Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

These are fair questions. We are trying to take a cautious approach towards this stock because it is very vulnerable. If we start catching them commercially again, we could do huge damage and they would take a very long time to recover. They do not grow quickly, unlike other stock that can recover quickly. It is not just the inshore fishermen and the smaller boats that are concerned about this. I have been asked about this by the owners of bigger boats also, who are actually discarding large volumes of bass which they catch while trying to catch other fish. They say it is crazy because they must dump dead fish over the side of the boat, and ask if they can be allowed to bring in a small quota. The danger with that is that if one agrees to allow a certain quota of fish to be caught, one sends a signal that it is okay to start catching bass commercially again. One is then into a quota management situation for a very delicate stock. I would be slow to do that.

We must make decisions on the basis of science and information. We are currently in discussions with the Marine Institute on ways in which we could conduct scientific research on the bass stock. I am very protective of this stock. First, it is very valuable. Second, it is very important for both angling and tourism. That is not to say it could not be very important for commercial fisheries as well, but I would require convincing before changing the current approach towards banning the commercial netting of bass given that it is such a delicate species.

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