Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

Deputy McGinley raised that issue with me this morning. I am going to Killybegs and Greencastle next weekend and I hope I will have an opportunity to meet some of those fishermen and hear what they have to say. It is not as easy as the Deputy might think to simply transfer quota to them to make up for losses they have experienced, because this would mean taking quota from somebody else. There are some contentious issues to resolve this summer, including mackerel quota, Celtic Sea herring, new fish stocks that are in their first year under the quota system, and the allocation of quotas. I accept that we need to try to keep the small guys in business.

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