Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

As one of the Senators who sought this debate, I am pleased the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Coughlan, has come to the House to facilitate it. I take this opportunity to wish her well. I also welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, who is familiar with this portfolio. It was a good decision to place fisheries under the remit of the same Department as agriculture. It rests easier there than in its former Department because there are many common denominators between agriculture and fisheries, especially in respect of the food sector, with aquaculture, fish processing and so on. It is a positive development.

The full title of the Cawley report is Strategy for a Restructured, Sustainable and Profitable Irish Seafood Industry 2007-2013. It contains both good and bad news. It is to be welcomed that a process of dialogue and consultation was undertaken with representatives of the fishing industry from Castletownbere to Donegal and from Galway to Dublin. Some of the findings are inevitable and the industry is largely in agreement with them. It is generally accepted, for example, that decommissioning must take place. It is good news that some will have a chance of surviving economically in the fishing industry.

The bad news is that job losses are inevitable. For example, 40% of whitefish trawlers out of Castletownbere will be unable to continue. In the past 15 to 20 years, the amount of vessels fishing out of places such as Casteltownbere, Schull, Union Hall and Kinsale has declined. I refer specifically to the south coast because the southern part of the State is primarily given over to whitefish while the northern part, out of Killybegs, is engaged primarily in pelagic fishing.

Fishermen regularly ask me what is the net value to them of the decommissioning process. In other words, what will skippers and trawler owners obtain and what are the implications not only for them but also for their crews? The Cawley report includes a proposal to set up a register. It would be wrong, morally and otherwise, if vessels were to be decommissioned and the crewmen neglected. Protection must be built into the process. In Castletownbere, for instance, some 40 or 50 family men could be left high and dry.

The previous speaker referred to lorry loads of fish leaving Castletownbere. Some 85% of all whitefish landed in Castletownbere not only goes through France but ends up in Spain. At this critical juncture for the future of the fishing industry, the industry and the Government must examine how we can improve onshore processing. I understand that with larger and improved vessels, up to 80% of our pelagic fish is being landed in Scotland, Norway or further afield because the vessels may obtain a more ready market and better price in those locations. It is a shame that up to 80% of both pelagic fish and whitefish is going abroad.

We cannot in future isolate the whitefish or polyvalent fish sector and the pelagic sector from the aquaculture sector and from mussel and salmon farming. We must consider new markets, such as that for abalones, for example, and develop the onshore processing industry. The Minister was in west Cork recently and saw the success attained by onshore processing companies such as Shellfish de la Mer, which employes 150 people thanks to support from the previous two Governments. In conjunction with the initiative shown by the company's management, the support it received from Bord Iascaigh Mhara in marketing and identifying foreign markets has helped it win international awards. Another success story is Castletownbere fishermen's co-operative and other co-operatives in the south that are engaged in onshore processing. This is wonderful because jobs are being created. I would like to see this supported and continued because it is great to see that Shellfish de la Mer has grown from two or three people 12 or 15 years ago to 150 onshore now. That is a good development.

Not far away and much closer to me in Gearhies are Bantry Bay Seafoods and Fastnet Mussels, which employ people in processing jobs and which have built up international markets throughout Europe and in the UK. It is wonderful to see, with support from the Department, industry and fishermen, these companies looking to the affluent parts of society in India and China. There are 80 million or 90 million people in India who are now affluent enough to buy properties abroad and who may look at buying Irish shellfish or food products.

We are only playing catch-up with the likes of Chile, which I have studied with regard to salmon farming. That country exports much of its fish to markets identified in China and India as possibly being the best in the world. We should remember that approximately 12% of the Chilean salmon farmed in a chilled form is imported into the EU. Norway is particularly worried about that.

We have significant potential. Although we can look at the negative side of the matter, we should consider the future of the industry and how we can improve what we have. It is a sad fact that 75% of fish in Irish seas are under pressure, which is causing ongoing problems. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, and others for efforts in negotiating with Europe and trying to hold on to or improve Irish quotas. The issue will arise again in four weeks' time. It is very important we look at the matter.

I am flying a kite from southern Ireland. With the decommissioning coming down the track, perhaps the Minister of State can identify the deadline for spring next year and when the NDP funding will come into effect. When will fishermen and the coastal communities see the benefit of this type of financial input by Government and stakeholders? We must know the coastal communities will also be protected.

In my father's time there was a substantial hake fishing industry in Bantry Bay, with large British trawlers coming in. Overfishing led to the hake vanishing. As a young lad hauling lobster pots in Bantry Bay I remember often bringing up two or three fine crayfish in a lobster pot. They are gone because of overfishing and the use of monofilament nets. Crayfish are now as scarce as teeth in a duck.

I hope those in Europe realise the Irish Government and the fishing industry are in a progressive mode regarding conservation of stocks. Our European counterparts, particularly the French and Spanish, should be following the same vein. There is not much point in us decommissioning 33% or 40% of our whitefish fleet only to find out the French or Spanish will not in any way row in behind such action, or that they will still come marauding into Irish waters and take valuable fish.

I will throw another sprat to catch a herring. I read with great interest recently that new French President Sarkozy met with the French fishermen in Brittany.