Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael)
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I also welcome the witnesses. Mr. Keatinge mentioned Belmullet. The document, the Business of Seafood, does not give figures for the tonnage or value of landings at Belmullet. I am from Mayo which has many small harbours, including Ballycastle, Kilcumman and Killala. It seems difficult to get funding for structural improvement and to install the safety features needed for navigation into the harbours. Can the funding that is provided under the EMFF operational programme be put towards that or does it only apply to designated areas? After the big storms funding was cordoned and some of them have had some investment. However, many could do with more improvement. As Deputy Gallagher said, these fishermen put money into far-flung areas. Even if it is only part-time work, it can make the difference between people surviving in these rural areas or not. Would this be a mechanism to provide some of this vital infrastructure to allow them to function?

I have some basic questions on remit and jurisdiction. What are BIM's interaction and the crossover functions with An Bord Bia? I live on an estuary which is tidal. The salmon are coming from the sea and people are catching them there. Are those salmon considered as seafood? Does it depend on where they are caught? I ask the witnesses to indicate if that is under their jurisdiction because I want to ask another question. I know there is Inland Fisheries Ireland, but I am talking about the food aspect of it.