Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)

I ask the Minister of State to provide some information on the point that process has reached. I am interested in hearing when a decision will be made. The reality is that, in the absence of data, the fundamental approach to take with any stock is the precautionary principle. That essentially means working on a risk-averse basis. We are not doing that at the moment, and it is important we do. Depending on the outcome of the Minister of State's consultation and decision, I am very concerned that even with that decision in place, we do not know enough about this stock to ensure sustainable fishing of it. Would he consider a moratorium on the entire stock on a short-term basis until we have the data and evidence to show we can protect the species for future fishing, and not just from an ecological perspective? If sprat are not there, other pelagic fish will not be available either.

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