Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister for agreeing to share time. One could spend 15 hours discussing the Common Fisheries Policy without touching on everything one would like to address. Although fishing is not a nationally popular or well-versed industry, unfortunately, it is the main industry in some parts of the country. The impact of the decisions taken under the Common Fisheries Policy has a huge bearing on the operation of the industry in coastal communities throughout the country. I welcome the fact that the Minister will make the Irish case strongly at the European negotiations to get the best deal for Ireland under the policy for the next eight, ten or dozen years.

The reality is that the Common Fisheries Policy we now have is a broken model. It was drawn up with the best of intentions to provide for communities while conserving fish stocks. The quota system that is in place simply has not worked. It needs a fundamental reform. It is right that the quota system proposed by Commissioner Damanaki should be opposed by this country. I am glad the Minister intends to resist it firmly at the European negotiations. That is important because the individual fishing quotas that have been proposed by the Commissioner would have a detrimental effect on the Irish fishing industry if they were allowed to go through. A great deal of work needs to be done in that regard.

I would like to speak about the issue of discards. It is a crime, essentially, to throw dead fish - good food - overboard. It is legal to catch it, but it is illegal to land it. Quite frankly, it is difficult to know how it should be dealt with. If one brings non-quota or over-quota species onto the quays, it will affect the market and have an impact on the individual quota allocation of one's vessel. It is a difficult challenge to try to minimise discards on the seas. I hope we will find a way of resolving it successfully.

I hope the Hague preferences, which we have successfully negotiated and renegotiated in recent years during the most recent reviews of the Common Fisheries Policy, will be maintained. We will support the Minister's efforts to maintain these preferential agreements on the Irish fishing industry. That is very important.

I hope we will have a united front when Ireland's case is being made during the negotiations that will take place as part of the review of the Common Fisheries Policy. We need to build alliances of like-minded allies in Europe. That happened when it was proposed to impose sanctions on the Faroe Islands and Iceland, for example. When those countries tore agreements asunder, they damaged the shared mackerel stock that is important for the European fishing industry. It is important we put forward a united front. We should support the Minister, the Department and the officials when they make Ireland's case in Europe.

It is a sad fact that fishing is not a very well industry, by and large. That is a challenge for those of us in this Parliament who are interested in the fishing industry. We use terms like "refrigerated sea water", "polyvalent", "pelagic" and "demersal", which are as fundamental to the fishing industry as terms like "tillage", "dairy", "cattle" and "dry suckler" are to the agriculture industry. Farming terms are well understood in this Chamber, whereas the fishing terms I mentioned are well understood by a minority of Members but vaguely understood or disregarded by a majority of Members. The challenge for Deputies who represent coastal communities is to try to rectify that and bring the fishing industry to the fore of the debate.

I am glad to have had an opportunity to speak on the Common Fisheries Policy. I hope we can reach consensus and show a united front in the interests of an industry that badly needs the help of this Chamber. This much maligned industry, which is under severe pressure, is of great importance in areas that are facing constant economic and social pressure. We need to reverse the unfortunate trend whereby we import the fish we eat and export the fish we catch. We should try to do the best we can to maximise the onshore resource that is our fishing industry. I am grateful to the Minister for sharing time with me.

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