Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 24 January 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Crisis in Ireland's Inshore Fishing Industry: Discussion

Mr. Michael Desmond:

Yes, but it needs to be done based on sound scientific and environmental facts. The closure of a particular area has to be based on certain environmental and scientific facts that will improve it. So far I have seen various NGOs state that about 90% of surveys of MPAs state that they will be successful because of this, but then, when you look into it, 85% of those surveys are theory surveys. Everyone knows that theory is a word to describe something that does not happen in reality. I know a bay that has in it an SAC where we are not allowed to fish for scallop, so, in theory, the scallop in that bay should have improved. They have not. They have to talk to stakeholders before they go closing anything.