Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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2. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to oppose cuts to quota in forthcoming negotiations for a new EU Common Fisheries Policy; and if he accepts that his acquiescence to the cutting of fishing quotas would damage small coastal communities around our coast. [53196/13]

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister's stated intention is to oppose cuts to quota in the forthcoming negotiations for a new EU Common Fisheries Policy. Does he accept that the proposed cuts, if implemented, will be detrimental to the Irish fishing fleet?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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If the Deputy and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle will allow me, I would like to use the opportunity to correct the record on something I said a number of weeks ago in the House to Deputy Martin Ferris's colleague, Deputy Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin, where, unintentionally, I misled the House when I suggested in reply to a private notice question that Deputy Ó Caoláin had not contacted me in relation to a specific case involving the special investigations unit. I was wrong in that. I have written to Deputy Ó Caoláin to clarify the issue but I also said that I would use the opportunity the next time I was on my feet in the House to clarify the issue.

In terms of the response to the question, our approach will be as predicted and as we did last year and the year before. I will try to derive the highest commercial return possible from fishing stocks in as sustainable a way as I can. There are some real challenges going into next week's negotiations, particularly in regard to whitefish, off the south coast of Ireland, and on stocks such as whiting and haddock. We also have some challenges in terms of prawns, which is Ireland's most important fishery in value terms, after mackerel but, in social terms, probably Ireland's most important fishery, where there are recommendations for quite dramatic cuts.

We are taking a team of people, including marine scientists from the Marine Institute, to the negotiations. I will attempt to construct arguments for minimising the effect of quota reductions, in other words, minimising those reductions if they have to take place. We have to take account of the state of fish stocks. There is no point in having a short-term popular decision that will significantly damage the health of fish stocks. Having said that, we also need to take account of the fact that we are moving into an entirely new phase when it comes to fishing in Ireland-----

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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-----whereby we are going to introduce an obligation to land everything the fishermen catch. Therefore, we need to balance the issues. If we simply have dramatic cuts to quotas, particularly for whitefish in mixed fisheries, we will increase the amount of discarding that takes place at a time when we are about to end the practice, through policy. This will be a very complex negotiation about trying to balance the ability to get the Common Fisheries Policy implemented in the next few years while at the same time deriving maximum commercial value within a sustainable plan for fishing in the next year.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I call Deputy Martin Ferris.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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There will be some very positive news on this, particularly on the pelagic side but there will also be some challenges on the whitefish side. We will certain do our best for the industry.

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. Some of the proposals indicate a 34% reduction in the whitefish and prawn fleet in areas where practically all inshore fishing is dependent on it, such as Cloherhead, Howth, Dunmore East, Kilmore Quay, Dingle, Castletownbere and Rossaveal. If that is to be the reduction in the fishermen's intake it would be detrimental from an economic and social perspective for those communities. All of us who live in coastal communities see the value of a reasonable income and the knock on effects in other sectors in that area. We heard a presentation yesterday on the issue and the cuts, if implemented, are frightening.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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A question, Deputy, please.

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister has our full support to try to ensure these cuts do not come about. Clearly I stress the necessity of ensuring these cuts will not be implemented, as proposed.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I can understand where the Deputy is coming from on this issue. There is much concern in the fishing industry, particularly in the whitefish fleet. Last year and the previous year there was also much concern going into the negotiations and we managed to renegotiate on the back of science a much better deal for fishermen than many had expected.

I would issue a word of caution here. Sometimes people expect the Minister to perform some kind of Houdini act each year and to overturn the science. The negotiations next week will be difficult. In terms of the nephrops - prawn - stock, which is one of our priority stocks, there is a proposal to cut that quota by 24%. In terms of haddock stock in area 7, there is a proposal to cut that stock by 75% and in terms of cod stock, in area 7b-k, there is a proposal to cut it by 33% and in whiting stock a 13% cut has been proposed. These are large amounts.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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We are working intensively to prepare for next week's negotiations and put a case together that stands up from a scientific point of view but which can get a better outcome for the fishing industry. We will do everything we can to achieve that objective.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I call Deputy Martin Ferris.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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May I come back in again?

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Of course. Deputy Ferris has one minute and the Minister has to reply.

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries works in this area. The Minister has a report from national independent scientists going forward. What is the input of the actual sector itself in the negotiations and in terms of stock density? Does the sector have a direct input? There has always been a difference of opinion between the scientists and those at the coalface in the industry. Coming from that background, I will always argue that the people who have most interest in preserving stocks are those involved in the industry. I am aware there are certain cowboys in the industry but, in general, most people involved in the industry know that it is in their interest to protect the stock. I do not detect anything otherwise from the fishing industry.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I call the Minister for a final reply.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is right on his last point. There is a perception among some people who, in my view, do not understand the fishing industry that all fishermen just want to go out and catch as much as they can, and that they will catch whatever they can get away with catching. That is not the case. In recent years we have seen the fishing industry take a very responsible approach towards a number of stocks. The results indicate that herring stock in the Celtic sea is the best example. There has been a dramatic increase and I hope that increase will continue into the future in terms of available quota. There is also the development of the boarfish fishery, of which Ireland has two-thirds. The industry developed that fishery and put its own money into the science around it.

The industry is very progressive in Ireland. Yes, there are some people who are breaking the rules and we need to enforce the rules and hold those people to account. Unfortunately, we have witnessed some of that in recent weeks. That reflects, I suspect, the pressures under which the fishermen are operating.

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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Absolutely.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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It is important to say that but regardless of the pressures we must have a level playing field for everybody. I need to enforce the rules in order to be fair to every fisherman in the same way. One of the proposals - the Deputy expressed concern about this previously - coming into the negotiations is that when stocks are data poor, in other words if we do not have sufficient data to draw proper conclusions, there is a proposal in the case of some stocks to apply an automatic reduction of 20%. That is something I will oppose.

If we are to take the hard decisions to protect stocks on the back of science that suggests we need to do so, that is one matter, but we are certainly not going to ask fishermen to make significant commercial sacrifices by reducing quotas in the absence of science.