Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. Deputy Coveney made the valid point that resources for this area have historically not been at the level required to provide for the types of management and conservation measures we want. One of the reasons for the difficulty in attracting resources may have been a recognition that regional management structures vis-À-vis central ones were not operating optimally. I hope one of the outcomes of this process, if we can get it right, is a management structure that everyone recognises as optimal, with strong co-operation between all relevant agencies at regional and central levels so that the conflicts which formerly hindered the allocation of resources do not recur. I agree with several of the other points made by Deputy Coveney regarding the potential benefits from tourism and other areas.

In terms of where we go from here, I hope it will be possible to retain the expertise that currently exists in the area. A complete upheaval would be wrong in this instance because there is a body of strong scientific expertise and dedicated and committed staff in each of the regional authorities and the central authority, even if some may have moved to the Marine Institute or elsewhere. It is crucial that we retain and motivate those people within whatever restructuring exercise we set up.

I was interested to hear Deputy D'Arcy's experience of running a dairy farm close to a salmonid river. The fact that the river is full of salmon is a tribute to the way he manages his business. We need to instill the same sense of excitement and responsibility in our entire community. If we can get community buy-in, the effect on managing our affairs will be huge.

In regard to the structures that we put in place to maintain regional representative boards, they could include elected members but it is more important that we appoint the right people, some of whom may be elected, rather than having purely representative boards. One of the concerns I have about existing structures is that they are too large. Deputy McManus made that point. While many people are on the boards for valid reasons and in representative roles, whether in respect of tourism, fisheries or commercial netsmen, the boards work more effectively when they are less prescribed in terms of representation. Boards work well when people sit on them as a public service duty, as well as having public service obligations in respect of their own areas.

In regard to my comments from last year which Deputy McManus quoted, my frustration at the time arose because there was no sense of progress. To a certain extent, we were not doing anything. The reason the elections are being further postponed is because I see a potential for progress. A process has been engaged whereby the chairs of the various agencies came together last Friday and collectively agreed a proposal on how they would proceed. In those circumstances, we at least have the opportunity, hopefully within a matter of months, to reach agreement on the structures we might put in place. The crucial areas in that respect will include deciding the role of a central authority vis-À-vis a regional authority if we are to maintain the latter and the roles of boards and management. Given the spirit of goodwill and unity that I sense from the chairs of the agencies, which in the past may not have existed, I am confident that we have the potential to do important work.

I understand the concerns expressed by Deputy Ferris as a representative of his community but the changes in salmon management were essential from my perspective. While they are not the key component of the management system, they allow us to concentrate on other issues, such as habitat and water quality, which will help us protect the stock sufficiently to allow for a certain level of commercial fishing activity on a single stock management basis. Furthermore, these stocks will provide us with a natural resource that will enrich our lives and creates substantial additional economic potential. It will be of significant benefit to the areas Deputy Ferris represents if we can bring back tourists and even if we can bring back——

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