Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I also welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Sargent. I grew up in Skerries, the Minister of State's part of the world, and spent my summers there way back in the 1940s. I saw the importance of the fishing industry then but when I go there now I realise things have changed. Clearly, there is a threat to traditional fishing. I am glad the Minister of State is in the position he is because if anything can be done, he has some chance of doing it.

Later in life when I opened a supermarket in Finglas, I ran foul of the wholesalers by claiming that we bought directly from the fishermen in Howth. There was a fishermen's co-operative there and it was a wonderful way of ensuring we got fish to our customers that was caught within the previous 24 hours. We were not able to do that in the long term because of restrictions and restraints on trade. The wholesalers threatened to sue me because they claimed there was a suggestion that the fish they supplied would not be as fresh as the fish we bought directly from the co-op in Howth.

I am concerned to be told that at present only one of the traditional fishing boats goes out from Howth with the fleet, fishing on that basis. We have heard much talk about the change in the market. The other boats are now fishing for razor fish and other fish that were not traditionally fished. For reasons of taste and health, fish and seafood are products that offer great opportunities in the future. They will not necessarily be the lowest cost products one can buy but I believe they have a future and we must work to ensure we succeed.

I was in Ballyvaughan last Saturday and went to a lovely restaurant called Monks. I was impressed to go into that restaurant at lunchtime to discover that my wife and I were the only Irish people there. This was in the middle of the Burren, the place was packed and everybody was eating fish. There clearly is a need and demand for it. People will beat a path to the door of somebody who offers something unique and it is obvious there are opportunities throughout the country to do this. On one occasion I was the prime visitor for the Galway oyster festival. That is the type of marketing that offers opportunities for fresh fish in Ireland and puts it on our plates and on our agenda. This is threatened by the quotas that are to be introduced.

In the matter of spiralling costs, fishermen argue they should be allowed to catch more fish than is permitted under the current quotas and they call for an end to the obligation whereby they must throw away fish banned under current rules. This could be replaced by a rule on how many days a vessel can spend at sea.

However, the possibility of raising quotas must be questioned. We must fish less to nurture fish stocks back to their former productivity and give them a chance to recover. There are fewer boats now but this does not mean that fishermen are heading for extinction. Today's boats are more capable, have better engines, hull designs, nets and electronic gadgets that lead them straight to the fish. A rule of thumb says that there is a 2% technology creep per year. I love that term. Even if fish stocks were stable, Europe would be required to scrap many boats every year to maintain a sustainable industry. The Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, provided details of the decommissioning scheme.

On Monday last, the European Commission proposed a 25% reduction in overall fishing in Europe and an increase in cod fishing in the Celtic Sea where cod stocks are considered to be sufficiently strong to support higher quotas. However, the Environmental Protection Agency reports that cod stocks in the Irish Sea are now considered "to be in a state of collapse" and are expected to decline further in 2008.

Ireland's fishing fleet should operate in an environmentally sustainable manner. To this end, a long-term strategy needs to be developed to achieve a profitable and sustainable future. Raising fishing quotas would reduce the small chance we have of securing a sustainable fishing industry. There are no easy solutions to the challenge we face.

Thousands of Irish fishermen argue that their livelihoods are under threat as a result of the increasing cost of diesel and have called for fuel prices to be addressed, perhaps by means of subsidy. While I sympathise with the hardships experienced by fishermen, sympathy must be balanced with a detached consideration of the state of the sea's fishing stocks. Since 2004, there has been a 240% hike in the price of fuel, which now accounts for approximately 60% of fishermen's costs. However, the use of fuel subsidies must be questioned because fleets around the world are using more fuel as they contend with falling fish stocks. The availability of fewer fish is the reason more fuel is used per tonne of catch. Today's boats burn in excess of four times more fuel than previously to catch one tonne of fish, despite having much more efficient engines.

Fishermen want subsidies to cut the price of marine diesel by 40% or more. Marine diesel is already effectively subsidised as it is tax free. Many experts argue that more subsidies would reduce the already slim chance of Europe ever having a sustainable fishing industry. The European Commission reports that an incredible 88% of EU stocks are over-fished compared to a global average of 25%. With the development of industrialised fisheries in the decades since 1950, the resource base has rapidly declined to less than 10% of its original size. While these figures are dull and boring, it is worthwhile to place them on record.

The road haulage sector, agriculture and those involved in transport seek compensation for increased fuel prices. The fishing industry argues that it is unique in this regard as it cannot hike up the price of fish to combat higher operating costs. We must, however, consider the experience of other countries. Canada's eastern cod fishery in Newfoundland closed nearly two decades ago and has not recovered, and its fish stocks may never fully recover. A great world resource was lost due to over-fishing. In the event that some aid is considered for fishermen, leadership will be required to link it with measures, including policing, to make fisheries sustainable and productive for future generations. We must do all in our power, however small, to protect this great resource. We face a challenge for which there are no easy solutions. Moreover, resolving the problems faced by the fisheries sector is a matter not only for Ireland but also for others.

On the new safety recommendations for fishing boats, an inquiry into the sinking of the Père Charles fishing boat with the loss of five lives off Hook Head in January 2007 recommended that marine authorities should establish port training courses to spread a culture of safety throughout the fishing fleet. The report states that such courses should include education on the dangers associated with carrying out structural modifications to fishing vessels. While all fishing vessels are now subject to stability tests, the report recommends that the Department of Transport should carry out full reassessments of survey requirements on fishing boats to ensure sufficient personnel are on board to enforce safety regulations. I would welcome an explanation of how far these measures should go. The Government should take up these essential recommendations as they could save lives. It is important that we learn the lesson of the tragedy of the Père Charles accident and other recent tragedies on our coasts.

Two other recent incidents draw attention to the need for more safety regulation. On 19 January this year, a fire broke out on board the 33-metre, United Kingdom registered fishing vessel, Shark. Initial attempts by the 15 crew to fight the fire were hampered by a loss of fire fighting water when electrical supplies were burnt through. In addition, the emergency fire pump was defective. While the captain tried to starve the fire of oxygen, he was hampered by faulty ventilation isolating valves and had to stuff rags around the ventilation terminals. The fire was extinguished when the Irish naval vessel, LE Eithne, arrived on the scene and transferred a fire party.

Four days later, Royalist, a 36-metre, United Kingdom registered fishing vessel carrying 18 crew, was about to shoot her nets approximately 290 km off Dingle when she was hit by a large wave which caused her to heel. The vessel was beginning to right herself when she was hit by a second wave, forcing the crew to abandon ship. The crew of a French vessel heard Royalist's distress message and immediately cut nets and went to the stricken vessel, rescuing all 18 of the Royalist crew before it sank. I raise these incidents because more stringent training requirements are needed. I ask the Minister of State for his views.