Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

The predicament of drift net fishermen is another blow to people living in coastal communities. These are a finite number of fishermen eking out a living. They are mostly to be found along the west coast, and particularly in County Mayo. They have been treated in an unfair manner. This is something that has been in the pipeline for some time and perhaps it should have been introduced three or four years ago. These fishermen are being badly penalised because it did not happen at that time. The amount they are now getting in compensation — a once off payment that will have to do them for the rest of their lives — is dependent on their catch, and this has been reduced by 75% in the last five years.

We all know about how scarce salmon stocks are. However, this group of fishermen has been badly treated and deserves better. It is not just about the fishermen themselves, but also their families, particularly their sons who expected to continue the fishing tradition. They now have no future. What about the crews who are dependent on the licence holder? The licence holder is getting a pittance in compensation and is expected to pay his crew from that.

I do not believe that what has been proposed has been fully thought out. Farmers, for example, were more equitably treated because they were more organised. The drift net fishermen were badly organised; they trusted Government and felt it would do the right thing by them but they have been badly let down. It is not too late for the Minister of State to announce further measures to help these fishermen, their families and their crews.

This programme may not work out as well as Government thinks. There was a big loss of salmon at sea. Salmon will also return to the river of origin, and this may not necessarily be an Irish river. Drift net fishermen also catch salmon from Scotland, England and elsewhere. The Government has not given enough thought to what will happen if the increased numbers of salmon return to Irish rivers. I do not believe the Government has increased the number of fisheries board staff. I understand the number of such staff has been reduced as part of a plan to privatise and eliminate the body in the long run. That would also be a retrograde step.

What does the future hold for these men who will not be adequately compensated? Hopefully they will not engage in any form of illegality. Drift net fishermen have always respected and kept the law and, consequently, their catches were lower. By only fishing when they were permitted to do so, their catches were reduced and they are now paying for that.

In the north east of England, fishermen were given £70,000 sterling a number of years ago in a buy out in the interests of salmon conservation, and £110,000 sterling is now reported to have been offered to those remaining. Approximately €2,000 has been offered to our 850 drift net fishermen for a similar buy-out, with €23 euro per salmon caught in the last five years even though a quota reduction of 75% was already operating. No provision has been made for the drift net crews, nor has any other option been considered for them. Considering the devastating effect on those men and their families in rural areas for the rest of their lives, this does not seem equitable. They have no option for satisfaction in the event of resurgence in salmon stock. Is the Minister of State considering any other options to help drift net fishermen, their crews and families?

See this speech in context