Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We are an island people and, despite this, Governments have in the past failed to defend, promote and protect the fishing industry effectively. Successive Governments, both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, have failed to invest in and encourage the development of fish-related industries, specifically fish processing. At the same time, billions of euro worth of fish have been taken from Irish waters. This is not only a massive loss to Irish fishing communities but also to the economy of the island. Only a small proportion of the catch was taken by the Irish fleet. It is underdeveloped and, as fishing families know, it is often a risky and dangerous occupation.

A sense of the frustration of many of those in the fishing industry, particularly due to the lack of consultation, is personified by the fisherman on hunger strike at the gates of Teach Laighean.

In our time, we have seen the decline of the fishing industry and a significant loss of jobs over recent decades. Approximately 9,000 and 4,000 people are directly employed in fishing and processing, respectively. There is an onus on the Government to maximise the exploitation of the natural fishing resources in a managed and sustainable fashion, which should include a dedicated fisheries Minister. For the Government of an island nation, even one partitioned as we are at this time, not to conserve, manage or develop our fishing stocks for the national good makes no sense whatsoever.

The Bill is about giving legal effect to a convention in place since the 1960s that has allowed Irish fishing vessels from any part of this island to fish in any part of the waters of this island. It was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2016 and but for the recent embarrassing arrest of two Northern trawlers, it might not be up for debate today. As the Minister has acknowledged, the Bill has caused considerable concern among the fishing organisations. Many are worried that if it becomes law, it could inadvertently open the door to the fishing fleets of the contracting parties to the London Fisheries Convention gaining de facto access to the six-mile zone. Sinn Féin has consulted some of the fishing organisations and our amendments are intended to address this concern. I ask the Minister to support the amendments.

Amendment No. 4 specifies that the beneficial owner of the sea-fishing boat could be resident in the North, thereby addressing the abuse of the spirit of the voisinageagreement, which saw multinational speculators use an address of convenience in the North to access inshore fisheries.

I am disappointed that amendment No. 8 was ruled out of order. Nevertheless, the spirit of the amendment is relevant and I appeal to the Minister to agree that the Government should seek to bring forward urgently and implement an all-Ireland sustainability and conservation management plan for non-quota species within the six-mile limit.

Amendment No. 9 is about ensuring a sustainable inshore fishery around the entire coast of our island and islands.

Amendment No. 10 directly addresses concerns raised by the Irish Fish Producers Organisation, IFPO, which outlined a worry that at least six other countries will have access to Ireland’s six-mile zone. Our amendment states: “No provisions of this Act shall apply to the contracting parties under the London Fisheries Convention outside of the Republic of Ireland and the North of Ireland.” I urge the Minister and the Government to accept that the fishing organisations have genuine fears about the potential impact of the Bill on the sustainability of the fishing stock and, consequently, of jobs within the six-mile limit. Our amendment addresses the concerns of the IFPO and others.

We should also remind ourselves of the imperative of the Good Friday Agreement. The all-Ireland agreement emphasised the need for “consultation, co-operation and action within the island of Ireland - including through implementation on an all-island and cross-border basis - on matters of mutual interest within the competence of the Administrations, North and South." It also urged the production of “common policies, in areas where there is a mutual cross-border and all-island benefit". It is clear that fishing is one such area. Specifically, among the areas for North-South co-operation and implementation identified in the Good Friday Agreement are the issues of inland fisheries, aquaculture and marine matters. The defence of the Good Friday Agreement, which has been at the heart of the Brexit debate and negotiations, must be a priority and the agreement must be protected, which includes protecting the rights of those Irish citizens who work in the fishing industry in every part of this island.

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