Mr. Greg Casey:

I wish to say two things with regard to splitting islands and remote coastal communities. Recital 19 of the Common Fisheries Policy states "Member states should endeavour to give preferential access for small scale, artisanal or coastal fishermen" within the 12-mile coastal limit, that is, between the baseline and 12 miles out. The policy then goes on to state "Small offshore islands which are dependent on fishing should, where appropriate, be especially recognised and supported in order to enable them to survive and prosper." However, that says nothing about giving them preferential access as has been set out in recital 19, whose reference to "preferential access for small scale, artisanal or coastal fishermen" would include island fishermen, I would imagine.

My organisation very strongly supports the principle of what the committee is trying to achieve. Whiddy Island in Bantry Bay is 45 miles from the baseline and the exclusive fishery limits of the State. Bere Island, just outside Castletownbere, is almost 20 miles from the baseline of the State. There is an enormous amount of sea area along the south-west coast and from Galway to the top of Erris. We submit that fish caught in those waters are not European fish at all. They are not subject to any quota restrictions, management restrictions or EU logging rules. It is time for this committee to assert the importance of these waters in trying to fashion legislation that will seek to confer some preferential treatment to small-scale, artisan, coastal and island fishermen. We need to make use of these waters and their fish, which we did not give to the EU.

We think we have mapped out a way the committee can achieve what it is trying to achieve without impinging on the principles of the Common Fisheries Policy or fisheries law. We could create an entirely new system, separate and apart from what is there.