dunmore East, Howth, Rossaveal and so on and the bigger boats in particular. We tried some years ago to create a new initiative around the inshore fisherman or woman. This time around we have gone for a very bottom up approach and, in tandem, with the fisheries local action groups, FLAGs, which are the source of investment, we have put in place local committees to deal with national inshore fishery issues at a regional level.

We have had six and will increase that to seven. Each regional forum then sends two delegates to the national forum. I am delighted to report there has been a deep engagement with the Minister. The Minister has met the forum on several occasions. For the first time, we now have got a direct link from regional groups, which can be inclusive, through the national forum directly to the Minister and the Department.

Our role has been soft. We facilitate it through a secretariat. Funding is provided jointly by the State and the EU to make it happen. We very much left the industry drive this and set the agenda. It has been a period of learning. Where might this go in the future? Moving away from cod, whiting, mackerel or herring, the EU tends to allow us manage non-quota species, such as lobster, whelk, crab, razor clam, nationally. The EU really stands back and allows us to get on with it. The forums will provide the mechanism to create new management thinking around those stocks. Dialogue from the ground up, along with access to the Department and to the Minister, are all important in this regard. The future is about more direct management of local fish stocks by the local groups.