Déirdre de Búrca (Green Party)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and this opportunity to discuss the Cawley report. Other speakers have mentioned that we are a maritime nation and our fishing and seafood industry are very important. The Irish seafood industry generates more than €700 million per year and directly employs 11,665 people. The total catch in Irish waters, which are among the most productive in the European Union, was 700,000 tonnes of fish in 2004, the most recent year for which figures are available, with an economic value of €500 million to the State.

It became obvious during the debate on the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill that fishing practices in Ireland and the Irish seas have become highly unsustainable and that serious over-fishing is taking place.

Statistics show that most of the catch taken from Irish waters is taken by non-Irish vessels. More significantly, more than 75% of the stocks are now outside their safe biological limits with either low stock size or unsustainable levels of exploitation. More than half of all stocks are exploited and a further 25% are either over-exploited or depleted. Consequently, it became obvious that a new strategy was needed. This was true in particular for the seafood industry and the transfer of the fisheries portfolio to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food may be a positive step in this regard as it allows for a fresh start and a fresh approach to take place.

One of the Cawley report's key recommendations pertained to the development of aquaculture to provide seafood products. At present, Ireland's aquaculture sector contributes approximately 40% of the revenue generated by the seafood industry. However, it is considered to lag well behind worldwide trends regarding the procedures used to farm fish and the range of species farmed. Members are aware that with the current emphasis on the desirability of healthier diets, fish is defined as a functional food. The latter is a buzzword for foods that provide a health benefit beyond meeting basic nutritional needs. It is clear that Ireland's location on the edge of one of Europe's largest marine areas represents an opportunity for development because the international markets for functional food and ingredients are expanding.

At present, France, Britain, Spain, Germany and Italy buy approximately 70% of the seafood caught here. As I noted, one of the Cawley report's principal recommendations pertains to the development of the aquaculture sector. However, the report has a wider remit. It constitutes a €300 million-plus plan for the seafood industry that was launched in January 2007. This money, which hopefully will be matched by an equivalent sum from the private sector, will be spent over the next six years as part of the national development plan. It aims to ensure that the seafood industry will generate more than €1 billion for the economy and the authors of the report were asked specifically to examine the poor state of the seafood processing industry, the need for a more innovative market-focused strategy to maximise value and to examine the significant imbalance between the declining levels of fish stocks and the size of our trawler fleet.

The key elements of the report are the recommendation to introduce a new scheme of financial incentives for the sector and for fishermen in particular to decommission their trawlers in the light of declining stocks. The report generally recommends a reduction of 45% in the numbers of fishermen and boats. This constitutes a significant reduction and obviously must be carried out in a careful manner with the economic interests and livelihoods of the fishermen at heart. However, the initial focus should be on the larger whitefish vessels that are more than 18m inlength.

The report also advocated a much greater emphasis on aquaculture as a means of providing for the ever-growing demand for seafood products. It recommended the devolution of fisheries management and, importantly, the promotion of a seafood island marketing identity for Ireland. This would result in the sale of Irish seafood under its own brand in the same way that Irish butter or beef is sold. The aquaculture development programme to meet the continued demand for seafood on which the report concentrates is to be implemented by Bord Iascaigh Mhara in partnership with Údarás na Gaeltachta. As a member of the Government, the Green Party supports the emphasis placed by the strategy on funding what are called local collective actions by fish and shellfish farmers that are environmentally sustainable.

Another interesting feature of the Cawley report is its focus on the relationship between the fishing and seafood sectors and the then Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. It called for much greater co-ordination between the State agencies that support the industry. As I noted earlier, the transfer of the fisheries brief to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food may be a positive development. It allows for a fresh start and a new look to be taken at the sector. However, the Cawley report highlighted some of the difficulties that arose from the dual developmental and regulatory functions of the former Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. Does the Minister of State believe that a conflict similar to that outlined in the Cawley report might arise in respect of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food?

The report also emphasises the importance of good relationships between the sector and the responsible Department. Moreover, Dr. Cawley, who was one of the report's authors, recommended the possible establishment of a new independent regulatory agency based in Clonakilty, County Cork, which would allow for a greater focus on policy and planning.

Some of the developments that the Green Party favours are touched on in the Cawley report. The party wants grant funding to the aquaculture sector to be increased to develop technological innovation and environmentally sustainable techniques, including organic farming, as well as diversification into new species. The Green Party also wants the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to continue to work with coastal communities to identify and designate suitable marine protected areas to allow for regeneration of stocks because the over-exploitation and significant reduction in fishing and seafood stocks at present is of major concern. Finally, concerns have been expressed by Opposition Members regarding the implementation of the strategy outlined in the Cawley report. The Green Party will support the recommendation that Dr. Cawley should chair the implementation group and ensure that the key recommendations of the report would be implemented in a timely fashion. Were this to be done, the report would hold out great possibilities for the development and continued viability of the important seafood sector in the economy.