John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

I welcome this debate on sea fisheries and thank the Minister for being present for it. It is beneficial to discuss this industry which is of major importance to the Irish economy and plays an essential role in coastal communities. It generates more than €800 million and provides employment for 11,000 people. While it is important to talk about the sustainability of stocks, it is equally important to recognise the importance of the sustainability of fishery families around our coastline. The Minister must strike a balance in his discussions in Brussels between protecting the livelihoods of fishing families and protecting stocks.

We have a sustainable fishery industry and many fishermen have taken many hard decisions in recent years with the downsizing of the fishery fleet and fishermen having to work against the severe background of a lack of stocks and quotas but they have managed to survive. I speak to fishermen in Kilmore, Duncannon and along the Wexford coastline on a regular basis and I am sure other Deputies do likewise. We all recognise the importance of having a viable fishing industry. The programme for Government, as the Minister, Deputy Coveney, outlined, committed to introducing a sustainable fisheries impact assessment annually before the EU fishery meetings. I attended many of those meetings when I was in the Department in previous years and, to a certain extent, many of the decisions are made at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. following heavy negotiations over two or three days. I am sure the Minister will be at the coalface with his counterparts in other member states making sure that Ireland's fishery quotas are protected for 2012.

How many other countries carry out a sustainable fisheries impact assessment prior to the December negotiations? Are we showing our hand early in this case compared to other countries? From my experience, many of the decisions on the reductions of quotas or on what would suit Irish fishermen were taken at the eleventh hour of the discussions. I welcome the fact that we are having this debate today.

I am sure the proposals from the European Commission in September set alarm bells ringing in the fishing industry. I welcome the fact the Minister had productive debates with the stakeholders, although from talking to members of fishery organisations throughout the country I know they are concerned about the proposals and what decisions will be taken for Ireland at the final negotiations.

The European Commission proposals refer to an arbitrary 25% cut in stocks which do not have complete data and full scientific advice available. As the Minister said, much of this is based on precautionary operations within the Commission and by the Commissioner. That may not be a good enough way to operate because those kinds of precautionary approaches will eventually affect how fishermen will survive in 2012. I accept that the Marine Institute is providing strong scientific data and doing its best in this area. I understand in the region of €26 million was spent in 2010 on data collection for quota stocks, some of which will have come from the EU. Will the Minister make increased funding available for 2012? I know this is a difficult time in his Department but will he make increased funding available for the Marine Institute to provide increased scientific data for 2012 to enable him to make more definite decisions in the future and, more importantly, to prove to the EU that we have a strong scientific basis for many of the arguments we put forward at EU level? Other reasons that scientists cannot perform robust stock assessments are related to complex problems such as historical data, length of time series and lack of coherence in assessment data.

Of the 24 stocks of interest to Ireland, all bar four are seeing significant cuts in the amount available to Irish fishermen. The cuts range from 15% and 25% for most stocks to a recommended zero quota for cod in the Irish Sea off the Donegal coast. It is important to recognise that such cuts will have severe implications for fishermen around our coastline. I expect the Minister will not accept such cuts when the serious negotiations commence in December. I am sure he and his officials will argue strongly for a serious reduction in what the Commissioner proposes.

We must also recognise the good news, namely, that increases are proposed for cod and herring in the Celtic Sea with a 25% increase in haddock in the north west. This is a result of conservation programmes for cod and herring in the Celtic Sea put in place primarily by the industry. It is important to note that the industry in recent years has recognised the need for conservation and to protect stocks and quotas. It has played its part but from talking to members of the fishery organisations I know they feel that they did not get any thanks for doing this especially when the Commission has put forward an arbitrary 25% cut in stocks and seems not to recognise that the fishermen have put conservation at the top of their agenda. We have a strong fishery organisation and strong groups that link into it. They told me they have gone into serious detail on the proposed cuts with the Minister and the Department and they believe there is no justification for the cuts that have been put forward by the Commission. The Minister, when responding, might give more detail on his discussions with them.

Fishermen face many reductions and difficulties in trying to earn a living. Haddock fishing in the south west and whiting fishing in the Irish Sea and off the north-west coast are closed and quotas for many species are heavily restricted. It is nearly impossible to keep the Irish fleet in business but I recognise it has played its part in trying to ensure we have a viable fishing industry. I am sure the Minister will continue to support the fishery industry to sustain a viable industry for fishery families around our coastline.

The Minister has to strike a balance between the sustainability of stocks and the substantiality of Irish fishermen. That is what it is all about. Previous ministers in their discussions in Brussels in December have tried to strike that balance. It is not always possible to get 100% of what one seeks because the European Commission will always try to balance it out but it is important that the livelihoods of fishery families in Ireland are protected. They have suffered greatly in recent years and it is only right that the Minister will be at coalface in Brussels arguing their case and I am sure he will do that.

I wish to ask the Minister about the inshore fisheries framework. He spoke about what was contained in the programme for Government and I heard him on numerous occasions speak about the development of the inshore fisheries framework. There is tremendous opportunity for development and expansion in this area but there is a serious lack of management in it. It is hard for us to make our own decisions outside the 12 mile limit but certainly what happens inside the 12 mile and six mile limit is totally a matter for the Minister and his Department.

Providing for proper management of the inshore fisheries framework is a matter for the Department and the Minister and I hope he will do so as quickly as possible.

I raise the issue of Bord Iascaigh Mhara being moved to within the Department. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced this would happen.

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