Mr. Michael Keatinge:

We are part of the team traditionally which supports the Minister at the December quota negotiation. All members will be familiar with the annual impact assessment provided to the Oireachtas for the upcoming negotiation. We tend to look at this from a holistic point of view. Despite mackerel being a different price to whiting, as Ms Tara McCarthy alluded to, if one just focused on the tonne of fish, one would miss all the added value which flows downstream from that. Over the past several years, we have done detailed analyses in Rossaveal, Killybegs, Castletownbere and Dunmore East, on how many people derive their employment from fishing, be it in transport, processing or refrigeration. There is a raft of ancillary industries involved.

On the comment claiming the industry is dying on its feet, shipbuilding is back in Donegal for the first time in 50 years. While Mooney's boatyard does not build the hull anymore - it is built in Poland - it is completely fitted out in Killybegs with 20 to 25 jobs coming from that. In Clogherhead, there is investment in new boats by an energetic fishing community.

As for the quota negotiation, I would stress to the committee that, while it goes up and down every year with one stock one year and another stock another year, it has been relatively stable since 2001. There were problems one year with cod and herring in the north west another year. By large, however, it has grown. Part of our role is to bring that additional information on the economic impact and sustainability of communities and to build it up along with the Marine Institute, which has responsibility for the scientific argument. At European level that does resonate. The Council has to take its decision based on the science and the objective of maximising sustainable yield. To think there is complete ignorance of the social impact would be unfair. With the Department and the Minister in the lead, along with the information on the stock side from the Marine Institute and our role in understanding the economic and social impact, I would challenge the view that it has been a bad story over the past decade.

We have embraced sustainability. We are aiming at achieving maximum sustainable yield, sustainability of stocks. It will bear fruit; it is already showing those signs.