Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I am pleased to express some views on the forthcoming Agriculture and Fisheries Council of 18 and 19 December. This is a new development and a welcome one. I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, on his exceptional efforts since his appointment as Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries and forestry in representing Ireland at European level. He has left his mark and I know that after the Council meeting he will have left an indelible mark in Europe, taking into account his brief period as Minister of State. I congratulate him on his success in securing a justified increase in the mackerel quota, going from 49,000 tonnes to 66,000. This is worth €20 million to the industry.

Given the good shape of the stock, which is in its best shape since the egg survey of the 80s, we will be able to maintain this level and hopefully increase it. I have noted with enthusiasm in 2007 and 2008 that the mackerel has moved south much earlier than heretofore. This means that more Irish fishing vessels are fishing nearer to the port of Killybegs and will land at Killybegs. Even Scottish vessels will land at Killybegs during January. These will be additional resources for pelagic processing plants there. We would like all vessels to do that but they cannot be mandated to do so. Various Ministers have considered this. It is hard to expect large pelagic vessels fishing off the coast of Norway, if they are inside the four degrees, or off the north coast of Scotland to travel down because of the exorbitant cost due to the increase in the price of oil in the past. This has changed. I remember when most fish were landed at Killybegs and we will witness that again this year.

I refer to the proposed closure of the whitefish fishery off Donegal, area 6A. This is not justified and the Minister of State will prove this to the Commission and his colleagues at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council next week. We have the highest rate of unemployment in the Donegal region and the closure would exacerbate this. That is not a scientific argument but it is an economic one. This would be a disaster for Donegal and the Minister of State will resist this measure with great vigour at the Council. It is not sufficient to resist it, he must offer alternatives. The alternative is to recommend technical conservation measures such as an increase in the size of mesh. Ireland has always been to the fore in recommending technical conservation and real time closures. That would be more effective and I suggest the Minister of State should approach the proposed closure in this vein.

We are in the 11th hour in respect of blue whiting and transfers to Norway but the Minister of State will take a strong line on this. He has done so heretofore. He will try to ensure the EU and Ireland will have a viable blue whiting fishery.

I remember when all blue whiting was for industrial purposes. The ingenuity of the Irish processing industry developed a valuable blue whiting fishery for human consumption. We must ensure that the outcome is that there is sufficient blue whiting in the EU and sufficient blue whiting so that Ireland has that valuable fishery.

I wish the Minister of State well. He has a good track record in his short time in the industry. He will do his utmost in these difficult times to ensure Ireland secures a fair and realistic deal when decisions are taken at the end of next week.

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