Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank the Chairman for selecting this matter for the Adjournment debate. While this matter relates to a small number of people in the west, draft net fishing has been a way of life, reared many families and helped families to educate their children, including at third level. It was their way to supplement social welfare incomes. In recent years, people feel that they have been under attack by the Department and other agencies. The Minister of State might relay to his counterpart the fact that few fishermen are affected.

I wish to discuss the cost of getting a licence. For an eight-week period and hoping that the weather is good and that one will be able to fish, a licence costs €545. A constituent presented at my clinic recently. He has a quota of 40 tags, which means that he is allowed to catch 40 fish. If he is lucky with the weather, he will do so. If the weather is bad, he will not get the chance. Given the licence fee, each tag costs €13.62. That does not provide one with an opportunity to make a few euro on the transaction. The fishermen tell me this is the dearest licence in the entire country and that draft net licences elsewhere are cheaper than in the west of Ireland. Why does the Government charge €545 to people in the west of Ireland; why does the same rate not apply nationwide?

If the Government does not want to have draft net fishermen in Ireland, in the west of Ireland or in north County Mayo, I call on the Minister of State and on the Government to put in place a decent package. While I am open to correction in this regard, I believe that 116 people are involved in north Mayo. I assure the Minister of State that were a proper package put on the table, a significant percentage of them would take it. At present, they are being forced out of fishing by stealth. They are being forced out by the Government and by outside interests. This is unfair because fishing was a way of life in rural Ireland. Such people fought their landlords in the past to hold onto their fishing rights. At present, the new landlords, the Government, are taking away their rights and are not allowing them a living from this practice. They have been taken out by stealth through the overcharging of the licence, the shortening of the time period and by introducing quotas for them.

I ask the Government, through the Minister of State, to reduce the price of the licence. Second, the Minister should put on the table a decent package that would be of assistance. If the Government wishes such people to desist from this activity, putting such a package on the table would succeed in this regard. Third, I ask that the season be extended to provide the fishermen with an opportunity to use the quota available to them. As matters stand, draft net fishing is extremely difficulty. One depends on the weather and the kind of summers one has, particularly in the west of Ireland. The last few summers have been extremely difficult with much flooding and the fishermen were unable to fish.

I hope the Minister of State will have good news for me. These fishermen believe they have no one to represent them or speak up for them. They consider this to be a way of life that is similar to cutting turf. This week, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, announced he would allow turf cutting for an additional year. Everyone knows this is because of the local and European elections, as well perhaps because of a certain treaty that is coming up at the end of the year. This is the reason these fishermen do not, and did not support Europe the last time, because they consider that EU and Irish legislation, as well as Irish landlords, namely, Ministers, are trying to take away their livelihood and their business by stealth.

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of the Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Seán Power. Licence duties for commercial salmon fishing are set by statutory order made by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources under section 68 of the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act 1959, as amended. The most recent order increasing the licence fees, the Fisheries (Commercial Fishing Licences) (Alteration of Duties and Fees) Order 2007, SI 812 of 2007, was made in 2007 and was approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas. This order prescribes the licence fees payable in respect of salmon commercial fishing licences from January 2008. The order also prescribes the licence fees payable in respect of eel and oyster commercial fishing licences and salmon, eel and molluscan shellfish dealers' licences issued or renewed for a period commencing on or after 1 January 2008.

These fees are uniform across all fisheries regions and I assure the Deputy that draft net licences are no more expensive in the west than in any other part of the country. Under the existing order, a draft net licence costs €398. It was decided not to increase the fees for any salmon fishing licences for 2009 and, accordingly, licence fees have remained static.

Certain waters around the country are designated as special tidal waters and draft net users are required to obtain a special draft net licence to fish these waters. I am advised that in the west under the Rivers Owenmore and Owenduff (Tidal Waters) Order 1967, SI 33 of 1967, the tidal waters of Owenmore and Owenduff are so designated and therefore attract the licence fees applicable to special draft net licences. Section 74 of the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act 1959 provides that the licence duty to be fixed in respect of special local licences shall not be less than the licence duty payable in respect of ordinary licences. The licence fees payable in respect of special local licences are prescribed by the Special Tidal Waters (Special Local Licences) (Alteration of Duties) Order 2007, SI 795 of 2007. At present, a special draft net licence for the Owenduff and Owenmore costs €545.

The proceeds from the sale of licences contribute to the revenues of the central and regional fisheries boards, which are currently statutorily responsible for the conservation, management and development of inland fisheries in the State, including the fisheries to which licences apply. In 2007 the management of the wild salmon fishery was aligned with the scientific advice and fundamental changes were introduced regarding conservation and protection of the national wild salmon resource. As part of a suite of measures agreed by the Government, in line with the recommendations of the independent group on salmon, a salmon conservation component was applied to all salmon rod licences and commercial salmon fisheries licences from 2007. The salmon conservation component represents 50% of the licence fee. The revenue generated from the salmon conservation component is reinvested in salmon stock rehabilitation and habitat improvement and is ring-fenced and designated for the purpose of prioritised investment in such initiatives.

To ensure that the revenue generated by the salmon conservation component is used for its intended purpose, a ministerial direction, in accordance with section 18A of the Fisheries Act 1980, issued to the central and regional fisheries boards instructing that the Central Fisheries Board co-ordinate the preparation and implementation of a programme for the rehabilitation of salmon stocks, which will be funded by the proceeds of the salmon conservation component. The boards also were instructed to identify in each of their annual accounts the income generated as part of the salmon conservation component of the licence fee.

The fund is being managed by a committee comprised of scientists from the Central Fisheries Board and representatives from the regional fisheries boards, which receive project applications from the central and regional fisheries boards. Each project is assessed and scored based on the river's conservation limit status, its special area of conservation status, its water quality and the maximum potential benefits to the river.