Dáil debates
Thursday, 14 December 2023
Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions
Inshore Fisheries
10:10 am
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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15. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the immediate financial support measures he can put in place for the Irish inshore fishing sector to address the deepening crisis in the industry that is threatening the livelihoods of inshore fishermen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55722/23]
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister knows that the inshore sector has been struggling. There has been a failure to look at giving herring and mackerel a broader fishery. The impact of Brexit has made that more difficult. There has been the failure of the Government to provide a fuel subsidy. We have huge increases in fuel costs. Now the latest is the collapse of the market for brown crab. Deputy McConalogue, as a Minister from Donegal, is aware of the serious impact that is having. What financial supports will he provide? What intervention will he make?
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am very closely considering this issue. I met a couple of weeks ago or so with a number of inshore fishers and representatives of all the POs which have been established over the past three years. We previously did not have any and now we have two representing the inshore sector, which is really important. They are, however, under a lot of pressure at the moment. I have worked to try to support them as significantly as possible over the past two or three years. Over the past two years, we have run a scheme which delivered between €2,500 and €4,500 for the first time ever to the inshore sector. We are investing significantly in our piers and harbours as well, using the funding we can get from the Brexit adjustment reserve to drive that into piers and harbours funding in order to make sure we have the infrastructure there for the years ahead.
We are also seeing some progress on species which are important to the inshore sector. Last year, we got the spurdog fishery opened for the first time, and this year we have the north-west herring as a commercial fishery for the first time. There is always a contest between different categories of boats as to how that gets shared out, and that can be very contested and disputed. I will work to try to make sure there is as fair an approach to that as possible, but it is always a difficult space. I want to see the inshore sector supported in the time ahead. I am considering what the capacity is as regards the particular market conditions that are there at the moment. I do not believe that anything was ever done in the past to address market conditions. There are restrictions as regards the EMFAF programme, for example, as to how we can use that, but I am exploring that, understanding the impact and income challenges we see in the inshore sector at the moment.
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister will know that this is the optimum time of year for the crab fishery. It has been devastating for them to hear that the factories have said they cannot take any more and just do not have a market. I think the European market has collapsed and the Chinese market has been impacted. This is, it appears to me, an unprecedented crisis when everything else is added. I appreciate that the Minister had a meeting recently with the different organisations. It is good that the islands and the IIMRO and NIFA have producer organisations, but they have to be resourced, supported and empowered. I would like to see a really dedicated focus. The reason I have raised this today is what I am hearing from our inshore fishermen. It should be remembered that they were denied salmon and do not have a share of herring or mackerel. The shellfish fishery is their livelihood and it is in collapse. There needs to be an intervention. I ask the Minister to examine all options to try to help them at this time.
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am looking at what is possible here. The inshore sector depends primarily on non-quota species - for example, our lobster and our crab. There are no quotas restricting how much of that can be fished. The fishermen themselves, working with Bord Iascaigh Mhara, have put in place management tools to try to make sure we have a sustainable fishery there into the future. We have seen the opening of the spurdog fishery, which was traditionally a really important fishery. It was a big step forward at last year's fisheries negotiations to get that reopened, but it will take time to develop that market and to get the value back to it.
The north-west herring fishery is an important fishery as well for inshore. That is shared out among those who have a track record. Some inshore boats have a track record; some do not. That was an issue this year too, and we will need to look to build on that. There is the issue with the price of crab and the price of lobster, particularly the price of crab, at the moment. It has caused a closedown really early, coming into what would normally be the best time of year. That is why I am looking to see what is possible here.
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister is right that it is crab and lobster on the east coast. It is razor clam and whelk, and indeed crab and lobster, right around the coast. The inshore sector is an industry that is struggling. The formation of the producer organisations is welcome. The engagement with the representative organisations is welcome. The Minister and I are both from coastal communities. We are from Inishowen. We are surrounded by mostly inshore fishermen. They were not organised in the past. Now they are organised and speaking for themselves. It would be an important acknowledgment to try to demonstrate that uniting together, organising and having a plan can deliver results for the sector. As I said, whatever can be done, I urge that it be done to get an immediate settling and just to keep the roofs over their heads for now. Then we will try to build it from there.
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge that and I am looking at it very closely. In the run-up to Christmas, particularly during what would normally be a peak time, a very difficult position is facing our inshore sector. It is related to the wider international markets and the cost-of-living crisis internationally. We have seen a fall in crab and lobster prices and in demand as a result of that, and that is having a real impact. Getting the inshore sector organised has been really important and is something I have sought to push over the past three years. There have been good moves under way previously through the Inshore Fisheries Forums and the national fisheries forum to do that. The Deputy is right that the sector did not speak with a clear, strong voice in the past and was not able to punch its weight, hold its ground or advocate for itself within the wider fishing sector. Thankfully, now we have two producer organisations. They are as well resourced as other producer organisations. They get funding the same as any others do. It is important that they are in place. This is a challenge, however. There is no straightforward solution here. The European funding looks like it might not be an option. The budgets for this year and next year are done as well. I am looking at this, I acknowledge the challenges and I will continue to expedite that work.