Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. No fishing representative would like to see any sort of penalty points or other system that might in any way adversely affect their work. However, I note the European Commission has issued a reasoned - I like the word "reasoned" - opinion against Ireland for failure to implement the system by 1 January. It states "2012" but that might be an error.

It crossed my mind that what the Minister is dealing with is probably a fait accompli. We are in Europe, even though sometimes many fishing trawler owners have some difficulties with that. A question put to me by some of the fishermen is: how sure can we be that these regulations and this penalty points system will be enforced by other major countries in Europe, such as France and Spain?

The Minister mentioned the master of the vessel a few times. Is that equivalent to the skipper or to the owner, or is it a different situation? If it is the case that the master - I usually look on masters as being of big ships such as merchant ships - or the skipper ends up with a maximum of 18, 36, 54 or 72 penalty points for whatever reasons, and nobody wants to end up in that situation, can that vessel still fish under another master or skipper? If it cannot, that is a serious problem. I note the Minister is nodding and that is a reasonably good indication of where he stands on it.

We are looking at the control of our seas. Recently we had that unusual so-called "historic" event where the Russians were to launch missiles in Irish fishing waters. It was not the Minister for Foreign Affairs but apparently the fishers who prevented that event happening. That is what is being claimed. On a serious point, have our Naval Service vessels the capacity to control our international waters? It is my view, as somebody who lives in Cork South-West and from my experience of the fishing industry which would be reasonably well established, that our Naval Service's capacity to police our international waters is not adequate. If it is not, what proposals are there to augment the Naval Service vessels to make sure that not only are we policing our own but others are being policed? Maybe that is for the Minister for Defence.

In the past year during a particular storm, there were approximately 40 nearly-ocean going trawlers, some of them 40 m long, sheltering in Bantry Bay, which is known as the best bay in the whole of Europe. It boasted of containing the entire British fleet in the past. My worry is that this accusation has been made, and I am in these Houses since 1989, that traditionally Irish fishermen have been neglected at the expense of Europe. I do not want to go back over history but we got a poor quota. We are now in a situation again, as the Minister will be aware, where there is a proposal to decommission other vessels. Our fishing industry has contracted severely. I remember when there were five or six fishing boats in Schull. Kinsale, Union Hall and Castletownbere - all those ports - had many more fishing vessels and more people working in the industry 40 years ago than there are now. I am not sure whether it is a good or a bad indication. I note also that this is EU driven. I have no problem with it being implemented by the State, in compliance with EU laws and regulations, but I would like to see a level playing field.

Another point, which may not be directly related but which is interesting, is that we talk about the carbon footprint, taking stuff across the world from A to B and bringing in beef from Brazil or wherever. Recently I was in a reputable shop - I will not say whether it was in Cork or Kerry - and I was thinking of buying a 0.5 k of prawns, which I usually would not be getting. I noticed to my dismay that they were imported from Ecuador. If we are getting fish from Ecuador, I would be very concerned about the future of our fishing industry.

I honestly believe we cannot reverse what has been done in Europe. There has been a case made against us. I do not want to see any fishing vessel or the fishing industry being further penalised in any way. That would be detrimental to our industry. The Minister's heart is in the right place and he visited Castletownbere. The Minster is from Donegal and has first-hand experience from places like Killybegs of what goes on in the fishing industry. My only appeal is that we get fair play and that the fishing industry, which has, in many ways, been suppressed and is getting smaller and tighter, is protected and does not suffer as a result of any EU regulation or system that might adversely affect the industry in the future.