Joe Conway (Independent)

I would like to say a special word of welcome to the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, who is here in his capacity as Minister of State for fisheries. I wish him the very best in his work. Go n-éirí go geal leat, Timmy.

On 1 January 1973, we acceded to what was known at the time as the European Economic Community. A little more than a half-century has passed since. Almost universally in our history, the economic and social well-being of this country have been greatly uplifted by our being a member of the European Economic Community, or, as it is now referred to, the European Union. However, if there is one section of our economic life that has bucked the trend of progression, it is our maritime fisheries, as is evident from what has happened to them in the past 50 years.

In 1986, as a young teacher, I was appointed as principal of the local boys’ school in Dunmore East. I worked there among the community for 19 years after that. While I never got my feet wet on board a beamer, I got to know very well the children from the fishing community, how the community lived and worked, and the tradition of fishing that was so vibrant in Dunmore East. That was then and this is now. In 1973, the year we acceded to the European Economic Community, we were experiencing the peak of our fishing years. There were dozens of trawlers home-ported in Dunmore East and annual landings measured in tens of thousands of tonnes. The oral history from people like Billy Power in Dunmore East suggests fishing in the town gradually rose to the heady days of the 1970s and 1980s. Dunmore East remains one of the six designated landing harbour centres, alongside Killybegs, Rosaveel, Daingean, Castletownbere and Howth, but the fleet is much smaller now. The redesignation of Dunmore East as a landing port for UK vessels in 2023 helped but the Irish-registered fleet itself has been greatly reduced since the 1970s. Current estimates suggest there are between 15 and 20 active home-ported vessels in Dunmore East.While precise figures for Dunmore East alone are not published, national records from 1973 show there were landings in excess of 200,000 tonnes annually. Dunmore East contributed a significant amount then, somewhere between 20,000 tonnes and 30,0000 tonnes per year. In 2023, catches were constrained by the EU’s dreaded quota and sustainability rules. Approximately 90% of all Irish fish landings occurs through those six ports aforementioned. Dunmore East annual landings are now estimated to be between 5,000 tonnes and 10,000 tonnes, consisting primarily of nephrops and mixed demersal species. Gone are the days when there was a persistent drive in whitefish and herring chasing. The contextual note of the decline from 1973 to 2023 reflects the broad trends from Dunmore East through the Irish sea fisheries 50 years later. Significant features include: fleet consolidation, with fewer but larger vessels; horrific quota restrictions with the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy; shifts in target policies from herring to whitefish; and economic diversification in the regions around the Wild Atlantic Way and Dunmore East with tourism. All of these things have impacted on the community there.

It has been 52 years since we joined the European Union. As a political scholar and someone who has observed these things, I cannot think of any section of time in those 52 years where certain parties were in charge of the running of the country. When it comes to fishing – it gives me no great pleasure to say this – we have an expression in politics and general life that someone was "asleep at the wheel". That expression might be changed a little bit with regard to the Governments that looked after our fisheries in the past 52 years. They were not asleep at the wheel but, rather, fast asleep in the wheelhouse. That is why we are left with this. It is a bit rich to stand here today talking about regenerating our industry when we have seen the decimation done. It was not Billy Power or Joe Taylor down in Dunmore East who did the negotiating; it was our Governments during that time. The expression “Late have I loved thee” is relevant in this regard. It is a Damascene conversion that we see here today. I applaud the people in the Government who are bringing forward this motion because even though it is late in the day to be talking about saving Irish sea fishing, it is a worthwhile motion. Of course, I support it and so does everyone in the Seanad Independent Group. However, a lot of damage is being done and I know, as do all Members, who was in charge when all of that damage was done.