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

Maybe that is an overstatement but it was substantially an inshore industry. It is now a very different industry. In both value and volume terms, it is much bigger than it was prior to joining the EU.

I have concerns about the Bill on a number of fronts. I do not intend to go into all of them here but one issue is of particular concern. As a nation we take a different view of the Common Fisheries Policy to that of many other countries. We have steadfastly resisted the idea of privatising our quota. We have steadfastly resisted that and I am somewhat surprised by some of the contributions that I heard this evening.

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