Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister will be aware on 12 November last, it was reported that two Dutch-registered monster vessels were fishing off the Donegal coast. One was a super-trawler and the other was a factory ship. One was 470 ft long and the other was 414 ft long. They hoovered up fish. There are widespread concerns about sustainability. How can the Minister talk about sustainability of fisheries when vessels of this size are hoovering up fish? There are major concerns about discards going back into the sea. There is a lack of CCTV, observers or accountability to ensure that these vessels are catching what they are supposed to. It is difficult to take when we have given up 80% of the 1.2 million tonnes that are caught in Irish waters every year. We have given up 80% of the fish in that entire zone. The Minister needs to fight for Ireland's interests and seek to put an end to this practice.

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