Cecilia Keaveney (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)

I extend my sympathy to those who were lost at sea. Greencastle and Inishowen have had their share of very sad losses. It is one of the worst tragedies for people not to be able to find their loved ones. It occurred with the loss of the Carrickatine in Greencastle and we have heartfelt sympathy for those people who lost loved ones.

If I had realised that there was a certain amount of latitude, apart from the fact that I would have declared my interest that I live by the Foyle, I would have asked about the salmon fishery as well. Whatever decision is to be taken, it must be taken quickly. This time last year, people had already applied for the licences and were certain as to what would happen in the summer. People want certainty.

If an Irish or British boat can be registered in Belfast and thus can fish all waters in the UK and Ireland, it is too bad that a boat registered in Greencastle does not have the reciprocal arrangement. However, I know that the Minister of State cannot comment on that because there is a court case pending.

Amendments Nos. 4 and 11 will probably not be accepted on the basis that there is no existing licensed areas, which is what the Minister stated on Committee Stage. However, I follow the spirit of amendment No. 5. We are not starting from a situation where people have been licensed, but neither are we starting from a greenfield site. We are starting from a situation in which we are trying to legitimise the people who are there. We would not have aquaculture licensing if we did not have aquaculture. We have both wild and farmed aquaculture and we must recognise the reality. There is strong recognition of the history of the people there. Had we started from a greenfield site, nobody would put in a greater claim than anyone else. However, the mussel fishermen would say that about 40% of the Foyle is mapped out for mussels, yet only 10% has been occupied because of the lack of seed. The oyster fishermen would say that they have mapped out about 49% for oysters, although whether it is all used is another question. The environmental studies that were mentioned on Committee Stage might yield results on this issue.

There must be strong emphasis from the Department and the Minister of State that the people who have invested their time, energy and money in this are recognised. One cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs, and many of these people had to invest money that went nowhere. They had to make mistakes to achieve success. It was not a great honey pot for anybody. I would like to see not only the rights of tenure for those who are currently there, but also some opportunity for new entrants. However, I worry about too many licences being given out for a scarce resource. Unless we can solve the problem of seed, it will be unrealistic for the Department to think that aquaculture can be the bright new dawn for the Foyle area. A cake can only be divided in so many parts so it must be done in a sensible manner. Access to the seed is a golden goose, but it cannot lay the eggs to match its potential at the moment.

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