Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputies for seeking the opportunity for statements on fisheries. I am pleased to discuss the important issues concerned affecting the fisheries sector.

I wish to reassure the House that as Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries and the marine, I recognise the importance of maintaining a vibrant fishing sector, both for the communities that rely on it and, indeed, the wider economy. The Programme for Government 2025: Securing Ireland's Future reflects this approach by committing to securing a sustainable future for the fisheries sector while supporting coastal communities that rely on this activity for their livelihood. My appointment, as a dedicated Minister with responsibility across fisheries and the marine to co-ordinate and integrate these key policy areas, clearly demonstrates the commitment of the Government to this sector.

Our seas are a national asset that provide a wide range of commercial and societal benefits and through activities such as commercial fishing and aquaculture, but also through their contribution to transport, tourism, recreation, renewable energy and cultural heritage, also play a vital role in supporting marine life and biodiversity for a healthy planet. An important feature of my role in the Department relates to marine protected areas and I am anxious to progress with that. We can have that discussion on another day under the environment side of the Department that I addressed there.

Bord Iascaigh Mhara, BIM, business of seafood report 2024 offers a comprehensive assessment of the economic impact of the seafood sector. The report tells us that the Irish seafood industry is valued at €1.24 billion, an increase of 4% on 2023, it employs almost 8,000 people directly across fishing, aquaculture and processing, and a total of almost 17,000 people when indirect employment is included.

Fish landings in Ireland were valued at €461 million in 2024. While €325 million came from Irish vessels, €136 million came from non-Irish vessels. The report shows a value growth of 25% in the aquaculture sector which is also encouraging.

Within aquaculture, much of that increase is related to the increase in the value of the stock. I have noticed over the past number of years that there has been a reduction in the volume produced and I want to work with colleagues to try to ensure that we can get some of these production levels back up again which will be of benefit to our coastal communities and to the economy generally.

These metrics clearly demonstrate the resilience of the sector despite significant challenge in recent years and its capacity to pivot and adjust to a changing environment. This progress would not be possible without strategic and well-targeted investment, both public and private, and through the seafood development programme, the Government is delivering essential support to strengthen competitiveness, sustainability and employment across the sector.

In addition, targeted supports, funded through the Brexit adjustment reserve, helped the sector to navigate the unprecedented challenge of Brexit. Total Government spend across the seafood sector over the five-year period 2020 to 2024 was in excess of €800 million. This included investment of almost €160 million in State-owned public marine infrastructure. This funded a comprehensive range of supports to mitigate the impacts of Brexit and enable the sector to adjust to operating post-Brexit. Many of these supports were the result of the recommendations of the seafood task force, to which industry representatives made a valuable contribution.

I do not underestimate in any way the impact that Brexit has had on the seafood sector. We had the opportunity this morning to have a discussion on the first occasion with the committee. I share the concerns of the sector. I fully recognise the very significant impact that it has on those in the catching and processing sectors and that will inform the work of the Department and myself and the Government over the years ahead.

More generally, funding for supports for the commercial seafood sector are provided under the Seafood Development Programme, SDP. That programme is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Commission under the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, EMFAF, 2021-2027. Schemes for industry under the SDP are primarily implemented by BIM. Bord Bia also provides funding to industry through that SDP to assist seafood processors to attend international trade shows and market-study visits to carry out consumer and market research. I had the pleasure to attend, along with 23 or 24 from that sector, a recent seafood fair in Barcelona. I am committed to continuing that effort, on behalf of the sector and the country, of attending those trade missions whenever they arise, notwithstanding the impact has on the work programme. The Department and I are committed to supporting the industry in every way possible.

Separately to the SDP, the Department also funds supports and services provided by Bord Bia to the agrifood sector, including seafood. These, in particular, marketing innovation, new product development, etc., are accessed by seafood processors. Funding supports are also provided to the commercial seafood sector by Enterprise Ireland and by Údarás na Gaeltachta. Fourteen schemes will be implemented by BIM this year on behalf of our Department, again under the SDP. The majority of these are co-funded under EMFAF and they are Exchequer funded, specifically, the fleet safety and marine tourism schemes.

Many Members will be aware that I have placed a heavy emphasis on personal engagement with the seafood sector since I took this role in February. So far, I have visited three State fishery harbours - Killybegs, Castletownbere and Ros an Mhíl - and some on more than one occasion. I have engaged directly with stakeholders across the board from the catching and aquaculture and processing sectors. I also intend to get to Howth, Dunmore East and Dingle before the end of the summer.

I have met with seafood representative groups, all recognised producer organisations and the National Inshore Fisheries Forum, NIFF, the fish co-operatives, processors and the aquaculturalists on two occasions. I was also delighted to attend the Skipper Expo, which was a great opportunity to meet with so many involved in this sector, to meet the wider community and supported processors at the Seafood Expo Global with Bord Bia.

During European Maritime Day in May, I had the pleasure of visiting Castletownbere again, with the Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Professor Costas Kadis, where, together, we invited all the seafood representatives to join us for a joint meeting. The occasion also provided me with an opportunity to present the concerns of the sector in Ireland to the Commissioner. From subsequent engagement with him, I know that many of the points that were raised by the sector have certainly landed. I met him again on Sunday and Monday of this week, and he was regaling some of the concerns again. That was a useful encounter from his perspective.

The programme for Government commits to publish a five-year fisheries sector strategy that will include an examination of the processing sector and to continue to support and promote improvements in fisheries and aquaculture. To progress this, I have decided to engage a facilitator to work with seafood representative groups in order to identify and articulate issues, priorities and opportunities for the sector and these will be considered when I am setting up the terms of reference for the fisheries sector. I am grateful to Mr. Kieran Mulvey, who is well known to this House, who has agreed to work with us in the Department and with the sector to chart a roadmap on addressing these issues into the future and I will be engaging with the committee on this matter in due course.

One of the issues that is raised regularly is the demand that Ireland change the relative stability key for stocks that we fish. It is important to note that fishing opportunities are allocated among member states in such a way as to ensure relative stability of fishing activities of each member state to catch fish stocks or fishery. This is provided by Article 16 of the Common Fisheries Policy, CFP, regulation and is further explained in recitals at 35 and 37. The committee will be looking at this in due course.

The total allowable catches, TACs, are set annual for most stocks by the Council of Fisheries Ministers and for stocks that are shared and jointly managed with non-EU countries. These TACs are agreed with those non-EU countries. TACs are shared between EU countries in the form of national quotas for each stock and a different allocation percentage per EU country is applied for the sharing out of the quota. This fixed percentage is known as the relative stability key. The allocation of stocks between member states was established as a principle of the first CFP in 1983 and was based on average catch of each member state over a period of reference years. That is referred to as track record, which, I am sure, those of the Members who have an intimate knowledge of the sector are well aware of.

The only exception to this relates to The Hague preferences based on a special recognition agreement of the underdeveloped nature of the Irish fleet and the heavy control responsibility on us when Ireland joined the EU. The arrangement is a vehicle for a limited increase in the annual quotas for Irish fishermen and women. Any change the existing system of quota allocation would require a majority of member states to agree under the qualified majority voting, which Deputies will be aware. This would require other member states to give up existing quota shares. Any change to the relative stability would involve a loss for some other member states and, therefore, pose particular challenges in a qualified majority voting context.

Notwithstanding this, I will use every opportunity to seek additional access to quota for Irish fishing fleet where this is possible. For example, at the Fisheries Council in December 2023, Ireland secured additional mackerel quota share worth approximately €3 million annually for Ireland's fishing industry. This represents the first permanent increase in mackerel quota. This was a highly technical and contentious issue which centred on the allocation and distribution of an EU mackerel quota historically contingent on the existence of agreement with Norway. Denmark had been the sole holder of this quota. However, without an agreement on mackerel being in place between the EU and Norway, Ireland successfully argued that this quota could not be allocated to Denmark, as it had been in the past when it secured a proportion of the quota for its fishermen. In 2024, Ireland successfully invoked The Hague preferences for mackerel and this was the first time that it had successfully been invoked for this particular species.

There is a strong lobby among Irish fishermen for Ireland to receive an allocation of the EU's bluefin tuna quota. Ireland has a national quota for northern albacore tuna. Annual catch limits are set by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, ICCAT. Based on scientific advice, Ireland does not have a national quota for bluefin tuna. The available bluefin tuna quota is allocated each year by member states on based on, as I said earlier, the relative stability mechanism, as established in the late 1990s. At that time, Ireland did not have a track record of commercial fishing for bluefin tuna and, accordingly, did not receive a quota allocation. However, a small bluefin tuna by-catch quota is available to Ireland, primarily for use in our important northern albacore tuna fishery and the Celtic Sea herring fishery where there can be bluefin tuna by-catch.

In 2018, Ireland was successful for the first time in securing an agreement that allowed it to set up a catch-tag-release fishery to contribute to the collection of scientific data for the bluefin tuna stock. This catch-tag-release science-based fishery for authorised recreational angling vessels has been in place since 2019 and supports the collection of valuable data on the migratory patterns of bluefin tuna in Irish waters. This fishery is most beneficial to Ireland as it increase our knowledge of the behaviour and abundance of bluefin tuna while also providing a small, but valuable, tourism benefit to the peripheral coastal communities.

Ireland has made it clear to the EU member states and the European Commission that there is a case for an allocation of the EU's bluefin tuna quota to be made available to Ireland.

The case is supported by data collected in the catch, tag and release science-based fishery for authorised recreational angling vessels. Ireland has requested the opening of a discussion at EU level to progress Ireland's case. Ireland has made formal statements on the matter at numerous fishery councils in recent years. Opening up this issue is difficult as other member states are resistant to any discussion on amending relative stability for the stock. However, I repeat that any change to relative stability would involve a loss for some other member state and therefore poses particular challenges in a qualified majority voting context.

However, the case for a national quota for bluefin tuna is supported by the data collected in the catch, tag and release science-based fishery for authorised recreational angling vessels. I will continue to raise this matter at every available opportunity. In addition to the consultation I have endeavoured to carry out here at home, I am also working my way through meeting ministers with responsibility across fisheries and marine in member states where we can try to build alliances insofar as possible. I will continue that engagement. I know that the committee also has an interest in visiting Brussels or Strasbourg to assist in that endeavour.

A further matter I understand that Members wish to hear about today is the extension of the EU-UK trade agreement. As Members are aware, the adjustment period set out in the original EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, TCA, runs from 1 January 2021 to 30 June 2026. During this time the TCA provides that EU and UK fishing vessels have reciprocal access to each other's waters. After 30 June 2026 the TCA provides that access shall be granted at a level and on conditions determined in the annual consultations. Ireland's perspective was that, given the number of fish stocks shared between the EU and the UK - over 80 stocks - it would not be feasible to negotiate and agree on access to waters and quotas on an annual basis. This kind of arm wrestle on access to EU waters every year would simply not provide our fishermen and women with the certainty they need to sustain their business. Notwithstanding the impact of Brexit, as I said, it is important to recognise that while this certainty does not resolve the problem of the loss, it does give some security in terms of investment by the sector.

Against this background it was also essential for Ireland to obtain the longest possible extension to access arrangements for UK waters and to avoid the prospect of any further transfers in the quota from the EU to the UK in exchange for this access. This was critically important for Ireland as we suffered, as I have said on many occasions, disproportionately on quota transfers in the TCA and we were determined not to lose one more fisherman.

When I entered this position the language from the UK side through all the diplomatic channels was that it was not going to continue to facilitate access to UK waters without further transfer of quota. I made it very clear on behalf of the Department and the Government that was not something we could countenance. We amplified that with our counterparts at Commission level because ultimately the decision was taken, as Members know, by Commissioner Šefčovič in discussions and negotiations with the British authorities.

The fisheries agreement reached last month sees an extension of 12 years for the status quo, to June 2038. This is significantly longer than the four years sought by the United Kingdom and, most importantly, did not involve the transfer of additional quota. If there had been no agreement on these arrangements at the summit, Ireland faced the possibility of losing access to UK waters altogether or the prospect of immense pressure on paying for access with quota transfers in annual negotiations. This would have been an unthinkable outcome from all our perspectives. The agreement to extend the reciprocal access for EU and UK vessels to fish in each other's waters for a period of 12 years with no change in existing quota share is to be welcomed in the main. In my view, it is the best possible outcome we could have achieved, given the circumstances in which this reset agreement was being negotiated. It is certainly a much better outcome than some of the other possibilities. It has delivered certainty for Ireland’s fishermen and women to enable them to make sustainable long-term decisions for their business notwithstanding that was, of course, off a very difficult base that Brexit visited upon the sector. The significant time period covered by this agreement, up to June 2038, ensures that responsible and sustainable fishing practices as agreed between the EU and the UK will continue. This is welcome news for all the fishermen and women who work hard to ensure the long-term sustainability of shared stocks.

I also welcome the commitment announced by President von der Leyen and Prime Minister Starmer on 19 May to the negotiation of an SPS sanitary and phytosanitary area agreement between the EU and the UK. This will be based on dynamic alignment by the UK with food safety standards and rules at EU level. There are long-established and mutually beneficial trading relationships between food producers in Ireland and food businesses and retailers in the UK. The comprehensive SPS agreement envisaged will greatly reduce the administrative burden on agrifood business exporting to the UK. It is important to note that the European Commission will negotiate with the UK on behalf of EU member states. The overall result maintains the strong strategic link between Ireland's food economy and the UK, and reflects the mutual importance of the fishing industry and coastal communities to the economies of both the UK and the EU. I believe the outcome reflects the strong co-operation and unity of purpose between the eight member states whose fisheries have been most impacted by Brexit, with support from the remaining member states and the Commission.

Another issue that is of interest today is Rockall. Deputy Mac Lochlainn and others have raised this issue with me here and elsewhere. Irish fishermen desire to return to fishing in the waters around Rockall, especially for squid. Rockall is a small uninhabited and uninhabitable rock located approximately 160 nautical miles west of the Scottish islands of St. Kilda and 230 nautical miles to the north west of Donegal. Ireland has not sought to claim sovereignty over Rockall. The UK claimed sovereignty over Rockall in 1955 and formally sought to annex it as part of Scotland under its 1972 Island of Rockall Act. The consistent position of successive Irish Governments is that Ireland does not recognise Britain's claim of sovereignty over Rockall. Accordingly, Ireland does not accept that a 12 nautical mile or 22 km territorial sea exists around Rockall. We understand that the UK takes a different view. That might not surprise us. In addition, Rockall and similar rocks and skerries have no significance for generating an exclusive economic zone or establishing legal claims to be the continental shelf. We believe this position is reflected in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which provides at Article 121.3, “Rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf.” I assure Members that reaching an agreement on issues relating to Rockall remains an important issue for the Government and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is in ongoing contact with relevant Scottish and UK authorities in this regard. This is an area on which I hope to contribute constructively in the months ahead. We are working on a programme of meetings with respective ministers in other European countries and in the UK. To that end, we will be meeting my counterpart in London on 6 July.

The last issue on which I wish to update the House today is the review of trawling activity inside the 6 nautical mile zone. The programme for Government commits to maintaining support for our important inshore fishing sector and promoting the sustainability of fish stocks. In December 2018 a transition period to a ban on vessels over 18 m trawling inshore waters inside the 6 nautical mile zone and baselines was announced. A significant part of the objective of this measure was to manage the fishing effort of sprat stocks which are primarily targeted within inshore waters. However, the measure was subject to extended legal proceedings, resulting in the measure being overturned in 2023. In February 2024 the then Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine held a public consultation on a review of trawling activity inside the 6 nautical mile zone and baselines. This consultation took place without prejudice. More than 5,500 submissions were received. These submissions, along with updated scientific and economic advice from the Irish Marine Institute and Bord Iascaigh Mhara are being used to inform a review of trawling activity inside the 6 nautical mile zones and baselines. All relevant issues will be carefully considered before a decision is taken. Given the history of litigation to this matter, it is critical that all of the necessary procedural and legal steps are taken before any final decision is made. I add that it is my hope and desire to try to have our position made known before the summer. I am conscious of all aspects to this and of the historical dimension to it in terms of decisions that have been taken previously. However, I am also mindful of the legal complexities and the burden that places on the Department and on the Government.

I will inform the House as soon as we are in a position to do so.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister of State and I have had a number of engagements now in the Dáil and at the committee. I wish him well. That is a big understatement, actually. We have waited a long time for a dedicated Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries. It is vital that he does well for all of our fisheries and coastal communities. I am going to refer to a matter on the Dáil record. We had an exchange on it earlier at the committee. My colleague, Deputy Conor McGuinness, is Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs. We jointly launched our report into the survey which was carried out late last year. Hundreds of fishermen, workers and businesses in the seafood sector took part. It was a very representative survey around the coast. I am not shocked by the result, if I am being honest. For the Minister of State starting off with a good heart, as he is doing, it is important to be honest about the problems we have and to acknowledge that we have a profound crisis. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, some of which were touched on by the Minister of State, we have not been able to avail of the immense resource.

In recent days the Minister of State will have been with the Taoiseach at the UN conference on oceans. The Taoiseach talked about one of the greatest marine resources in the world and what it brings but we are not getting anywhere near the full value of it in so many ways. I want to focus particularly on fisheries today. We have some of the richest fishing waters in Europe, if not the world, surrounding us. We have territorial waters that are seven times our land mass. It was pointed out to me in recent days that if all that was put together, we would be one of the biggest countries in the European Union. This is a huge resource that we have. Some 90% of the people in that survey said they feel that the industry has declined over the last ten years. Although they had the option, not one respondent said the industry had significantly improved over ten years. That is damning. Some 90% said they would not encourage their children to continue. This is intergenerational work, handed down. There was a documentary on RTÉ recently, "Tarrac na Farraige", which was beautiful but also tragic. We see this noble tradition at the heart of Irish culture that is just being allowed to wither. We have collectively failed as a country to get the full resource. We have to do so much better.

The Minister of State spoke about going to Europe and said that if we ask for bluefin tuna, somebody else has to give it up. Somebody else should not have got it in the first place. We have to have those honest conversations. These are our territorial waters. We have one of the most lucrative fish species in the world that gets fattened in our waters and is a predator fish. There is an armada of Japanese vessels catching them outside the 200 mile limit. Our guys can only catch and release; they can lift it and look at it but it has to be put back. It is derisory stuff. These are the conversations we need to have.

European people, no matter what country they are from, are decent just like us. They have a sense of fairness just like us and know what is fair and unfair. We have 12% of European waters and get less than 6% of the fish. We have to have a conversation about it. We have had to decommission our fleet while other countries are investing in their fleet right now. We touched on this earlier today in the committee. We have countries like Iceland, Norway and the Faroe Islands. I have great admiration for the people of those countries in many ways, and the seafood industry that has been built in Norway. I am an admirer of the Norwegian people. However, this is wrong. They have not followed the science. They have overfished mackerel. Mackerel is a migratory species which spawns off the west coast of Ireland and works its way up the Atlantic. It is a shared, precious resource which does not belong to any one country. One set of people whose country and territory is part of that collective space, collective waters, overfished and ignored the science. Laws do not work unless everybody follows them equally. Here, the law-breakers were rewarded with trade deals with the European Union. The Union was telling one thing to our Irish communities. For God's sake, we have a young girl here in Ireland who had to go to Europe about the fact that she could not fish pollock any more. That is really contested. Our inshore and islands people were forced and told it is zero catch for pollock. They have to fish for crab and lobster. Pollock was a vital part of that system of fish they catch throughout the year. They are having to abide by the rules and suffer the setback, but when it comes to Norway, Iceland and the Faroes there is huge investment from European member states like Holland. Dutch multinationals have put massive money into those states to recklessly overfish and there is no price to pay. This is an injustice. These are the conversations we need to have a European level.

The word "patriotism" is bandied around these days and it is abused. To me it is about looking at every other country. Nobody is better than us and nobody is worse than us. We are all equal here. We are asking for a fair share of the fish in our waters and a Government that stands by our people. I wish the Minister of State well. If he takes that path he will have no criticism from me.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister of State and I have had a number of engagements at the committee and at a number of different events. I echo Deputy Mac Lochlainn's wishes for him. I do not think I could wish more for success for him. This is crucial. Our industry and the coastal communities it sustains are facing existential crises. I really hope the Minister of State does well and succeeds, and that he can deliver on the items he has been raising over the last few months as he begins this role. The Government must finally give coastal communities the respect and support they deserve and bring an end to decades of neglect, mismanagement and policy failure in the fishing and maritime sectors.

The findings of Sinn Féin's fisheries and seafood survey are devastating and show the devastation. Sadly, as I mentioned earlier to the Minister of State, they are not surprising and nobody is shocked, no matter how shocking they actually are. Across the country we heard from fishermen and fisherwomen, processors, harbour workers, coastal communities and fishing families. The stories are truly heartbreaking. They speak of deep frustration and fear, not just about today but about the future. They do not believe this Government has their back. That is the truth of it. If we look at the events of recent decades, we cannot fault them for believing that. This was once a proud and thriving industry. It sustained whole communities for generations but what was handed down with pride is now being lost with despair. As Deputy Mac Lochlainn said, 90% of people engaging in fishing do not want their children to enter the industry. That is the most telling statistic in our report.

The Government tells us broadly that things are fine because BIM is issuing reports that tell us all is well in the industry. The Minister of State said he welcomed the certainty that the EU-Britain trade deal brings but certain loss is effectively what we have. It locks in the loss of 26% of Ireland's fishing opportunity and a financial hit of €800 million at current prices, doubtless to go up over the lifetime of the agreement. It is not certainty. I believe it is an act of surrender. We have an eighth of European fishing grounds and just 6% of the quota. Coastal communities that once depended on fishing, from Ros an Mhíl to Waterford, from Castletown to Greencastle, they know it. They are despondent, lack hope and have little faith in Government to change course.

I am asking the Minister of State to do three things. First, to recognise the true value of Ireland's fishing industry, not just economically but socially and culturally. It is not just an economic sector, it is a way of life.

The second thing I am asking the Minister of State to do is to show respect for those who go to sea. The fishers, crews, processors, harbour staff and families who work and live with the risk and hardship deserve support and not spin and hand-wringing, if we are being honest. The third thing I am asking the Minister of State to do is to assert Ireland's national interest in this area. Within the EU and every international forum, we must fight for fair treatment and fair quota share. We are an island nation with some of the richest waters in Europe and we should be treated accordingly. We should have the same right to benefit from our waters as other EU member states and, indeed, third countries.

In totality, we need an ambitious and assertive national fisheries policy. This means a fair share of quota for Irish vessels, serious investment in ports and harbour infrastructure, including local authority harbours like Cé Heilbhic, and a strategic attitude to seafood production and promotion. I am not talking about one-off grants but a long-term plan to rebuild the industry and the communities around it. We must also ensure that coastal and island communities are included and not excluded in the transition to offshore renewables. Marine spatial planning must respect fishing and not displace it. Above all, we need a change in culture and attitude at the heart of Government. The fishing industry and our maritime resource can no longer be treated as an afterthought.

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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Comhghairdeas leis an Aire Stáit as a ról nua agus go n-éirí leis sa phost. It is imperative, as ever, that we should consider the future of our seas, our environment, our oceans and our rivers and the biodiversity that lives in them. Last week, the Taoiseach attended the UN Ocean Conference in Nice in France. Its theme was accelerating action and mobilising all actions to conserve and sustainably use the ocean. After the event, the Taoiseach said he wants Ireland to be a leading nation in global maritime policy. Well, change comes from within and if the Taoiseach had spent any of his 30 plus years as a public representative engaging meaningfully with the climate, biodiversity and fisheries crises Ireland is currently facing, we might not be in such a state.

Here are the facts. Under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments, half our rivers and lakes are in poor or bad ecological states according to the CSO. My county of Kildare has the lowest proportion of rivers in good or high ecological status. The River Rye in Leixlip is one that has been in poor ecological status and this is a river best known for its salmon spawning. There has been a gross loss of fish and other aquatic life because of pollution. There have been numerous fish kills even since I was elected to the Dáil. There is also the lack of protection from the Government through maritime legislation.

Ireland has committed to designating 30% of its waters as marine protected areas by 2030, of which at least 10% must be strictly protected areas to ensure the greatest benefit to nature, climate and coastal communities and sustainability. This provides us with an opportunity to reverse biodiversity loss and to strengthen the ecosystems of our oceans. This is why I am calling on the Government to fully implement the Common Fisheries Policy, which is critical for ensuring our seas remain productive and resilient. To not do so would be detrimental to every one of us.

The impact of the poor state of our waters is evident today. Only yesterday, representatives from Wexford County Council and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, were before the climate committee due to the ecological disaster unfolding in one of Ireland's largest salt-water lagoons in Lady's Island Lake. Wexford County Council agreed this was a problem it has known about for years but has not been given any help from the Government to address. This lake has been designated by the NPWS as a protected area for nature conservation yet nothing has been done by the Government to address the ecological disaster there 40 years after the issue was first identified. Representatives of Aquafact, an environmental monitoring group, were also before the committee yesterday. They told us that in Oughterard beside Lough Corrib in County Galway there used to be four hotels full of fishermen and fisherwomen to cater for the mayfly season. Only one of those hotels is currently in operation as the mayfly has died out on the Corrib.

Other issues extend to the Six Counties. It is imperative as part of our planning for a united Ireland that this Government acts immediately to address the biodiversity crisis across the island. Since Britain left the European Union, there has been little emphasis on cross-Border initiative when it comes to ecosystems and biodiversity loss. We and the people in the North are dependent on this Government to lead the way in ensuring marine protection right across the Thirty-two Counties on our island. The deterioration of our seas and the destruction of their biodiversity is also impacting the health of our rivers and the work of our fishermen and fisherwomen. Biodiversity loss will lead to job losses, as was clear in Oughterard, in our tourism industry. We must be clear about this. Not only will jobs be lost, but also lost will be a way of life for our fishers. It was very moving to listen to Deputy Mac Lochlainn talking about the fishermen and fisherwomen of County Donegal and how this way of life has been passed down through families. Marine protected areas and a Common Fisheries Policy will lead to economic viability for Ireland's fishing communities and to a healthier environment for us all.

Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)
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I am thankful for the opportunity to speak on this issue that is vital not only for our coastal communities but to our national identity. I refer to the future of fishing in Ireland. Once the backbone of coastal communities, the fishing industry is now facing shrinking incomes, rising costs and dwindling fish stocks. At the same time, our oceans are coming under increasing pressure from overfishing, pollution and climate change. Marine life is disappearing faster than we can protect it and the health of the entire ecosystem is under serious threat. How do we balance this? How can we support the hard-working people who depend on the sea for their income to live and to feed their families while also ensuring the sea itself can be protected? The answer lies in striking the right balance between livelihoods and sustainability, tradition and innovation and economic needs and environmental responsibility.

Fishing is more than just a job in this country. It is a way of life passed down from generation to generation. For many Irish fishing families, the sea runs in their blood. Important skills learned and handed down, like how to read the tides, mend nets and respect the unpredictable mood of the sea, can get lost. It is a heritage, a tradition, a career and a vocation all rolled into one, but that legacy is now hanging in jeopardy. Despite our island being surrounded by some of the richest fishing waters on earth, the very people who have fished these waters for centuries are now being forced out of the industry. Why is this? It is because of a destructive combination of spiralling costs, suffocating regulations, a lack of political vision and meaningful support at home. Under the Common Fisheries Policy, Irish fishermen are allocated some of the smallest quotas in our own waters. Our fleets are effectively fishing under restriction in the waters they should be thriving in.

It is hard to overstate how demoralising this is for the men and women who live on the sea and rely on it for their livelihoods. Fishing has become increasingly unworkable. In recent years, we have seen a dramatic fall in the number of young people who want to pursue a career in fishing. Why would they want that path forward when it is so uncertain? Regulations pile up and there are no incentives to get started. There is no clear vision for the industry and no support to help them to climb the ladder. Initiatives like the young fishers scheme have been introduced with good intentions, but we must ask ourselves if they work. The numbers would suggest otherwise. Since Brexit and the pandemic, many boats are simply being decommissioned and sold. The cost of owning and operating fishing boats today is spiralling out of control. Fuel, insurance and maintenance all add up. With quotas so low, many fishermen cannot even catch enough fish to cover their costs. They are living year-to-year and fighting just to stay afloat. Many of our experienced fishers are now nearing retirement. Their knowledge and skills, honed over decades, are at risk of being lost forever. With few young people entering the industry, the future of Irish fishing hangs in the balance.

We are an island nation with a renewable food source all around us. Fish is one of the most sustainable proteins on the planet. Yet instead of building a thriving modern industry, we are watching it fade because of bureaucracy, lack of promotion and the absence of meaningful leadership. There is no serious campaign to promote fishing as a viable and proud career choice. There is no roadmap to train young workers or to help them to afford a vessel. Instead, they face red tape, debt and instability, so it is no wonder so many of them are walking away or never considering the sector in the first place. From net to fork it is a constant struggle.

Fishing communities love what they do and take pride in their work. While they want to comply with regulations, protect the marine environment and contribute to climate goals, they are swimming against the tide. We urgently need reform of the quota system. We need investment, apprenticeships and infrastructure that will allow fishing communities to survive and thrive. We need to recognise fishing as a strategic natural resource instead of an afterthought in EU negotiations. Above all, we must ensure the next generation sees a future in the industry. If we do not act soon, the question many fishing communities will ask, and are already asking, is whether there will still be a fishing industry in ten years. I feel there may not be.

Under the leadership of the former Minister of State with responsibility in this area, Senator Malcolm Noonan, the marine protected areas Bill was a vital step towards safeguarding Ireland’s marine biodiversity and meeting our international obligations to protect 30% of our maritime area by 2030. This critical Bill seems to have stalled, however, in the agendas of both the previous Government and the current one. We need to advocate for its passage into legislation. We must recognise that strong enforcement protections for our seas are essential for ecological resilience and the long-term sustainability of Ireland’s coastal communities and marine economy. I echo the calls of environmental organisations like FairSeas and coastal stakeholders who were in the audiovisual room on Tuesday. I urge the Government to prioritise this Bill and to ensure that, at the very least, the necessary tweaks will be made without further delay.

The science is clear and public support is strong. Ireland must act now to preserve our maritime ecosystems before it is too late. The Taoiseach stated this week while attending the third UN Ocean Conference that Ireland has an opportunity to become a leader in global protection. The European ocean pact sets out a framework for a bolder EU-wide commitment to restore the marine ecosystems, grow a sustainable blue economy, support coastal communities and strengthen science, security and diplomacy, but Ireland needs to create national legislation. Finalising and enacting the marine protected areas Bill are crucial steps towards protecting our future. We should stand fully behind it. We could champion this through our 2026 EU Presidency.

I fully support the Save our Sprat campaign, whose representatives were also present in the audiovisual room on Tuesday. The campaign calls for action to address the unregulated and unsustainable exploitation of sprat in Irish inshore waters. Currently, approximately 30 trawlers are legally harvesting sprat, a forage fish that forms the foundation of the marine food chain, but no formal management plan or conservation measures are in place. Although this activity is technically legal, it is ecologically reckless. Sprat is a key prey species for whales, dolphins, seabirds and larger fish like cod and mackerel. Removing sprat on an industrial scale, especially so close to shore, threatens the balance of the entire marine ecosystem. This overfishing is driven in large part by demand from the salmon farming industry. Short-term gain must not come at long-term collapse. If we strip our seas of sprat, we risk cascading impacts on the food web, including the collapse of native fish stocks, biodiversity loss and the degradation of coastal livelihoods. Ireland urgently needs a science-based management plan for sprat to ensure ecosystems are protected rather than plundered. We can only support a sustainable fishing industry and protect marine biodiversity if we stop ignoring the ecological warning signs. In the face of climate change and ecological breakdown, we must act with urgency and courage. I call on the Government and the Minister of State to immediately introduce conservation measures for sprat, restrict industrial inshore trawling and ensure marine policy is guided by science and not short-term profits. We can restore our ocean health while supporting a sustainable fishing industry by working together for a manageable solution.

I highlight the work of my colleague and party leader, Deputy Bacik, on the Dublin Bay Bill. This legislation would go a long way in protecting biodiversity, enhancing water quality and restoring and regenerating amenities all along the coastline.

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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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.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I would like to do what my colleagues have done and wish the Minister of State well. He will hear a lot today about the issues that exist. Having dealt with stakeholders previously, I imagine he is aware of some of the critical issues impacting on those involved in the fishing and seafood industry, whether we are talking about those in Carlingford, Clogherhead or elsewhere in this State and beyond.

When we talk about farming, we always talk about the sustainability of the family farm. We need to talk about the sustainability of those employed and who earn their living from the seafood and fishing industry but also those wider coastal communities. I do not think we are anywhere close to that now.

It is fair to say the European Union has been very beneficial to a lot of sectors, industries and the State as a whole but everybody saw the Common Fisheries Policy was one of the means by which this State bought its way into the European Union and, unfortunately, fishing communities have paid a price. We have to assess where we are now and move beyond that.

I commend the work done by Deputies McGuinness and Mac Lochlainn on the survey which engaged hundreds of those involved in the fishing industry. It is a vital piece of work. Deputy

Mac Lochlainn met fishermen throughout the country and he and I met fishermen in Clogherhead. The issues they have are across the board. I want to put the following on the record from the survey:

I am a fisherman from a fishing family involved in fishing and fish processing for over 100 years. I have 4 young children. I have a limited number of years left in this industry as it will soon be gone for good on our disastrous current course. I would love my children to be part of this industry/community/heritage that we have but are fast losing. To steer them towards fishing now would be to stifle them for the rest of their lives. It is frightening to see what bad politics and bad politics alone can do to a once thriving industry.

That is how a considerable number of people see it. We have made recommendations. One is a fish Ireland office, which would be based in Brussels. The issues relate to regulation, to the Department dealing with communities and those involved and to the agencies involved. A lot can be done.

The following question was asked: “Do you believe the Irish fishing industry is in a better state than it was 10 years ago?” The responses were as follows: 5.63% said somewhat worse while 92.96% said it was much worse. I will leave it at that.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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We had a very interesting conversation this morning at the fisheries committee. I welcomed this morning, and I welcome here, the fact that not only do we have a Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries and the marine but also a committee that is dedicated to it. I think it will make a big difference and, hopefully, we can work closely with the Minister of State to progress the many issues that will be coming our way.

I do not think anyone argues against the fact that as a shared and a dynamic resource that our fisheries need regulation and to be managed. That is cross-jurisdictional too. What has been clear for many years is that there must be a level of fairness within that system. I do not think anyone looking at how Europe divvies up the quota would say that Ireland has ever got its fair share of our resource and of those quotas. That is something that is very difficult to do but I would like to see the Minister and the Government push much harder for that, so our fishers have a fairer share of that shared resource.

There are also things we can do as a nation. We need to prioritise the smaller fishers and low impact fishers to assist them as much as we possibly can. They are probably the ones struggling the most, whether it is regulatory, political or, indeed, environmental pressures that we see impacting our fisheries at the moment. That is something I will be raising with the Minister of State.

Today I will use my time to talk about a couple of issues. I come at this from the basis that in order for us to have a sustainable fishery where people can pass their skills, knowledge and vessels on to family members and know that they are handing them something valuable their children and grandchildren will want to be involved in, we have to make sure they are being treated in a sustainable manner.

We need to do a large piece of work in Ireland because I do not think we have done that to date. In many instances, whether from a national or European perspective, there has been overfishing and a lack of management in different fisheries and stocks. We need to move away from that approach. The best way to do that is for us to take a holistic look at our waters and introduce the marine protected area legislation. That has to be key. That has to form the basis of all and any other policies coming after it. If we do not protect our environment and fish stocks and ensure there is a future for our environment and the marine, there will not be a future for fisheries or our coastal communities.

I said to the Minister of State earlier that I was pleased to receive a response from the Minister for housing that the marine protected areas Bill is at an advanced stage of drafting and it is intended to finalise the draft as soon as possible and seek Government approval to publish the Bill this year. That is very welcome. He went on to say that the draft Bill is intended to be a Bill in its own right and is not amending legislation. When I asked the Minister of State about this earlier, I am not sure whether his response was that the remit has not been transferred to him yet. He spoke about perhaps co-ordinating with the national DMAP process. I do not know what that could look like or what discussions there have been to date on that, but it is raising alarm bells for me. Similar to what I have said, the marine protected areas Bill has to be the basis of what we do and must inform DMAPs and other policies.

I hope it will be intensive. The plan was for it to be an intensive and robust, but also complex, piece of legislation. It is not a matter of simply drawing a few lines in our marine areas and territory and deciding that something is a marine protected area. It will have to involve regulations and enforcement. It also needs to be designed with a mind to what the environment needs and the environmental constraints. Ideally, marine protected legislation would be quite dynamic. It may not necessarily deal with one spot on a map but rather a particular current and the aquatic life that current upholds. That is what should be protected.

If the Bill is done well, and we need it to be done well, it will be a very complex piece of legislation. I am worried about being caught up with any other processes. There are risks with that. It would perhaps be worthwhile for the Minister of State to come back to the committee at some stage, assuming that the Chair and committee are in agreement. When he knows what he is thinking of doing, perhaps we could work that out and assess it because it would be important to have those discussions.

I also want to discuss sprat fishing. I acknowledge the work the Minister of State has done in this area. Whatever the outcome, I know he wants to make sure that is known before the summer and can inform the September fisheries. I have a number of concerns about this. From reading the documentation on the consultation from the Marine Institute, I noted one of the things it said was that even if we banned vessels above a certain size there is nothing to say that sprat would not be taken up by smaller vessels because there is no management. This is a species that, to date, no one valued. We do not value it from an ecological perspective, but there is also no financial value on it. Only 2% is used for human consumption; most of it goes to fish food. As the fish was so undervalued or unrecognised, we ignored it.

The reality is that it is important for everything else that happens. Our fish, including cod or hake, feed on sprat. If we do not have sprat, we will not have cod. Similarly, if we do not have sprat we will not have seabirds, whales, dolphins or marine tourism. Recent media reports have stated that, unfortunately, Colin Barnes is pulling out of whale watching because of the impact of overfishing on marine mammals. It is fundamental and we need to start valuing it for the ecological services it provides. From that perspective, I understand that the Minister of State is awaiting the outcome of the consultation but will also take into account legal considerations.

In parallel with all of that, it would be very worthwhile to mandate the Marine Institute to start doing stock assessments and begin the process of determining the stock levels. We do not have a real understanding of that aspect of fishing. The Minister of State could mandate that pretty quickly. We need to start valuing this species.

A ban on boats over 18 m was mooted in 2018. The process is taking quite a while. We have seen considerable increases in fishing. There is a risk that we might have gone past that point and a more drastic approach may be needed on an interim basis in order to get this stock back up on its feet. There have been calls for a moratorium, rather than a ban, until the data is available. If the Minister of State wants to ensure the species is protected, in the absence of any data, monitoring or management, we need to take a precautionary approach. We need to be very risk averse. There is merit in considering a moratorium to see whether that is something we could be doing instead. It could be a short-term thing. Anything like this would need to be done while being cognisant of fishing groups and communities that have fished this species legally to date. Even they would understand and appreciate that if we do not manage this resource, this fishery will not continue and all of the other fisheries that rely on this fishery will not continue. I ask the Minister of State to examine that.

Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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I ask for a copy of the Minister of State's opening speech. Nobody got a copy of it.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Normally the speeches are given out before the statements start. We can get a copy delivered.

Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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I wish the Minister of State the best of luck because, as I have always said, our fishing industry should be one of our greatest amenities and benefits to the State. I want to paint a picture of east Cork, where I am from, including Youghal, Goleen, Ballycotton, Cobh and the small ports in between of East Ferry, Whitegate and Aghada. I was struck by a piece on youghalonline.com in November 2024 which stated, referring to Youghal's lost fishing industry:

Youghal, once a bustling fishing port, has seen its industry dwindle to almost nothing. The once-bustling quayside, where fishermen unloaded their catch of salmon from the Blackwater River, is now a quiet reminder of a bygone era. Many of the pubs that were once the heart of the fishing community have also closed their doors. It seems that the fishermen themselves have become the endangered species.

I congratulate Deputies Mac Lochlainn, McGuinness and others on the survey. It is stark and unsurprising. The survey quotes one person who said they had been fishing for 30 years and had never seen it so bad, and went on to say that fishermen are not going to survive if things stay the same and that Irish fishermen are being treated very badly. Another person said they have been fishing since they were 15 years of age and are now 50 years old and have never seen the industry in such a bad shape in all sectors. They commented that there is no political will to seriously help the industry, and sad to say, they will not be in it for much longer the way it is heading because it is hard pay the bills now with poor quotas.

I have listened to other speakers.

As a young fellow, when I was 16, I worked in the fish plants. I remember we used to process our own fish here. This could be an industry worth billions, with the crossover between aquaculture, the landing of oysters, crushing oyster shells and mixing them in with hen feed to produce more calcium to benefit the eggshells, the by-products of this and the waste products that go into cat food and animal food. We are not processing.

It sickens me when I go to the likes of Ballycotton and I see a container lorry. The trawler comes in and offloads the boxes straight onto the forklift and they go into the back of the refrigerated truck and they are gone. It is ridiculous and I appeal to the Minister of State to work with everybody on this. This is one of the greatest assets we have in this country. What is happening here, on an island surrounded by water, is frightening. There is also the tourism aspect. Sprats were mentioned. I know of a man who has lost his business of whale watching and dolphin watching because the sprats are not coming and it is having a knock-on effect. As I have said, please let us all work together on this. It should be a win-win situation for everybody and in particular the families.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I reiterate what the previous speaker said about copies of the Minister of State's speech. It is very handy to have a copy of the speech and I looked for it. It is slipping in gradually with various Ministers whereby we do not get the speech. It is very useful to have it.

I want to use my time, as I have done repeatedly since 2018, to discuss this matter and I want to focus on sprats. The Government came up with a policy which, with my inexpert eye, I thought was excellent. I praised the Government for it. It was with regard to introducing a policy that would ban bigger trawlers over 18 m within the 6-mile zone. Many reasons for this were set out, in terms of the damage being done to the ecology by overfishing, the importance for local fishers and local industry and the large spin-off effect. I could not have praised the Government more on it. There was a lead-in time for the big boys, as I called them, to get out.

What happened then was that when the policy was introduced, it was challenged. Over the last number of years the same speech has been given. I apologise to the Minister of State because I know he is new in the role. At the end of his speech he mentioned the legal challenges. I will come to those legal challenges now. There was still flexibility for the Government to act, certainly to make sure that bigger trawlers were not in the 6-mile zone. The challenge was taken to the High Court and then went to the Court of Appeal. On both occasions the plaintiffs failed - I want to make this clear - in what they put before the courts on every level. The High Court, however, found that the consultation process was faulty. On this one issue alone, the High Court had to hold the policy as null and void. It is worth reading the High Court case and the case in the Court of Appeal that set out clearly that the Government was perfectly entitled to introduce a policy. It set out the nature of that policy. It did not endorse it but it went as far as it could to endorse it by stating it could not interfere with a Government that brings in a policy ostensibly for all the right reasons but, unfortunately, with regard to one aspect which was the local consultation part locally, it was faulty.

This was appealed by both sides to the Court of Appeal and the case was finally heard on 10 March 2023. We went from 2018 to 10 March 2023. During that time there were detrimental consequences with regard to the overfishing of sprat. This is not just about sprat; it is about the consequences of the overfishing of sprat for ecology and for the whole rhythm of life in the water, about which the Minister of State spoke so eloquently earlier, as did the Taoiseach recently at a conference. Every September I and other colleagues are inundated with calls telling us that the big trawlers are in the water fishing unsustainably. Indeed, the catchment of sprat has increased. I have all of the figures but I will not read them out. They are on the record. This is what has happened in the meantime.

Let us look at 10 March 2023 when the Court of Appeal issued its decision striking down the policy directive. Why did it do so? This time it was struck down because the Government's failure to notify the EU and the UK prior to the introduction of the directive rendered the directive invalid. The Government and the Department, and whoever the responsible person was, made a mistake and failed to notify the EU and the UK in whatever procedure was required. This was not done and the policy was held null and void.

What is important is that the court did not hold with any of the arguments of the plaintiffs on the policy directive. The court concluded that the directive was a measure for the conservation and management of fish stocks within the meaning of the relevant articles. Importantly, it found that the policy was not discriminatory, had not been shown to be irrational and did not involve a disproportionate interference with the constitutional rights of the applicants, who were the plaintiffs who took the case. These were the owners of the bigger boats. It was not found to be irrational, disproportionate or discriminatory. The Court of Appeal, almost the highest court in the land, told us that none of the arguments on which the application was made were found to be valid, to put it in my own words, yet the policy was held at naught because of the failure of the Department and the Government to notify other parties. I am not here to highlight mistakes. I am here to highlight the consequence of that mistake, and not just of the mistake because there has been flexibility for the Government to act and it has not done so.

That was March 2023. It is now more than two years and three months since then and we still have no policy. I am now looking at my third Minister or Minister of State on this matter. I absolutely deplore the lack of action and the constantly repeated mantra that the courts held this up. Everybody is entitled to go to court, and certainly I will not criticise anyone who takes a case. Obviously it would be better if the court system was more efficient. Obviously there are not enough judges. On a different level, this has been rectified to a certain extent but it is inexplicable that two years and three months later, we still have no policy. The Minister of State is telling us positively that something will be done, hopefully by September, but I did not hear from him that a new policy has been put together and that the policy will be launched and a date for it. I do not hear anything like this being said.

There was no need for consultation but the Department did the right thing and went out and consulted. The court said that when the Department went out and consulted, it had a duty to do it properly. There was a nuanced difference between the High Court and the Court of Appeal. One said that the consultation locally and nationally had not been done, but the ultimate decision was on the fact that we did not tell the EU and the UK.

What has happened in the two years and three months since then? Where is the policy? Will the Minister of State tell us today about that policy? What has happened in the meantime? Every time I have raised this, which is frequently, I am told 5,500 comments were submitted as opposed to 900 on the previous occasion. I realise the amount of work this takes but it does not take two and a half years, given that no court ever held against the policy. Exactly what we need to do is to conserve and the courts backed that up. How could it take this length of time?

Recently I was down in Bantry. I certainly was not in great humour because it took quite a long time to drive down there. I was at a public meeting that was well attended. It was packed. I would have thought there might have been 500 people there but the room was a bit smaller than that. It was well attended and there was absolute goodwill to do something for the environment and the ecosystem. Nobody was saying "not in my back garden". Ample time was given to those who did not agree, who were a small few with vested interests. They were perfectly entitled to speak and they spoke. The concern at every level, and not only with regard to sprat, was palpable.

I have used up my time. There are many other things I would like to say about local fishing but I have used my time specifically because I have never had so many minutes to discuss this one particular issue and get some truth out on it.

When will the policy be published? Where are we at precisely regarding the policy? Have we finished examining all the aighneachtaí that went in? When will we have the policy?

Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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The Taoiseach recently made a speech at the UN Oceans Conference in Nice. He said:

[In] ... supporting sustainable fishing, we will not only protect our marine environment but also preserve and strengthen all the special communities along our shores that call the coast their home.

These are fine words. However, in reality, our fishing industry is dying a slow death. Sinn Féin's recent nationwide fisheries and seafood survey found that more than 63% of fishers described the Department of the marine's engagement with the industry as "inadequate or not engaging at all". As one fisherman said:

I’m fishing since I was 15 years of age, I’m now 50 ... I’ve never seen the industry in such bad shape [in] all sectors. There is no political will to seriously help the industry sad to say I won’t be in [this] much longer the way it is heading hard to pay the bills now with poor quotas that we have

Quota cuts on species such as mackerel and pollock are crippling the industry. Out of 12% of the Irish EU waters, Irish fishers only get approximately 5.6% of the quotas. Is this how the Government protects our special communities along our shores that call the coast their home? I think not. We are surrounded by some of the richest fishing waters in the world. We are an island. We must make the most of our natural maritime resources to benefit all our coastal communities and the nation as a whole.

Sinn Féin welcomes the re-establishment of the Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries and the marine. We wish the Minister of State every success in his new role, but we are also calling on him and his Department to establish fish Ireland office based in Brussels to represent the whole of the Irish fisheries industry, equivalent to the present strong Dutch representation that is there now. What is needed most is increased investment in maritime infrastructure, especially in places such as Kilmore Quay, Duncannon, Slade and Rosslare.

We need a strong voice for the fishers of Ireland, especially when Ireland will have the European Presidency role in the latter half of 2026. We look forward to working with the Minister of State. Sinn Féin will continue to support our fishers to the hilt. The Minister of State mentioned that he was going to different fishing communities. I extend an invitation for him to visit Kilmore Quay.

Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)
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I welcome the Minister of State. This may be the first time we have been face to face. I appreciate his recent invitation to Castletownbere. Unfortunately, I was at another meeting and could not get there, but I will certainly meet him soon.

I listened to some of the Deputies speaking in the Chamber earlier. I do not like talking about Deputies when they are not present, but Deputy Ward - not in a bad sense - said it is not all Europe's fault. Maybe he is right; it is his own Government's fault and successive Governments' fault. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have literally turned their backs on Irish fishermen. That is a well-known fact. I will read out some of the reasons. I hope the Minister of State will turn this around, because if he does not, more and more people would be looking to decommission, but that scheme is gone. That was the best deal that came out of the last Government.

The previous Government gave everything away. Brexit came and we left Michel Barnier to do all the negotiations and he certainly looked after France and Spain. Ireland was a passenger - it was a trailer with no hook on it and it fell off along the way. It is so sad and unfortunate. I begged the Taoiseach to make sure we got right in there, but he was not listening. He told me there could never be a stand-alone Minister for fisheries and now we have one. Hey presto; we pressed a button and things can happen.

Recently I took up an invitation to go to Kilmore Quay, County Wexford. These fishermen stayed ashore especially to meet me to discuss the unfairness of the way in which they and their livelihoods are being treated. One of the big issues for them is that they fish black sole. They are only allowed 4% of the quota. Listen to this. Belgium, however, is allowed to fish around Irish waters for 80% of the black sole quota. It is an astonishing situation. It is bad enough that they have to put up with this shocking deal, but when they go out to fish other species and are not targeting black sole, it gets into their nets as it is so plentiful. It is not possible for them to try to fish for other species without black sole getting into their nets. They often catch black sole, which was not targeted for fishing. They have to dump it or bring it in for dumping, which is completely crazy. They are asking for an increase in their black sole quota under The Hague preferences. They are asking for The Hague preferences to be invoked. Will the Minister for the marine increase their black sole quotas? I would appreciate it if he addressed that.

While I was talking to these fisherman, who were complimentary about our Ceann Comhairle, Deputy Verona Murphy because she is from that area, they told me how angry they are at the cost of all of this. They are breaking the law if they bring in this black sole. If they log it, they are breaking the law. If it gets into their nets without being targeted, they are breaking the law as they have no quota. They want to fish legally and do not want to be branded as criminals. Can we have some common sense here and increase the black sole quota for them?

The maddening thing for anyone who was at this meeting was the idea that they can only fish 4% of the quota. It is astonishing. Belgian boats can fish all around them and are laughing at them. They told us that they are laughing at them with 80% of the quota.

I believe this was raised in the December quota meeting in 2024 and the Commission had a rabbit-out-of-the-hat suggestion that the Hague preferences should only be invoked when the quotas fell to ten tonnes because of Brexit. The fishermen's calculation was that the Hague preferences falls below 190 tonnes. The Commission and the Department were supposed to investigate this and report back in January 2025, but, needless to say, the fishermen have not heard a word about.

On behalf of the fishermen of Kilmore Quay, will the Minister of State increase their black sole quota? Will he meet with them in Wexford? The Ceann Comhairle and I would appreciate it if he let us know if that was happening as it is hugely important. In fairness, the Minister of State has been meeting with people. I acknowledge that and can be fair where it is needed. I will also be speaking to our MEP, Ciaran Mullooly, to see whether he can come at it from the European side.

While in Kilmore Quay, the fishermen told me about their infrastructure. They are right about the piers and infrastructure in Ireland. They mentioned Kilmore Quay, Castletownbere, Donegal and Galway and they said that there is proper infrastructure and proper piers every 10 km in Newfoundland. We are in a situation where we are lucky to have four or five of them around the country while the others are begging for improvements.

Irish fishermen have been facing significant challenges due to the ongoing dispute over fishing rights around Rockall. The core issue stems from the UK's claim of a 12-mile exclusion zone around Rockall, which had led to Irish fishing vessels being banned from fishing in these waters since Brexit. This ban has had a substantial impact on the Irish fishing industry, particularly affecting the catch of species such as squid and haddock. Will the Minister of State give me an update on where this is at present?

In recent years, the population of bluefin tuna has exploded. Ireland had a previous track record of more than 2,000 tonnes per year when Michael Keating was sent to ICCAT as the Irish representative. We applied to ICCAT and now receive a quota. The Japanese fleet is fishing along the 200-mile international limit to freeze bluefin tuna for a demanding market in Japan. The carbon footprint in getting this fleet to Ireland would be massive, and their fishing practices are unregulated by any authorities. I was told that Japanese send planes to Ireland to track the bluefin tuna. Again, our Irish fishermen cannot fish for the fish in their own seas. It is scandalous.

I spoke about the mussel farm in Kinsale before and the opposition to it. The Minister of State needs to look at that along with the senior Minister. The licence was given despite serious information being missing. A licence was given for a 62-acre mussel farm off the coast of Kinsale, which is scandalous.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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Irish fishermen have seen their sector gutted in recent years. Irish fishing rights have been handed, lock, stock and barrel, to other countries. Many countries are doing far better out of Irish waters than Irish fishermen. According to departmental projections, the Irish coastal share of fish will shrink by approximately 15% in the coming six years. The average reduction throughout the rest of Europe is 9.83%. Ireland's reduction significantly surpasses the loss of other countries. Indeed, Ireland has the highest loss along with Germany. What does that say about the ability of Irish Ministers to work on behalf of Irish fishermen in Europe? It is an incredible situation at the moment.

Earlier this year, a trawler came into Killybegs with 750 tonnes of blue whiting that had been caught. The trawler was subject to a controlled weighing on the pier as part of that process. The monitoring process made the fish unfit for human consumption and the fish had to be sold for animal meal. That fish are being weighed at piers is nonsense and is damaging the sector. The crisis is so profound that Irish fishers are now changing their boats' Irish flags for Spanish flags in order that they can increase their quota in their own country. Meanwhile, we see 20 to 50 trucks of Irish fish leave the country per week, and many of them are unchecked.

I will put this in perspective. As regards monkfish, France has 59% of the quota in Irish waters; Ireland has 7% of the quota. In haddock, Ireland has only 22% of the quota; France has 67% of the quota. In hake, Ireland has 6% of the quota; France has 45% of the quota. What is happening would be completely laughable if it were not so costly. Looking at sole, some fishing boats can catch only maybe a box a month while Belgium has the vast majority of the quota here in Ireland. It is beyond belief. It is farcical that fishermen and fisherwomen are thrown about their boats in the heaviest of weather and made do all this work but are treated differently from other fleets fishing in Irish waters. They are made to weigh on the pier and then weigh in the factory 200 yd up the road as well.

I wish the Minister of State luck in his role, but Ireland has been cursed with absolutely pathetic representation in the European Union. We have not been fighting our corner. The other countries are making fun of us for the lack of quota we have in our own waters. There has to be a change if rural and coastal communities are to survive.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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Is é seo an chéad uair atá deis agam comhghairdeas a ghabháil leis an Aire Stáit as a phost agus a ról nua. Guím chuile rath air sa phost seo. Is í an fhírinne ná go dteastaíonn guth fíorláidir uainn. Teastaíonn sé ó na pobail atá ina gcónaí ar an gcósta agus ó na pobail ar fad a bhfuil baint acu leis an iascaireacht. Ní raibh an guth sin acu cheana agus is í sin an fhadhb a bhí ann i gcónaí. Caithfidh muid é sin a athrú. Tá súil agam go mbeidh an tAire Stáit in ann é sin a athrú. Tá a fhios agam go mbeidh sé i Ros an Mhíl amárach. Tá togra mór i gceist leis sin agus tá súil agam go mbeidh sé in ann é a bhrú ar aghaidh mar tá sé ag teastáil go géar.

Tá mé anseo chun labhairt ar an suirbhé a rinne mo chomhghleacaithe, na Teachtaí Pádraig Mac Lochlainn agus Conor McGuinness. Léiríonn an suirbhé, i bhfocail na bpobal iad féin, cé chomh deacair is atá sé a bheith ag iascaireacht faoi láthair. Dúirt duine amháin a ghlac páirt sa suirbhé:

I am a fisherman from a fishing family involved in fishing and [fish] processing for over 100 years. I have 4 young children. To steer them towards fishing now would be to stifle them for the rest of their lives. It is frightening to see what bad politics and bad politics alone can do to a once thriving industry.

Is dócha, nuair a bhreathnaíonn tíortha eile ar Éirinn, is é an rud a thagann chun cuimhne i gcónaí ná gur oileán muid. De bharr gur oileán muid, shílfeá go mbeadh muid agus na pobail in ann slí beatha a bhaint amach as an iascaireacht, as an gcósta agus as an bhfarraige sin. Mar gheall ar dhrochchinntí, áfach, ní féidir é sin a dhéanamh a thuilleadh. Dá bharr sin, teastaíonn guth láidir uainn. Nuair a bhreathnaíonn muid ar na figiúirí anseo ón dream a ghlac páirt sa suirbhé, dúirt 93% acu go bhfuil an iascaireacht níos measa anois sa Stát ná mar a bhí sé deich mbliain ó shín. Is rud mór é sin le rá. Tá roinnt acu a dúirt nach gcreideann siad go mbeidh a gcuid páistí in ann í a dhéanamh.

Ag breathnú ar an gcuóta, ní leor é. Feiceann muid go bhfuil na báid mhóra seo ag teacht ón Fhrainc agus ón Spáinn agus gur féidir leo siúd iasc a fháil ón fharraige atá mórthimpeall orainn. Bíonn muid agus an tAontas Eorpach i gcónaí ag caint faoi athrú aeráide. Cé gur rud fíorthábhachtach é sin, ní dhéanann sé ciall ar bith go bhfuil na báid mhóra in ann teacht ón Fhrainc agus an Spáinn. Níl sé sin go maith don athrú aeráide. Tá siad in ann teacht anseo agus na hiasc ar fad sin a thógáil ón fharraige seo ach ní féidir leis na hÉireannaigh.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank all the Deputies who contributed for their insights and helpful suggestions. I want to correct one matter. I indicated, I think, that I am to meet my UK counterpart on 5 July. I am reliably informed it is 9 July. I do not want anything to be missed on the record on that.

To the Sinn Féin Members who talked about their survey, that is a useful piece of work, and I can understand the sentiment many of the people express. I might not agree with some of the suggestions but I have indicated to the Deputies who prepared the survey that I will go through it in more detail. I am happy to have a dialogue with them on that.

The reality is that all the information or ideas do not reside on any one side of the House. I certainly do not suggest that I possess the divine right to develop policy alone. I will always take helpful views, from whatever quarter, that are to the benefit of the people we seek to represent. I assure the House of that. I have engaged with people, and people are engaging with me and setting out their stall. There is little doubt that the sector has been under pressure for quite some time because of global changes and impacts of overfishing through the years. The stocks are declining and climate change is having an impact, but there is no doubt that Brexit delivered a devastating blow to the sector more generally and has left the sector reeling. However, from my engagement not exclusively but generally, there is an obvious resilience there on the part of so many people who want to try to continue this industry notwithstanding the complications and the difficulties that are there. I want, insofar as I can, to support them in that. I set out earlier some of my ideas about trying to do a piece of facilitation work in the first instance to develop that strategy into the future and develop a roadmap to try to deliver insofar as we can to meet people's needs and expectations.

There was quite a bit of talk about bluefin tuna and the lack of quota we have. Some of that is historic, but there is a recognition that because of the changes in water conditions, more of that stock is moving into Irish waters. Of course, I will fight tooth and nail at every possible opportunity, with both the Commission and member states that have an interest in this, to try to get stock. I am conscious, however, that in order for us to get quota, somebody has to give it up. Whatever the historical conditions that existed when quotas were first apportioned, trying to win quota back is a difficulty. Deputy Tóibín in making his case referred to Irish waters, but the reality is that, outside the 12 nautical miles, that is considered European waters, so we do not have exclusivity there. That is part of an agreement that goes back to the 1970s. With the best will in the world, I do not want to indicate to anybody that I can necessarily change that context overnight, but whatever opportunity comes through the ether, I will be happy to engage.

Deputy Barry Ward and others talked about the CFP and the review or the reform. There is an evaluation under way by the Commission at the moment. The European Ocean Pact was launched on Monday of this week at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice. It sets out the potential for a possible reform. I assure the House that if that eventuality comes into play, together with the Department officials, I and other Ministers involved in various Departments will fight our damnedest to get whatever additional quota we can in those contexts. However, I do not want to lead people to believe that just because there is going to be a reform there is somebody out there waiting to hand over a portion of quota. I assure the House from my perspective, however, that it will not be for the want of engagement and networking. Others asked what our approach might be. It will be to consult as widely as possible, to engage with other member states, to lobby, to network and to make the case, as the industry did really well in Castletownbere when the Commissioner was invited there and we had that opportunity. It is that kind of work that plays out in the long term.

The question then is what might be done on a broader level to protect biodiversity. Ireland is a signatory to the UN Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. We are going to bring this through domestic legislation as it has to be transposed. We want to move on this because we have a shared responsibility to manage the seas that fall outside the national jurisdiction. I think it was Deputy Barry Ward who talked about the massive overfishing by fleets outside of European control that have access and have a destructive effect. As part of this, we are putting in place a governance programme to try to ensure that we maintain biodiversity, for the greater good of all.

Deputy Mythen talked about going to Kilmore Quay. I am happy to do that and I am happy to meet groups under the political representation. The Ceann Comhairle has been in touch with me on this issue, as has the Minister, Deputy James Browne. I will work with everyone on this issue. However, I make the point to Deputy Collins that I am not in a position to promise anything regarding giving quota for black sole to anyone or any entity. I can only engage with the sector and be as honest and upfront as I always am on these issues and what procedures and process can be undertaken to try to address an issue or how we deal with it. We are happy to do that.

Deputy Tóibín talked about the issue in Killybegs with the blue whiting that was processed for fishmeal. This issue has been raised with me on a number of occasions. I have met the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority, SFPA, and the fishing industry there. We have to have regulatory controls in place and these are done on a proportionate basis. There has to be a level of oversight because we have to convince the European Commission, in particular, that we have a regulatory regime in place that is fit for purpose. I am also conscious that technology is advancing. There is now a very significant number of cameras in place in the processing facilities in Killybegs. I understand that additional cameras would have to be put in place and we would have to get a designation of the entirety of the pier to be able to manage the process without certain checks at the shoreside on an ongoing basis. I am prepared to work with those in Killybegs to try to reduce the necessity for those checks, which do impact on the quality of the blue whiting. It is a very tender fish that can be easily damaged in the counting process in that equipment. When I visited, I saw at first hand the impact that is having. There is a medium- to long-term plan to address this and I hope we can do so.

I outlined where we are at on the issue of Rockall. We do not accept the British claim on Rockall. As it is not a habitable place, we do not believe there should be any economic zone around it. We believe that we have the backing of international legislation to justify that. There is ongoing diplomatic dialogue on this by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have raised the matter with the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. When I am in London on 9 July I will raise the matter. It is my intention to also visit Scotland and other jurisdictions around Europe. This will have to be advanced on a bilateral basis. It would be very helpful to those who fish for squid in the seas around Rockall.

Deputy Connolly set out a very clear and impassioned plea regarding sprat fishing. An new process was undertaken. When a policy paper is being brought forward, a very clear process must be followed. Much of the process was undertaken before, and through to conclusion, and it was only lost on a very minor technicality in the courts. To go back again and create a policy paper, one must go through the process. That is why the consultation, to which some 5,500 people responded, had to take place. I do not want to say or do anything that might undermine the ultimate decision that will be taken. This may or may not require a memorandum to Government. The Department will be setting out a position on this very soon. I am hopeful that it will be in place before the summer. The passage of time from the original information that was gleaned from BIM and the Marine Institute required me to seek the most up-to-date legal, scientific and economic advice. I now have most of that information, which will allow us to make a decision very soon.

There were a lot of representations on the marine protected areas. The section dealing with the marine environment still resides in the Department of housing. I have no oversight or control in relation to it. My expectation is that it will transfer to the Department of climate very shortly and will fall under my remit there. I intend to work with the Department and on the marine planning side to try to advance, as quickly as possible, a regulatory regime on a legislative basis that will allow us to identify marine areas for protection. I have to be clear that the position taken by the previous Minister with responsibility for this will help to inform me, but not exclusively, in the decisions we will have to take. It is important that we begin the process and are in a position to meet our international obligations and commitments to ensure that we have 30% of the seas within our jurisdiction as marine protected areas by 2030. I am happy to come back and discuss that at any stage.