Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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The whole point is that we need to look for new markets. This is a serious issue for the inshore sector going forward. I would appreciate it if the witnesses could furnish me with some information. If we see where we are going, we might be able to work on that.

I will move on to pelagic fishermen. Their worst fears were yet again realised last week when ICES advice in respect of mackerel was to cut it once again by 22%. Why should countries like Ireland have to suffer further cuts when it has been fishing in line with scientific advice? The pelagic fishers were dealt a blow following Brexit when a 25% cut to mackerel was introduced. They were given a payment last Christmas equivalent to one year's loss for their lifetime loss of this quota. With ever-increasing costs, something must be done to help these businesses. Some of these vessel owners have made significant investments in renewing their vessels and have been dealt this hammer blow.

Why is Ireland not standing up and not allowing Norway access to rich fishing grounds off the west coast of Ireland in the spring of 2025 when that country's vessels will want to harvest 200,000 tonnes or 300,000 tonnes of blue whiting? When is there going to be a proper fight by this Government to actually fight for our fishermen? Ireland has slightly over 3% of the total allowable catch for blue whiting, at 68,000 tonnes. The vast majority of that stock is born and bred in our waters. Where is the backbone for Ireland to stand up in Europe and seek for zonal attachment for fish in our waters? Why can our Minister and our Department not make a claim for 30% of the blue whiting stocks and still be fishing within the total allowable catch? It is no different from what the Norwegians have done in the mackerel fishery. This is how the Brexit deal was done. Zonal attachments were used. Why can it not be the same when trying to protect our fishermen in rural communities?

That was the cry I heard last Saturday at the AGM meeting in the Maritime Hotel in Bantry. There is great anger among the pelagic fishermen and it is hard to blame them. They asked the question of why we cannot use a veto and why our Minister is never putting his hand up and saying he is going to use a veto. Another thing is whether our Minister, our Department and our Government are just going to sit back and allow the reckless overfishing by Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland? Why is the EU not putting sanctions in place to stop this? Will the Minister be helping out these fishermen with an aid package? Unfortunately, we are basically heading in this direction again. We were decommissioning before this and now it is an aid package we are looking for.