Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the motion and I thank my colleagues, Deputies Creed and Sheahan, for all their hard work in this area and for bringing this motion before the House. I congratulate the Minister and the Minister of State on their appointments and wish them well in their roles.

This is an extremely important motion that needs to be taken seriously by the Government. The seafood industry employs more than 12,000 people and contributes €750 million to the economy. If the Government does not resolve the issues that are crippling this industry by obtaining direct assistance from the EU, we are facing the loss of the entire industry and the way of life of our fishermen.

Numerous problems are faced by Irish fishermen every day, including the high cost of fuel, which has risen by 40% since January this year. Irish fish prices have declined, EU quotas are restrictive and fish stocks are depleting. As stated in the Fine Gael motion, the Government has been too slow to implement the Cawley report and ensure that Irish fish is banded and marketed as such. On this side of the House we want to see the Government immediately negotiate a package of financial assistance for fishermen. We want to see the Irish fishing industry not disadvantaged relative to its competitors and other EU countries that seem to be permitted state aid in certain circumstances. Irish fishermen do not receive such aid. We want the Government to introduce regulations on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing without delay, following agreement at EU level. There are numerous other measures, already mentioned by my colleagues, that we in the Fine Gael Party wish to see implemented and they are included in the motion before the House this evening.

Ordinary people's lives and livelihoods are at stake here. I have received numerous telephone calls and e-mails at my office from fishermen based at Howth harbour, in my constituency of Dublin North-East. These men face uncertain times and their prospects seem dismal. An e-mail sent to me by a constituent in Howth states:

I have been a fisherman since I left school at 15 and possess two boats. My vessels operate from Howth and the crews consist solely of local fishermen. For the last six weeks the larger vessel has not been to sea as I could not afford to pay the fuel bill with the minuscule amount of quota fish we are allowed to catch. The six men who operate this boat all live in Howth and Baldoyle and they are suffering as they have had no wages for six weeks. The future is extremely bleak as there is presently no hope of going back out fishing. I am struggling to keep my other boat going. Four of her six crew live locally. I am appealing now for grant aid from the EU as otherwise both vessels will be tied up with 12 men out of work.

Crisis point has been reached in our fishing industry and we need immediate intervention before it is wiped out. The headline of the cover story in my local newspaper, the Northside People, reads "Northside fishermen fear for livelihood". The story is about a northside fisherman, with us this evening in the Visitors Gallery, and other fishermen. The fisherman will have to come to terms with the fact that he may be the last generation of his family to work out of Howth harbour if the Government does not take immediate steps to protect the Irish fishing industry. It is a sad day for all fishermen operating out of Howth harbour as only a few decent-sized fishing vessels operate from the pier. As Deputy Ring said when pointing out the gravity of the situation, if one sees such a vessel nowadays it is most likely to function only as a museum piece. This should not be the case.

This motion was tabled by Fine Gael in response to the escalating crisis facing the fishing industry. To date this Government has secured nothing concrete from the EU for the industry. The Government, in conjunction with the EU, must take urgent measures now if it is serious about saving the fishing industry. I ask the Minister and Minister of State to discuss this critical issue at the meeting on 23 July and to secure whatever financial assistance they can for the industry, otherwise it will be doomed forever. The Government must negotiate a better quota system for fishermen and an allowance must be provided for them, in line with that issued to the Naval Service. A direct financial assistance package is required to save the fishing industry. We have run out of time and the fishermen of Howth and other Irish ports need direct intervention by this Government. There is a proud tradition of fishing in this country, particularly from Howth harbour in my constituency. We in the Fine Gael Party will fight to ensure that this tradition continues.

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