Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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This is the biggest challenge by far in the context of the scientific advice for this year, which is the 22% in terms of the amount of quota reduction that should be there in terms of the overall stock for all mackerel fish caught next year. As the Deputy says, it is our most important fishery. We have 50% of the EU quota for mackerel, but it is a shared stock and it does travel. It is one of the three stocks, along with horse mackerel and blue whiting, that travel between waters. Mackerel, in particular, I think, spawn off the south-west coast of Ireland. They then, over the course of the year, make their way up to north of Norway and make their way back down then to the south coast of Ireland. They are, therefore, in different countries' waters at different times over the course of the year.

As regards their being fished sustainably at maximum sustainable yield, the maximum sustainable yield is basically the scientific threshold for how much you can catch of any one fish stock in a year that will ensure the fish stock stays healthy and its breeding is not undermined nor does it lead to its replacement and that its stays strong into the future. The advice the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, has given for every stock is what that level should be for next year, and that is based on its assessment of the current numbers of the stock.

What we have seen with mackerel over recent years is absolutely unacceptable fishing and exploitation of the stock by Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland. They have been setting their own TACs, their own catches, which are higher than what the track record and advised maximum sustainable yield should be. What we now see as regards ICES is an advised reduction in that stock for next year, which is the inevitable consequences of fishing it unsustainably. I have raised this repeatedly at EU level. I will take a very strong line on it again at this December's Fisheries Council and insist that, at EU level we must, in terms of our political engagements with Norway and other coastal states, emphasise and double down on this unacceptable behaviour and look at how we ensure there are consequences for irresponsible fishing and TAC setting of the mackerel quota. In particular, we must seek to have penalties in place for countries that are not fishing it appropriately. This 22% reduction as regards the scientific advice this year comes on the back of Brexit, where mackerel was the stock that was most impacted, with a 26% reduction in our mackerel as a result of Brexit. That is the approach I will take at the negotiations. I will also take on board the comments made by Deputy Collins and other Members here today as regards their perspective on this.

Deputy Collins mentioned zonal attachment and questioned our approach. He mentioned that the UK took that approach in respect of Brexit. One of the UK's key arguments for leaving the EU was that it wanted zonal attachment, which basically means that its quota would equal all fish that are caught in its waters. It sought that. It pressed the nuclear button and left the EU and had that as one of its key negotiating outcomes but, despite that, still did not get zonal attachment. The outcome of Brexit was that the UK got about a quarter, 25%, of what it was seeking. That was still far too much, in my view, because our objective was to try to ensure there was no fish as part of the deal but, unfortunately, there was. Even though the UK pressed the nuclear button and left the EU, it still did not get the zonal attachment it had presented as one of its objectives in encouraging the public to vote for Brexit in the first place. The challenge with the likes of mackerel and horse mackerel and blue whiting is that they do not stay in the same waters over the course of the year. At any one time, they are in different countries' waters. Therefore, these other countries are saying that when they are in their waters, they are taking a catch level, which is not representative of their previous track records and which is not in line with the scientific advice. That is an approach that will only lead to one outcome, which is the depletion of the stocks. We must work in every way we can to make sure that is stopped.