P J Sheehan (Cork South West, Fine Gael)

I commend Deputies Creed and Sheahan for tabling this motion. I regret that it has to be taken in Private Members' time. We should be debating a Government motion offering an aid package to hard-pressed fishermen around our coast. I represent the constituency of Cork South-West, where hard-pressed people have nothing but the mountains behind them and the sea in front of them. It used to be possible for such people to get some income from tourism for a few weeks during the summer, but this is drifting away as a result of the demise of the Cork to Swansea ferry service. The Government has done nothing to restore that service. The ever-increasing value of the euro is also keeping tourists away.

With such a background in mind, it is time for this Government, which is led by Fianna Fáil with the Green Party and the Progressive Democrats bobbing behind, to take some steps to assist the seafood industry. I challenge it to take a step to assist fishermen and their families. There is widespread support in urban and rural communities for the plight the fishermen are in through no fault of their own. The Irish seafood industry, which is worth €750 million to our economy, directly employs over 12,000 people. The immediate priority of the Minister, Deputy Smith, should be to tackle the cost of fuel, which is accounting for up to 75% of the value of each fisherman's catch. There has been an increase of 40% in the cost of fuel since the start of the year. The suggestion that fishermen are supported when paying for fuel is untrue. While the duty is removed from their fuel, that does not explain why French and Spanish fishermen pay 50 cent a litre while our fishermen pay 91 cent a litre. If the Minister does not take action in this area over the next few days, no trawlers will leave our ports and harbours for the rest of the summer.

The second most important issue in this vital sector is the large-scale importation of fish and seafood products, most of which are untraceable. I understand that Cork Airport is now the biggest fishery port in the country. It is estimated that 500,000 tonnes of illegal, unreported and unregulated fish products, worth approximately €1.1 billion, are illegally imported into the EU each year. This has led to a decrease in fish prices in the European market and a loss of market share for EU fishermen. Such activity is a major contributor to over-fishing and a threat to marine biodiversity. Many of the fish in question are harvested in Irish waters by foreign boats before being transported back to ports in other countries and then flown back to Cork Airport. Will the Government take action on this issue, which is vital if a fishing industry is to be maintained in this country?

The third area on which the Minister must focus is the implementation of the fisheries regulations and the criminalisation of fishermen. I hear complaints on a daily basis about the over-vigorous enforcement of regulations by officers of the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority, which has more than twice as many fisheries protection officers as the combined total of the equivalent authorities in France and Spain. We do not need the permission of Commissioner Borg to decriminalise the activities of Irish fishermen. The Minister can take action by speaking to the Attorney General. Where there is a will, there is a way. The Minister should act before it is too late. The measures in question were imposed under Irish, rather than EU, legislation. Some €42 million has been secured to support the decommissioning of 46 boats. However, no provision of any description has been made for the deck hands on the boats in question. Are they expected to live on fresh air and cold water? A scheme should be put in place in this country to compensate such people on the loss of their livelihoods.

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