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

I will address the theme that is my responsibility as Sinn Féin's spokesperson on fisheries and the marine, that being, the allocation of quota to the Irish fishing industry from our exclusive economic zone, EEZ, under the Common Fisheries Policy, CFP. There is an ongoing crisis in the fishing industry around our coasts. Since it is almost a perennial crisis, it can sometimes be dismissed or brushed aside. We have an immense resource off our coasts. In the EU, only three member states are island states, those being, Ireland, Cyprus and Malta. In the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, there are two Ministers of State, but not one of them focuses on fisheries and the marine, and it shows.

Norway, which is not an EU member state, is looking for increased access to our waters to catch an even greater share of blue whiting. According to scientific studies, blue whiting stocks are in a healthy state. They represent a significant and vital resource for the Irish fishing industry. Currently, we get a quota of 3% of the blue whiting species in our own waters while Norway gets 18%, or six times more. Norway is now negotiating for even more. If this is accepted by our Government, I am told that it will be the final nail in our fishing industry's coffin. That is how serious the situation is. There must be an increased quota of blue whiting for the Irish fishing industry.

If the above is not bad enough, Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands have unilaterally increased their share of the mackerel quota. They have not based this move on any science. In some cases, they have built an industry where there was none previously. Mackerel is a migratory species. They spawn off the south west of Ireland and work their way up to those waters. They do not belong in any particular waters. We can agree a sensible way to share them. No agreement has been made between the EU and these three countries, which are not members of the EU or covered by the CFP. We are trading with them, yet there are no repercussions, particularly for Norway. I have great admiration for Norway and do not wish to speak critically of its people. In many ways, they have done great things, but they are out of order when it comes to fisheries.

The EU is not standing up for Irish interests. We lost a large volume of our fisheries after Brexit. There was not a fair burden sharing. We were shafted. We will be down to one third of our fishing fleet soon. I will have a chance to speak with the Minister of State's colleague, the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, later. Please, we need to sort out this issue. It is a serious threat to our industry.

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