Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

I come from the constituency of Dún Laoghaire, which is not necessarily known for huge fishing fleets. We do, however, have a fishing fleet in Dún Laoghaire Harbour, made up of a number of trawlers. There are also a number of smaller fishermen based in small harbours, such as Bullock and Coliemore Harbours, who make their livelihoods from fishing. It would also be remiss of me not to mention the Dalkey Lobster Festival in August, which will celebrate the shellfish tradition in particular along the south-east coast of Dublin and the fishermen who make their livings from it.

I do not deny for a moment how difficult it is in this country to be a fisherman and to make a living from fishing, both for small-time fishing and for the large-scale trawlers, particularly on the west coast. It is a tough existence for the people involved and they deserve our support. You would think from listening to the debate and some of the contributors today, however, that this is all Europe’s fault and that Europe is responsible for the fact that fishing is a difficult lifestyle. While it has admittedly become more difficult in recent times, we should be acknowledging in this forum the benefits we and the fishing industry have had from being part of the European Union. The future of that industry lies in conservation measures put in place through European law, which will prevent overfishing and ensure the sustainability of fish stocks in order that there will be fish to fish into the future.

Looking back at the Ireland of the late 1960s and early 1970s, before we joined what was then the European Economic Community, the level of investment at State level into fishing was negligible. There was simply not the support at State level for fishermen at that stage. It was only when we became part of the European Union that it changed. A Government report from 1970 shows that Irish exports of fish and fishery products were worth £2.7 million. Those products went to the UK and other European Union countries. Even accounting for inflation, that is a tiny level of export. Since becoming part of the European Union and the Common Fisheries Policy, that has changed. We can now say that Ireland’s fishing industry has developed and that seafood valued at €595 million was exported in 2024 to the European Union, the United Kingdom and more than 40 other countries across the world. The development of the industry under the European Union, therefore, has been enormous. While I am not saying there would not have been development anyway, what came with membership of the European bloc was both regulation that allowed for sustainability and investment from across the bloc through the Common Fisheries Policy.

As we moved into the 1980s and the 1990s, the level of overfishing had a massive impact on the sustainability of fishing stocks and what was available for fishermen to catch to make their living. It was only through a global effort, focused and led by the European Union through the Common Fisheries Policy, that we put in place measures that were essential for marine life and the preservation of those fish stocks, which was hugely important.

The rules are negotiated and agreed between member states. They are not diktats placed on us. Rather, they are the subject of negotiations over successive generations. They are put in place in a way that allows an industry to exist that otherwise would not if those rules and supports were not there. That is worthy of acknowledgement. The support measures protect the marine environment from threats such as overfishing, climate change and the dumping of plastics into our oceans.

Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy is ongoing. Obviously, that is necessary. I certainly would be interested in hearing anything the Minister of State has to say about his engagement with the Commission on how the Common Fisheries Policy can continue to be modified and updated to ensure it addresses the needs of fishermen in this jurisdiction, particularly Irish boats, and how we are going to protect our exclusive economic zone in that regard.

In a global context, there is a massive problem with the regulation of industrial-scale fishing, particularly in the south Atlantic Ocean. Those waters are largely unprotected, particularly from huge Chinese fishing outfits. They go to that part of the world and massively overfish, stripping the ocean of its resources, which has a knock-on effect throughout the oceans of the world. It is not limited to that area. That aspect lacks regulation and the European Union, in broad terms, needs to address it as part of the global community to ensure it is not allowed to continue.

In the context of quotas for stocks and so forth, there was a practice for a long time of fishermen overcatching fish, not necessarily deliberately, and ending up with more on board than they were entitled to catch.

The solution to that was to dump the surplus stock overboard into the sea. These were dead fish that were perfectly good for consumption but because of a bureaucratic system it was not possible to land them without fines so fishermen understandably took the step of simply dumping them back in the sea. It is difficult in the modern context to imagine anything more wasteful than that. I appreciate that has been addressed and phased out by the CFP and that practice of throwing unwanted fish overboard, either because they are too small or the fisherman has exceeded the quota, and the introduction of the landing obligation are really positive steps both for the sustainability of fish stocks and ending the criminal and immoral waste of fish that were being dumped overboard.

The CFP has brought a lot of benefits. It has positioned Europe in a big way as a global leader against illegal fishing through international law enforcement which I referred to earlier in relation to the South Atlantic. We have a particular obligation as we enter an increasing climate crisis to look at this as a Union, as a block of countries, to make sure it is not allowed to continue unchecked.

Equally the dumping of plastics into the ocean is something that has been addressed very concretely. It is something we need to take responsibility for. We know the oceans are literally choking as a result of the amount of plastic that is floating around in them. There will always be an element of plastic in the ocean. We have now reached a stage where, to a large extent, we will not be able to address the large amount of plastic in the ocean but we can stop more plastic going in and we can put in place regulations to ensure we minimise the pollution of the oceans through plastic. Again, that is something that needs to be done by the European Union. Responsibility needs to be taken by the international community to ensure the law is enforced in that regard. Reducing that ocean plastic pollution by improving our port waste facilities is also part of that so that when fishermen come ashore, they have a place to dispose of the waste. We have to avoid the situation where it is either not managed properly and ends up in the sea or where there is no incentive for them to dispose of waste ashore. We need to facilitate them. It is not sufficient to say, “You may not do this”. We must facilitate them and make it as easy as possible to avoid that situation.

Equally, promoting quality seafood products through the common organisation of markets and ensuring fair competition regardless of product origin benefits all people involved in the fishing industry and everyone who relies on that industry for their livelihood, whether they are manning a boat or dealing with the product as it has landed and preparing it for sale and all the other ancillary industries that follow on from that at the end. All these regulatory measures are easily criticised but when looked at in the round, they are measures that will ensure there are fish to fish for generations to come. They are measures to ensure we have fish stocks that are sustainable into the future and that the quality of the product landed in Irish ports, be it Dún Laoghaire, Killybegs, Union Hall or wherever, is maintained.

The anti-pollution measures mean those fish will not be full of plastic which they end up in our food chain. These are really important measures. I want to put on record my support for the Common Fisheries Policy and for the steps forward it has taken. That is not to say it is perfect by any measure. It needs to be constantly under review and amended to make sure it does the job it has to do. Rather than just standing here and saying "woe is me" and it is all Europe’s fault. Let us acknowledge that the European Union has helped us enormously to take steps forward to make our fishing industry profitable, sustainable, healthy and one that will be there for future generations.

Other Members have done this but I want to ask about the marine protected areas Bill and for clarity about its current state. A reply to a parliamentary question in March told me the final stage of drafting was either largely complete or complete. I hope the Minister of State can clarify when we might see it in the House. I think we had made significant progress on it in the last Dáil. Some feel it has dropped off the agenda. Perhaps he can correct that notion and let us know where it is. It is another important key in the future sustainability of fishing in this country and a very important legislative instrument we can introduce.

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