Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The bluefin tuna is not a fish that many people in the Chamber or throughout the country would have come across. It is quite a rare, but valuable, fish. Only one tenth of Irish territory is made up of the island of Ireland, with nine tenths of it lying out in the ocean and affording many possibilities for Irish fishermen to make money. The bluefin tuna is a fish that offers huge opportunity because, although quite rare, it is extremely expensive. I understand that a fully grown bluefin tuna can fetch prices of up to €100,000 on the Japanese market.

We are seeking a small quota for Irish fishermen to catch this lucrative fish. Vessels from other countries are allowed to catch bluefin tuna in our waters. We support the introduction of a bluefin tuna tag-and-release research programme, so that we will be able to gather evidence to support the case for a quota for Ireland. We have called for it in the past, as well as for the opening of recreational bluefin fisheries in Donegal, in particular, and other areas throughout the country and also a catch-and-release programme. There is huge potential for job creation and the boosting of our regional tourism in this regard.

The Department with responsibility for the marine has ruled out negotiating for the bluefin tuna quota on the grounds that there is no basis for Ireland to receive such a quota. If we do not seek it in a proactive way, we will never get it. That is the issue. It was stated earlier that people were trying to find common ground on issues. We should be able to find common ground - or common water, as it were - so that we can seek this quota.

Ireland has a very small possibility of catching bluefin tuna. I am informed by many fishermen that there are many more of them in our waters than was the case in the past. Whether it is a result of global warming or some other issue, in recent years quite a number of them have been sighted by Irish fishermen up and down the west coast, in particular, in St. George's channel and in the Irish Sea. Recently, eight of them were caught off the coast of Wexford. Unfortunately, because there is no Irish quota, the entire catch had to be sold for €5,000. Those fish could have been worth €800,000. This was a huge amount of money for those involved to lose and it was all because of the absence of a quota.

I understand that there will be a meeting in December to negotiate and establish quotas. I am asking for the Government to seek a bluefin tuna quota, even if just for the recreational sector. Ireland could then at least have a space in all of this. As with many other areas for Irish fishermen, they see French, Spanish and Portuguese fishermen catching these fish, yet they are not allowed to do so. That is inappropriate. I appeal to the Minister to find a way and to fight hard for even a small recreational quota for Irish fishermen to be able to catch bluefin tuna.

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