Michael Comiskey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Gallagher, MEP, and we are delighted to have him here. It is good to listen to him and he is an inspiration to all of us, as we are all learning. I come from County Leitrim and we have a very short coast, so we are not known for our fishing activities. We are learning as we go along.

The Irish fishing industry is an important economic activity, contributing €700 million in national income annually while providing 12,000 local jobs. Ireland has 7,500 km of clean coastline, providing an exceptional national resource for the fishing sector and one of the most productive fishing grounds in Europe. The demand for quality seafood products has led to an increasing market, with 2011 exports up 12% on the previous year. The Common Fisheries Policy has provided a structure and sustainable management of fishing to member states, together with access to the most valuable seafood markets in the world. Some 75% of Irish exports go to EU countries. The EU fishing industry is the fourth largest in the world, providing over 6 million tonnes of fish per year and jobs for more than 350,000 people. There are many interested parties and negotiations on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy is a priority for many of the EU states.

Principally, the aim of reforming the Common Fisheries Policy is to create a sustainable eco-centred fishing industry for the future. Currently, many vessels are catching more fish than can be reproduced, posing a major threat to the sea's ecosystem. Some 80% of Mediterranean fish stocks and 47% of Atlantic stocks are under threat, as Mr. Gallagher mentioned in his statement. We are regularly lobbied by smaller fishermen on the west coast who may have a problem with larger fishing vessels taking fish from them.

I know the Minister is consistent on the matter of reforms, which should be balanced with a need to protect and enhance rural and coastal communities that have contributed so much to the sector for generations. The negotiations have been ongoing for some time and in December, following pressure from the European Commission to reduce the quota of fishing stocks associated with the Irish fleet, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, negotiated a reversal of the demands to cut for some stocks, particularly the prawn quota. Initially, a 12% reduction was demanded and a 6% decrease was agreed. The approach taken by the Minister in resisting these cuts was based on scientific evidence, which is a benefit to all the fishing sector in the long term.

In February, the European Parliament backed the reform of the policy on discards. Discarding occurs when fishermen throw back fish because they have exceeded a quota of fish species caught. It is estimated that recently, 25% to 50% in some areas of fish caught by EU boats are thrown back to the sea, which is a great pity. I know it cannot be ruled out completely but some of this fish should be used. It is a big problem when there is no quota but it makes no sense to throw fish back into the sea. There was a growing political will to halt the incentive system of waste and the Minister must be congratulated for his part in bringing all the parties to a point of agreeing a phased introduction of the ban on discards from January 2014. The backing of 26 from 27 member states was achieved for the approach.

Nevertheless, there remains under discussion a number of important issues on the future of the fishing industry. There is work still to be done in respect of the Hague Preferences, as noted, and I support calls for additional quota for Ireland in return for access to Irish seas to be enshrined as a principle of the reform policies, avoiding the need to justify the basis for this quota on a yearly basis. There has also been criticism in respect of the sizes of the European fishing fleet, which stands at more than 83,000 vessels. The Commission has proposed a system of transferable fishing concessions to address over-capacity by allowing vessel owners to plan fishing activities over a longer term and offer financial compensation to those who wish to leave the fishing industry.

Since 1994, €2.74 billion has been spent on scrapping vessels but capacity has continued to increase 3% year on year. The European Court of Auditors has questioned the way taxpayer money has facilitate this. Ireland has just over 2,000 fishing vessels, representing 2.6% of the total European fishing fleet, and a system of transferable quotas may lead to a buy-out of our small and family-owned fleet by large, international fishing companies with no links to our coastal communities, which would be a great pity. I know the Minister is very aware of these matters and is working with colleagues in Europe to resist the introduction of mandatory concessions.

The Minister, in negotiating these reforms, has advocated the introduction of regional structures in decision making. I agree with the Minister's approach, which would allow practical and efficient conservation measures to be developed at regional level and be put in place in a timely and non-bureaucratic manner. The outstanding concept of maximum sustainability yield is difficult and perhaps it is even more difficult to achieve but there exists a need to find a workable mechanism to sustain fish stocks while allowing the growth of the fishing industry. There are elements to be taken into consideration. Fishermen need a resource to pursue, and appropriate fishing levels must be set per species. The population of no one species can be so detrimentally affected by overfishing that it would cause collapse. The latest scientific evidence must be used to give proper assessment of fish stocks.

The value of a sustainable fishing industry is important to member states, and I know the Minister is keen to conclude the fishing reform programme during the Irish Presidency. He is working with colleagues in Europe in requiring compromises in some matters while seeking the fairest outcome for the Irish fishing sector overall. Is it possible to give some of the smaller boats referred to earlier on the west coast more quotas? These would be small vessels of 30 ft or 40 ft. I thank Mr. Gallagher for coming to the Seanad today.