Mr. Enda Conneely:

I am the vice chair of IIMRO. I thank the committee for allowing us to give evidence here today. IIMRO is an offshore islands-based organisation covering the Donegal, Mayo, Galway and Cork islands that was founded in 2014 after the launch of a report in that year. IIMRO became a fisheries producer organisation in 2021 and is a member of the Low Impact Fishers of Europe, LIFE.

Its mission is to sustain small scale low-impact fisheries and island communities. There are 2,900 islanders on 22 islands. Island vessels make up 6% of the national register but the population is less than 0.06%. Fishing is important to islands in particular. We are dependent on fisheries and the CFP has recognised this for a number of years. It is an economic lifeline as well as a cultural matter. We have been here for years. The main challenge is that funding is missing from the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, EMFAF, for the producer organisation, PO, delivery. The management policy that one size fits all is not working. Stock closures, such as for salmon, cod in area 6a, sea bass and pollock, always have a disproportionate impact on small-scale people. With regard to access and equality, track record rules do not really help and there is a risk of quota concentration. Even though we think it is a public resource in Ireland, there is a risk it could aggregate and somebody from outside the country would take it.

We are looking for solutions and implementation of the 2014 Oireachtas report recommendations, and we have picked out four recommendations in particular. The heritage licence Bill was stalled a number of years go by the Government of the time but most parties were in favour of it. We would like to see it revisited. We want social welfare reform because once boats are tied up people are stuck for days. This can happen for three weeks just like that. It does not happen normally and it would be good to get in and out of it. Producer organisation funding should be released in line with policy and there should also be investment in island harbour infrastructure.

We have a small population with high dependence on fisheries. We are part of the culture, heritage and marine stewardship. We need action. On the previous occasion I was before a committee we said we needed to look forward to see what we can do. Now we have a fisheries committee and a Minister of State. We are ready for action and we would love to come back.