Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator O'Sullivan for sharing time with me. One can say little in four minutes; this debate should have been much longer. The marine industry deserves far more support that it receives but I am glad we have a Minister at the helm who will fight the cause again in the near future.

When I was first elected there was a review of the white fish fleet. At that time 28 boats of over 15 metres were operating full time out of Greencastle. There are now nine and some of them are reported to be either getting involved in the decommissioning scheme or selling their boats. That is the other side of the decommissioning scheme. If we are trying to ensure the boats are safer, we must have unsafe boats removed from the fleet. For that reason I welcome the decommissioning scheme. Many of the boats being built by McDonald's in Greencastle are destined for the in-shore crab fisheries, so there is life in the in-shore sector. As the crab stock increases we could see fishing becoming a seasonal activity, as occurs with the wild oysters. In that eventuality it would be necessary to talk to the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív, about whether the rural social scheme could be extended to deal with that.

After a reasonable decommissioning scheme there must be a future for small modern fleets. Last night I spoke in the House about a reasonable quota. Quotas must always be fought for but 13% of the catch or 1.332 million tonnes of fish is discarded. The dead fish discard is a dead investment for everybody. It is important that we deal with this. It appears that if something is seen to be of less value, it does not matter if it is dumped. I do not agree with that. There is a place for everything. In Spain, spider crab is a delicacy and valuable commodity. Yet, a couple of years ago my sister-in-law and I walked to Greencastle and we saw spider crabs littered around the harbour. They were seen as inferior in this country. One person's gold, therefore, is somebody else's piece of dirt. We must sell the image of what we have and how important it is. Furthermore, we must get what is considered valuable in other countries to those countries and make a profit from it.

If we intend to have a small modern fleet, it is important that it does not become a closed shop. There must be a method for new entrants to get into the industry and onto the first rung of the ladder. It has been suggested that BIM could be given the task of buying a small amount of tonnage which could be held in the Government's name and leased to properly trained young people who are setting up their boats. When that period expires, they should be encouraged or even forced to buy replacement capacity on the open market. New entrants need some degree of support when getting into the industry. Alternatively, a retirement scheme should be introduced which would allow fishermen to take early retirement in return for handing over their boat or capacity to a properly trained young person. It would be a farm retirement scheme for fishermen.

I welcome the announcement today by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Ryan, that a new monitoring vessel will be provided for the Foyle area and Carlingford. It will be used for scientific monitoring and data collection and I trust it will be a positive development for the Foyle. Policing is one matter and collecting scientific data is something different. If this development is geared to working with the fishermen and to support their work, it is good.

I also welcome the 2008 to 2013 marine tourism strategy for the Foyle and Carlingford Lough. It will help in terms of access infrastructure, marine tourism, recreational fisheries and skills training through local partnerships. It will involve significant investment and regeneration for the Foyle. Moville community college has worked in tandem with the boat building industry in Greencastle to ensure that transition year students can learn the trade of fishing. It is important to think about the future in the context of modern technology and skills and a reduced fleet to match the reduced quotas. We should support the young people in keeping the tradition of fishing alive.

The Minister of State, Deputy Browne, was in Greencastle recently and saw the National Fisheries College. If we are to develop our rivers and oceans for marine recreation, we must open the facilities we have, such as the National Fisheries College, to people so they can learn about safety. We must also continue to support the rescue services. There have been many losses and tragedies but there have also been individual cases of suicide and the rescue services have been there. We must continue to support them in their broad range of activities.