Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)

I welcome the introduction of the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction (Fixed Penalty Notice) (Amendment) Bill 2009. It was necessitated because of some of the draconian measures incorporated in the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006 such as boats tied up or gear and catches confiscated for minor infringements. When first introduced, the legislation contained a provision giving the Naval Service the power to fire upon our fishing fleet. Thankfully, this measure was dropped along with some others.

However, the one measure that fishermen believe adds insult to injury is that a minor infringement of fishing regulations can be looked upon as a criminal act. This has wider implications for those in the industry who may be seeking other employment positions, for example, in the Garda or the Army, because having a criminal record means one is disbarred from applying. Having a record also disbars one from being allowed go to the United States of America seeking work.

In 2006, Fine Gael opposed these measures with our then spokesperson, Deputy John Perry, promising the Bill's reform in the party's 2007 general election manifesto. I congratulate Deputy Jim O'Keeffe on introducing this reasonable, responsible and well thought out Bill. One would expect such from someone with a legal professional background and knowledge of the fishing industry.

Bunbeg, County Donegal, where I grew up, was once a fishing village with up to as many as 40 half-deckers operating out of its port and maintaining the livelihoods of 130 families in the parish. In the winter months each boat was involved in the herring fisheries, bringing in 30 crans or 40 crans per boat, enough to keep four families from the emigrant ship. In the summer, the half-deckers worked the salmon fisheries. This kept the community going for many generations since the Famine.

Today, three punts operate out of Bunbeg port and are only allowed to fish some lobster and crab. As Deputy Pat Breen said, it is hardly worth it for a boat to go out for lobster because its price has collapsed. They also have to compete with imports from the United States and Canada, some of which are so undersized they would not be allowed to be fished here.

This is repeated in other coastal communities in Donegal, particularly on the islands such as Tory and Árainn Mhór. The state of the fishing industry was the county's economic barometer. In Killybegs, the entire fleet, worth €500 million, is tied up from February until October every year with no income. I agree with Deputy John Deasy that the industry is a pale shadow of what it was. The Fianna Fáil-led Governments over the past 13 years have presided over the death of the fishing industry in peripheral areas along the western seaboard. The Government could at least amend the legislation and decriminalise some of the infringements in the 2006 Act.

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