Mr. Michael Keatinge:

I can answer that question directly because I worked with Pádraic White on the drafting of the report of the drift-net buy-out. I can categorically say that the intention at the time was that where there was a surplus or a new surplus because of the removal of the drift-net fishery, it should be fairly shared out. I would argue that the traditional fisherman, namely, the commercial sea fisherman, has not enjoyed any benefit from the surplus. There is a massive surplus on the River Moy, none of which is going to the commercial side. One could, in theory, have an upstream trap managed by a local community that would harvest the surplus for commercial purposes. A question arises regarding what was the intention as set out in the original report. The State invested €25 million. This had a major socioeconomic impact on the western seaboard, particularly in counties Donegal, Cork, Galway and Mayo. People were very badly affected. There has been some indication of fish returning to rivers where stocks were very low. The River Moy stands out as enjoying a huge surplus.