Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Chair for allowing me to raise the issue of the need for the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to seek at the forthcoming European fisheries meeting a solution to the unacceptable situation whereby dead fish that exceed the quota for the species are dumped at sea.

Just more than ten years ago the fishermen of Greencastle, among others, were hopeful the Government would listen and introduce a white fish renewal scheme. At the time, the Fianna Fáil spokesman on the marine was the former Deputy Michael Smith. When we entered Government we introduced such a scheme, the point of which was to encourage people to invest in new boats. It was an important step at the time because the age profile of the fleet was old and there were safety implications for those fishermen who had to go further and further out to sea, risking their own lives and those of their crews. New boats came into the scheme and it was a success.

Almost immediately, however, the quotas were reduced while the new boats still had to be paid for. The catch capacity was constrained, which had an economic impact on fishermen and has caused difficulties since. Various Ministers and Ministers of State have attended the annual meetings on this subject in the run-up to Christmas each year.

There was also a reduction in fish numbers, with fishermen often catching fish that were too small. People realise now they were catching the future of the industry. As the situation evolved, the annual meetings in Brussels became more challenging to the ability of fishermen to earn a living, with smaller and smaller quotas allowed. There is always a discrepancy between the fishermen and the scientific evidence. The scientists said there is no cod but fishermen are catching cod above their quota and most throw the dead fish into the sea. Fishermen are legally bound not to bring exceeded quota ashore, a crazy situation.

A decommissioning scheme to help fishermen to leave the industry is now in place and many will leave. When the white fish fleet renewal scheme was first announced, there were 28 boats more than 15 metres in length in Greencastle but now there are only nine. These fishermen regret that their families will not follow them into the profession. Hopefully reductions in the size of the fleet will result in a viable, modern fleet for the existing quota.

There is a crazy situation, however, that we must stop. Whether one supports the fishermen or supports conservation, it does not make sense to throw dead fish overboard to avoid prosecution for overfishing. It is wrong that fish are dumped because a quota was reached and the fish did not keep away from the nets.

A number of solutions exist, such as rolling quotas or a fish mountain similar to the old beef mountain. What can we do with the fish? They are dead and cannot be conserved and they should be of some value. We should also minimise opportunities for such stray fish being caught, or put in place a mechanism to have them recorded without penalty but also without financial reward for those who are deemed to have overfished.

If we are to invest €36 million in the harbour in Greencastle, we want a future for fishing. I understand the decommissioning package and welcome the renewal package and the total review of the common fisheries policy, because we gave away our fishing rights. A wrong that cannot continue is the waste of good food when many people still go hungry. It makes no sense and I ask for this to be central to discussions at the marine and conservation meetings in the run-up to Christmas. Food should not go to waste at a time when food production is increasing in price. There must be an answer, with perhaps the fish being sold and the excess being donated to charity. If the public realised that fish is being caught and dumped at sea, it would cause a scandal.

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The high level of discards in commercial sea fisheries is a global problem and is on the agenda of all major international organisations that deal with the development of sustainable sea fisheries and the protection of marine ecosystems. Fish discarding is a complex problem and is a feature of most fisheries, but particularly mixed fisheries such as those that prevail in waters around Ireland.

Discarding means the deliberate jettisoning of all or some of a catch by a fishing vessel and there can be a number of reasons for discarding, including where a catch takes the vessel over its quota for that species; the vessel has no quota allocation for a particular species taken in a mixed fishery; the catch taken contains fish below minimum landing sizes; the practice of high grading, which happens when some of the catch is of varying size or quality — only the best will be retained and the rest discarded; and the species caught has low or no market demand or the price is too low.

Fish discarded do not usually survive but they are not recorded in the vessel's logbook as part of the catch and the true amount of fish taken out of a stock cannot be determined accurately. This has implications for appropriate and sustainable fisheries management. It also particularly impacts on young fish. The specification of minimum landing sizes is intended to provide protection, in particular for young fish, to provide for the continuation of the stock, and sustainability of the fishery.

A 2005 study published by the Food and Agriculture Organisation estimated the amount of discards in the north Atlantic at 1,332,000 tonnes per year, 13% of the catches. The estimated discards for the North Sea ranged from 500,000 to 880,000 tonnes. To the west of Ireland and Scotland, discards ranged from 31% to 90% of catches, depending on the fleets, target species and depth. In the Mediterranean and Black Seas, discards amounted to 18,000 tonnes, or 4.9% of the catches. In the Baltic, this rate was estimated to be low at an average of 1.4%.

There is general agreement among fishermen, managers and scientists alike that such practices are wasteful and destructive and must be reduced, although it is doubtful that they can be eliminated completely, particularly in mixed fisheries. The focus must be, therefore, on minimising them.

Ireland has been to the forefront in pressing for action on this issue at European level. During the Irish Presidency in 2004, we chose the theme of fast-tracking the development of environmentally-friendly fishing methods as a key focus. A major international conference was held in Dundalk involving EU member states, Norway and Iceland with the key focus on how to reduce discards in commercial fisheries.

Measures proposed to tackle discarding and supported by various stakeholders include improvements in fishing gears and gear selectivity, improvements in fishing methods and fishing practices, the recording of catches rather than landings and onboard observer schemes. A voluntary observer programme with quota incentives for vessels participating has been proposed by the industry to the European Commission. There is also a joint Irish-British pilot project in the Irish Sea aimed at the reduction of discarding.

The Irish Sea enhanced data collection project has been developed collaboratively between fishing industry representatives, scientists, the North Western Waters Regional Advisory Committee and the national administrations from Ireland, England and Northern Ireland.

This study is a very important step in the collection of data on discards with the aim of introducing a scheme whereby discards will be minimised and ultimately eliminated. The European Commission has made the elimination of discarding one of the four main fisheries priorities for its directorate general for fisheries and maritime affairs.

The Commission adopted a communication on the issue of discards in fisheries on 28 March 2007. Following further work, a communication on a policy to reduce unwanted by-catches and discards in European fisheries was presented to the Council in June 2007. The Council adopted a range of conclusions on the Commission proposal and these will determine the agenda at European level on this issue for the immediate future.

The current programme for Government commits to increasing supports to assist fishermen make the change-over to more environmentally-friendly fishing gear and I am confident this also will assist in reducing the incidence of discarding in key fisheries. I will continue to press for progress on this issue at national, EU and international levels and am confident that, with the co-operation, collaboration and commitment of all the stakeholders, significant improvements can be achieved in this most sensitive area for the long-term sustainability of our industry.

Kieran Phelan (Fianna Fail)
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The Senator must be very happy with that reply. She may respond briefly.

Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)
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While I am happy with the reply, I am unhappy that 31% to 90% of certain catches are being thrown back into the water. The Minister of State has put much of the focus on the fishermen to reduce the quantity of fish being caught. Does he agree that, if the 31% to 90% of fish that are being thrown overboard are already dead, in addition to trying to find solutions to address this issue we should put such fish to good use? There is no such thing as a species that is less commercially viable to land because everything has a potential use. For example, while spider crabs in Ireland are considered to be a form of by-product, they are considered to be a valuable commodity in Spain. When my sister-in-law, who is Spanish, sees them lying discarded around Irish harbours, she has a canary. While we should focus on reducing the quantity of discarded fish, we should also deal with reality and ensure that, for want of a better term, this material goes to a good home rather than back to the sea where it encourages the seal population.

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I assure the Senator that given the UK-Ireland project and the ongoing discussions in Brussels, we will deal with the issues she has raised. It is certainly my intention and that of the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Mary Coughlan, to keep the issue of discards at the top of the agenda at local, national and EU level.