Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the SFPA for the presentation. I have a question on the issue of penalty point applications. I know this has been an ongoing issue. There has been a lot of anger from fisherman about the fact that, when penalty points are applied, they are applied immediately. Even if the fishermen in question are eventually acquitted in any subsequent court case, the penalty points still stand. I would like to know the authority's current position on this matter and whether it has engaged with the Department and the Minister on it.

With regard to the landing obligations, it strikes me that the SFPA has long-established operations around the landing of fish. There is an issue, however, around ensuring vessels retain all the fish they catch. The witnesses referred to the high grading of fish. Having to throw away perfectly good fish was something fishermen always resented, and the public also found it abhorrent. This has now been turned on its head and the new requirement is to ensure all fish are kept on the vessel. This is much more difficult to monitor. What steps are being taken to ensure there is no wastage, particularly in the case of the larger vessels? There is, no doubt, an incentive to carry out that high grading. What steps is the SFPA taking to ensure this is policed? Taking into account the fact that policing of this nature would be more difficult and labour-intensive, does the authority have sufficient capacity to do so?