Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will move on and deal with the issues here. The Government has been committed to supporting the inshore fisheries sector in specific ways, including ensuring inshore waters continue to be protected for smaller fishing vessels and recreational fishers and that pair trawling will be prohibited inside the six-mile limit. I am very supportive of this objective. I met specifically with the National Inshore Fisheries Forum, NIFF, in December last year to hear its concerns and goals for the inshore fishing sector. The NIFF and its supporting network of six regional inshore fisheries forums are consultative bodies established to foster industry-led development of proposals for the management of fish stocks within six nautical miles of the Irish shore. The NIFF is in the process of implementing the first industry-led strategy for the Irish inshore fisheries sector. Its vision is that the inshore fisheries sector will have a prosperous and sustainable future delivered through a united industry with a strong, influential voice.

My Department's Food Vision 2030 strategy sets out further aims to enhance the development of sustainable inshore fisheries and to balance them with safeguarding fishing-related livelihoods and protecting the marine environment. The priorities identified in the strategy include the development of a profile for the inshore sector, building the sector's capacity to engage with policy development and enhancing the industry's understanding of management and planning for inshore sectors. I particularly welcome the forum's input to the recently updated bivalve protocol. I am satisfied it plays a vital role in defining the procedures for opening a new fishery for wild bivalve molluscs or extending the scope of an existing fishery. I also look forward to its input in addressing concerns about a recent decline in brown crab stocks along the coast. Following engagement with the National Inshore Fisheries Forum, I requested a review of the management of the Irish brown crab fishery to identify measures that could be introduced to support the sustainability of brown crab stocks. That will be undertaken by a multidisciplinary working group.

Importantly, I was glad to be able to announce the recognition of the National Inshore Fisheries Association as a producer organisation this week. It is an important step forward for the inshore sector. This is the second EU producer organisation, along with the Irish Islands Marine Resource Organisation, to be awarded that recognition during my term as Minister. The sector has strong representation. There are a significant number of producer organisations and spokesperson organisations for the fishing sector.

As I pointed out, for the past two and a half years when I have been Minister, there has never been a Private Member's motion about inshore fisheries. Likewise, representation by producer organisations has been light in recent years. Inshore fisheries did not have a producer organisation. There are seven or eight producer organisations across the sector but they all represent the whitefish sector, which is much larger than the inshore sector, the pelagic sector, which includes the large boats that go far out to sea, or the processing sector. Significant professional voices represent the processors, the pelagic sector and the whitefish sector, but there was no paid professional voice to represent the inshore sector. The inshore fishermen were all too busy at sea, making a living, but did not get their voice heard at a national level. I have worked with them to change that. They now have two producer organisations that have staffed offices and paid professionals working day-to-day, all year round, to represent them and make sure their voice is heard at a national level and they get fair play within the sector as well as from Government.

I will address a few other issues in the short time I have. The mackerel hook and line fishery is important for the inshore sector. I note the position outlined by the Deputies in their motion. I have asked Bord Iascaigh Mhara to engage and look at how we can add value further to the hook and line sector so that it is a premium product. We are monitoring, on an ongoing basis, how we can manage the hook and line fishery in a way that best works for inshore fishers. It is an important step forward. As the Deputies know, I visited piers and harbours throughout the country and engaged directly with fishermen on the pier and with inshore fishermen. The thing that came up at all piers, from Urris to Kilmore Quay and everywhere in between, when I took up my role as Minister, was the need to work on and get the spurdog fishery open. I am glad to say I secured that at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in December. For the first time in more than ten years, we have a spurdog fishery. It is an important step forward.

The reopening in December by the Agriculture and Fisheries Council of the north-west herring fishery was an important step forward. It is an important fishery for the inshore sector and fishers know its value. We will try to build on that. I launched a new consultation in recent days on how to manage this fishery. Engaging in this consultation will be important for inshore fishers in particular.

Regarding financial supports, last year I put the Brexit fisheries model adjustment scheme together following the task force. The inshore sector does not normally fish quota species, so Brexit's impact on quotas was not as great on the inshore sector, but we put together a Brexit package for the sector that delivered €2,700 for small inshore boats and €4,000 in direct cash aid to other inshore boats. That was significant.

I will be continuing this work in-----

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