Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I take the Deputy’s point on the 100 m trawlers off the west coast. I do not like the sight of either but it is within the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy. The Common Fisheries Policy is not based on the size on the boat but on restricting the amount of fish any country can catch. We talked about the SFPA earlier and other countries also have their oversight and enforcement authorities and have rules and regulations in place to make sure no one is catching more than their quota. Those large boats are still restricted to catching no more than what they have quota for. Regardless of whether it is one large boat or three smaller boats, they can still only catch the same amount of quota. I would much rather see more medium-sized boats with more local ownership from any country availing of that country’s quota. That is the system we have here in Ireland because we did not allow national quota to be sold or privatised. It is still a national resource. It is still held by the State and that is important because it means we have not seen it being gathered around large trawlers like that, as happened in other countries where it became a private asset. I am open to the Deputy’s suggestions. Obviously, people can make submissions in respect of the Common Fisheries Policy but ultimately, it comes down to the same amount of quota per member state regardless of the size of boat catching it. We have seen this to some extent in Ireland over the past number of decades where boats got larger while fishing the same national quota, that is, fewer boats fishing the same quota. It is on a different plane on some other countries where it has become privatised and the quotas are in private hands rather than the quota being a national resource.

On the Eurostat catches and it being available on the website, the information is there but not to the extent that there is granular detail such that particular boats can be identified. It can get more detail but that is my understanding in that regard. On Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland, what we have seen with the unilateral setting of mackerel quota by those countries is scandalous. They are not engaging in a way where we are sensibly co-operating and managing the sustainable fishing of the stocks. It is a reckless approach. It is irresponsible and unacceptable. I have been forthright and adamant at European Council level in calling that out and in seeking to have it addressed. We need to continue to do that in every way we can. Europe is setting its total allowable catches in a sustainable and responsible manner but we are not seeing that from non-EU countries that share those stocks. As we know, mackerel spawns off the south coast of Ireland and travels all the way to the north of Norway and makes its way back down. We catch most of our mackerel off the north coast of Scotland in British waters because that is the point of the year where it is at its most valuable and it is the most sensible time to catch it. Iceland also catches some, as does Norway and the Faroe Islands, and they have been setting unilateral catches. That is simply not sustainable and it will reach a very bad end unless they cop on and start acting responsibly and sustainably. Europe has provided good leadership in this regard and will continue to do so and I will continue to call out the need for other countries to act in a similar manner and for us to try to work in a way towards a sustainable approach on how we manage that stock and an approach where everyone takes the same sustainable approach that we all have at EU level.

I have answered in respect of the issue regarding fuel subsidy. Last year and the year before, I put in temporary additional tie-ups as a more sensible way than doing a direct fuel subsidy. That worked in such a way that instead of three boats going out to fish the same quota, one boat was paid to tie up and was given an income for that month equivalent to what it would have got had it been at sea meaning that the other two boats could go out and catch the same fish that all three would have got. That was the way I delivered that funding. It made more sense than paying everyone to go out, which would use more fuel, time and effort to less avail. That worked well. It is not in place at the moment and we have seen increased fuel costs over the last while. I met the fishing representatives and have asked for an assessment or report for my consideration on that.