Grace O'Sullivan (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. He was here on 8 March when I said I had serious concerns about this Bill. I am fully in support of Senator Norris. I would like to draw the Minister's attention to the fact the island of Ireland has a coastline of about 7,500 km whereas Northern Ireland has a relatively small part of that coastline. We are talking about the history of this, whereas I would rather let the history go and talk about the future.

I am extremely concerned that this Bill is opening up the whole area from the cliff and the shoreline at Tramore right out to six nautical miles, or from the shoreline of Dublin or Donegal out to six nautical miles. It is being opened to Northern Ireland fishermen, which I can understand, and there is no doubt the Minister is passionate about this and really wants it to happen. He said that what is happening at the moment is illegal and he would like to legalise it, and I understand that also. However, as I said on 8 March, it is British-registered vessels which are operating out of Northern Ireland, which means the whole of the UK can potentially have access to the whole of Irish waters from the east coast of Northern Ireland right around the south, the west and on to the north. For me, we are giving away much too much in this situation.

I have spoken with fishermen and with different sectors of the fishing industry. The lobster fishermen of Dunmore East have done a lot in terms of working to earn an income for their families but they have also worked to conserve the lobster by using the notching method, so they are looking after the resource. A fisherman said to me that we could potentially have fishermen from Northern Ireland and perhaps from England, Scotland and Wales coming in right around that edge line of the Irish coast. I do not think it is a fair deal. I simply ask that we stop this Bill in its tracks - can we just stop it?

We have the Brexit negotiations coming up and we are putting the cart before the horse again. The Minister has not engaged enough with the public. He has engaged with some of the sectors but, having spoken to fishermen from different organisations, we know they feel there has not been sufficient consultation. I agree wholeheartedly with Senator Norris. I think there is a principle here and I do not believe the Irish public are aware of what the Minister is planning to do. What he is planning to do at this stage is create a situation where that strip out to six nautical miles will be opened up. If we were to measure that zone right around the coastline, it would be clear we are handing away a huge amount of our resources. We might be talking about particular sectors here, such as mussel or lobster fishing, but there are other sectors that are also a resource. My heart is always in favour of share and care, and so on, but I believe we are not looking after the fishing industry and fishing families.The Minister said the industry is doing better than ever, but for whom? Is it doing better for the big fishing vessels? What about the smaller fishing families to whom I have spoken? What about those in the middle? I might be out of order but I sense that some elements of the larger fishing sector are doing way better than the smaller fishing families. The Minister's Government keeps talking about supporting rural communities and so on, but this legislation actually rasps away at potential incomes. I appeal to him to put the Bill aside until he sits down at the Brexit negotiating table and the resources begin to be considered. At this point, I am afraid the implications of what he proposes are not being fully researched or considered and I believe, from speaking with the public, that there are concerns in this regard. I do not think the Minister has done his homework in informing the public. If we are to go forward as a democracy, empowering people to understand the natural resources we have, the Bill is an absolute disgrace. This statement might not make me popular, but the Bill before us, albeit concerning matters underwater, reminds me of the Heritage Bill. It is poorly put together. I therefore fully support what Senator Norris said and I hope the Minister will take time to consider what has been said here.