Dáil debates

Wednesday, 14 July 2021

Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages

 

9:27 pm

Photo of Michael CollinsMichael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support amendments Nos. 2 and 3. We have been speaking about the fishing industry in the House more of late than at any other period because it has gone through a horrific time, particularly over the past 12 months. It is hard to believe the situation could get any worse than what it was but it certainly has done in the past 12 months, with penalty points being imposed on fishermen, a disastrous Brexit deal, the horrendous weighing crisis and the attempted ramming off Castletownbere of a Castletownbere-registered trawler. There is little or no safety and security around Spanish fishing vessels fishing illegally in Irish waters. There are few and only poor supports in our waters for Irish fishers. We are talking about Rockall tonight. I am very concerned that if there is such little support for fishermen in our own waters, what kinds of supports will be given to fishermen to continue to fish off Rockall in Scotland?

I am extremely disappointed that we might be giving more of our territory away to others. In the past week, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine sent out a letter to fishermen from the Republic with larger trawlers instructing them not to fish in the nought to six nautical miles zone off the coastline. Northern Ireland vessels, however, will be allowed to do that no matter the size of the trawler. Perhaps neither should be doing it but, certainly, if fishermen from the Republic have been instructed that they are not allowed to do it, the same law surely should apply to Northern Ireland trawlers. It seems to me that this country is continually making way for, and giving some kind of leniency to, other countries to fish in our waters. Of course, we threw many of our rights away long ago but we tend to continue to erode whatever bit of law or regulation is in place for securing some fishing rights for Irish fishermen. We see from the pictures that are sent to us every night that foreign fleets are fishing our waters quite bravely.

We are losing massive amounts of quota. Many fishermen are left mystified as to who is protecting them. Is the SFPA on their side? Is the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on their side? More and more calls are being made for the disbandment of the marine section of the Department and for the SFPA to be answerable. The agency is answerable now to our Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, but that is not enough. As far as Irish fishermen are concerned, the requisite protections and supports have never been there for them. I have fought bravely in here for those protections and supports. This Government must have a change of mindset. The only way that we can do that is right at the top. A senior Minister for the marine must be appointed. Any Government seeking to lead in this country must be willing to look at the rich resources we have for our fishing industry. I appreciate all the fishermen and fisherwomen who go out onto the high seas and work so hard. It is sad to think that some of them can then face a trawler that could be three times the size of their boats chasing them in Irish waters and attempting to ram them, while we see no protection out there. I do not want to waste time, because time is valuable on this issue, but I ask the Minister to consider these amendments.

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