Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Minister for coming to the House and giving us an opportunity to speak on what I would like to see, namely, a renegotiation of the Common Fisheries Policy. I first started fishing with my father when I was eight years old in 1960. At the time I fished out of the port of Fenit. At certain times of the year, from October to the end of February, the port was alive because there was an inshore oyster fishery which has not been affected to date by the European Union. During the winter months there was the landing of herring and whitefish, while in the summer there was potting and so forth. This provided a very substantial income for the area and surrounding towns, seasonal though it was.

I went fishing full-time in 1969-70. I worked on trawlers and there was potting in the summer and fishing for oysters in the winter months. We made a reasonable living. In modern terms we had what I would consider very primitive boats, but while the work was hard, it was very rewarding as one was working with nature.

In 1972, in the lead-up to the referendum on EU entry, I campaigned day and night against it for two reasons: first, the erosion of our sovereignty and, second and crucially from a practical economic point of view, the situation of the farming and fishing industries, both of which were very badly served. For the people involved, small farmers working on 12, 14, 18 or 20 acres of land, it was hard work, but it provided an income. They are all gone now, anyone with less than 50 acres is practically gone. Rural Ireland has been severely decimated through the loss of its population, particularly its young and vibrant members.

The worst affected of all has been the fishing sector which has been utterly destroyed. Somebody mentioned the figure of 11,000 people currently involved in the fishing industry and associated industries. However, we must consider the potential of the industry. We are an island nation, with huge resources off our coast. However, no thought was given to fishing and there was no vision shown by the politicians of the day. At the time they were looking at the carrot being dangled by the European Union. Effectively, we have given away one of our greatest resources as a result. What was needed at the time was investment in the fishing fleet and, more importantly, onshore to complement existing resources. Had that happened, it would have been absolutely huge but unfortunately, it did not. Although Deputy McHugh suggested one should not dwell on the past, I believe we must learn from it, which is the reason I have brought it up. Having looked back on it and when anticipating how things will develop from now on, I note the figure mentioned was 4% of the European catch and 16% of the waters. In fact, the percentage is a lot less than 4% because of a number of vessels that work out of Ireland under a flag of convenience.

Ireland has now been presented with a deliberate policy to further reduce its fishing fleet, which reminds me of the decommissioning aspect of this issue. I note that fleet decommissioning has taken place in the past 12 to 14 years, whereby carrots effectively were being thrown at people who had struggled to make a living all their lives to buy them out. This resulted in the accumulation of quota that went to the bigger boats and consequently, the fleet of necessity became progressively smaller.

Another attempt now is being made by the Commissioner to influence matters regarding the quota, its management and its probable transfer into a form of privatisation. This effectively will mean that Irish fishermen will not be able to compete. This is the reason they depend on all Members, Government and Opposition alike, to put their shoulders to the wheel to stand against these efforts and to do everything in their power to try, as Deputy Colreavy stated, to ensure a fair quota system can be made available to Ireland. Members must stand up for this and should consider the example of Iceland, which I note has been mentioned as a predator. In recent years, that country developed another form of economy and neglected its fishing economy. However, after they went broke and belly-up on foot of the collapse of their banking system, they returned to exploiting their natural fishing resources and are thriving. This is because Iceland did not give up on a national industry. They fought a war with the Brits over their waters. They stood up against the might of the British navy to defend their rights.

While one cannot put back the clock, this State has given away what probably is the most lucrative resource available to the people of this island for a short-sighted vision. Members must now look ahead and plan ahead and as much as possible of what remains of that resource must be taken back. In respect of conservation, the depletion of stocks and discards, I fail to understand how thousands of tonnes of perfectly good fish can be thrown back into the water at a time when people ashore struggle to put bread on the table. This does not make sense and I acknowledge the Minister shares my views in this regard.

See this speech in context