Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

With the permission of the House, I wish to give a minute of my time to Senator Ó Domhnaill who also wishes to address this issue. It is ironic that the Minister with responsibility, Deputy Coveney, a good honourable Corkman, has left the House and put the Minister of State in charge of a very delicate matter.

I will refresh the memory of the House. In 2006, a Fisheries Bill was introduced and in the same year, the then Minister, Noel Dempsey, one of our own Ministers in that Government, decided to revoke the licence for salmon net fishing around the coastline. This caused great consternation and, arising therefrom, an absolute ban on drift nets for salmon fishing was introduced which affected people around west Cork, Kerry, the island communities and, as my colleague will attest, in Donegal. It had a socio-economic impact on those areas. In Cork there were some 110 active drift net licences, all of which were revoked by minsterial order, as the Minister was entitled to do; it was not done by legislation. As a result of efforts by me and others within our party those affected got a compensation package. At that stage Fine Gael Deputies from the peripheral areas of Ireland, whether in counties Donegal, Mayo, Clare, Kerry, west Cork or Waterford, gave a clear commitment that if they were returned to power they would reverse that particular decision. I locked horns with the Minister of the day, Noel Dempsey, with whom I had difficulties, and he declared that after five or six years he would review the situation.

I accept and do not dispute the importance of salmon fishing to inland fisheries in the rivers and lakes of the west of Ireland. The issue is also present, however, for people in Bere Island, Whiddy Island, Cape Clear and other islands, for whom there should be a limited reopening of salmon fisheries, subject to certain obvious restrictions. I am not talking about the blanket situation that had obtained. However, evidence so far shows that the removal of drift net licences has dramatically increased the volume of fish coming into all the rivers. In Bantry Bay we have the Ouvane and Comhola rivers, among others. A lot of poaching is going on. In my view, the people I mentioned are the first who should be given, on a test series, a limited licensing system. This would help people in remote rural areas of Ireland, the peninsular areas and islands off west Cork and might only be on a two year basis. If the Minister retains the right to reintroduce a licensing system he also has the right, at any stage, to abandon that system. After six years of the ban it is worth looking at this situation again and we should do so. For many years, salmon fishing off the west Cork coastline was very successful and created onshore jobs. It is worth revisiting. The Minister of State might have some very interesting news for me and I hope at least some of it will be positive.