Mr. Aodh O'Donnell:

The Senator's point is very valid. We have worked very hard as an alliance.

We have worked very hard on a cross-party basis. We have worked with the likes of the Senator and others. We are going into Europe on 12 November again. We are going to meet all of the MEPs. They have been very supportive of our position and they understand what is happening. There may be a role for this committee to support us in that engagement at European level and in going into the heart of Europe to explain our case so that people understand that fisheries are a national priority. Ireland cannot be the sacrificial lamb when it comes to the marine sector.

I support the view that the entire value chain has to be looked after on an emergency basis to tide us over in this situation. We need to be clear about one thing. If we look after the stock and have the sanctions to make sure other coastal states look after the stock as well, the stock will recover. Our members are looking at the cuts and asking what it takes to make sure that, in two years' time, we are not facing a zero-catch advice. If we face that, that is total Armageddon for coastal communities.