Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As we face into the December Fisheries Council meeting, it is abundantly clear that science is the foundation on which decisions are made. Leaving aside the issue of bluefin tuna, the science is difficult to argue against. We face a very significant challenge in that context.

In the context of the Marine Institute's involvement here, what is happening is the building of a case but without the conclusions of the scientific research we are going nowhere. I will give the Deputy another example in the context of established track records in a fishery. Deputy McConalogue is here and he will be familiar with the pelagic fish sector. Killibegs has very significant involvement in that. If one was to argue that the fishery, which was established substantially on the basis of their efforts, should be reallocated to others, Deputy McConalogue knows what their view would be. It is understandable in the context that they have established a fishery on the basis of their endeavours over many years. The unfortunate truth about this is we did not have an established track record. There are issues around the migratory pattern of the species and its proliferation in Irish waters, which was not always the case. Whether it is due to science or global warming, it is the case. The Deputy alluded to the catch off Wexford. The Marine Institute is leading an effort to build the science. It is only when we have the conclusions of that science that we can proceed, whether it is an increase in the by-catch or the recreational catch and release, which would be significant for tourism and angling in particular. That will be the premise on which we proceed. The difficulty of expecting to go without the support of the science initially and then to have to overcome the ownership which others feel they have of this fishery because it was their endeavour that established it is not to be underestimated. We are taking the right steps.

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