David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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I raise this matter to elicit information from the Minister of State on the fishing sector in County Waterford and make a case for securing Government support for the sector. Fishing is an important sector for coastal communities in the south east. The most recent Forfás report on the economy of the region, which was published in the wake of job losses at TalkTalk, described agriculture and fishing as two strong sectors in the south east. While it is correct that fishing is very important to the region, it is also the case that restrictions on fishing for certain species on the Waterford Estuary, specifically salmon, bass and eels, have created hardship for fishermen. Some of the decisions to restrict fishing of certain species that have been traditionally caught in the south east were taken for conservation reasons. I support such decisions because I am in favour of a sustainable, financially viable, eco-friendly fishing sector. For these reasons, I would not under any circumstances support fishing which could have an impact on stocks.

A number of studies on the eel sector resulted in the imposition of a ban on eel fishing in 2009. The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources carried out a further evaluation in 2012 which reaffirmed the view that eel stocks were low and recommended that the eel fishery remain closed for the foreseeable future. As the Minister of State will be aware, there is no bass quota this year. That foreign fishermen do not face any similar restriction has caused considerable resentment among Irish fishermen, including in the south east. Foreign vessels may fish for bass in Irish waters, yet bass fishing is banned in the Waterford Estuary and off the south-east coast.

I ask the Minister of State to outline the position regarding fishing in the south east. What research has been done on the various species of fish in the region? Is consideration being given to easing current restrictions in some areas, specifically for bass? Where this is not possible, for example, in eel fishing, what income supports have been provided to fisherman? I am sure the Minister of State will agree that it is not good that fishermen are being forced to go further out to sea, into dangerous waters and conditions, as they seek to make a living because their traditional fishing rights have been removed. Not only were their rights taken from them but they were not given adequate compensation. For example, no social, economic, employment or financial supports were provided either to the fishermen, their families or their communities.

I know many fishermen whose families have fished off the south coast for generations. They almost regard themselves as an indigenous people, yet their rights were taken from them, sometimes for good and sometimes for bad reasons. Many of them left school at 14 or 15 years of age because they loved fishing and the sea.

We have abandoned entire fishing and coastal communities. I put it to the Minister of State that what we need is a financially viable and sustainable fishing sector in the south east. We need a plan and we need to support our coastal communities. We must ensure that where restrictions are put in place for good reasons, adequate supports and compensation are given to fishermen. Where there are possibilities for increasing the catch, and Bass would be an example here, these should be explored. Obviously, that must happen in the context of the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. I look forward to the Minister of State's response.

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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First, let me convey the apologies of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Simon Coveney, who cannot be here this evening to take this debate as he is involved in CAP negotiations in Luxembourg.

I am conscious, as we speak today about the fishing sector in Waterford and the south east, that this has been a particularly difficult few weeks for the fishing community of that region. The shock of the recent tragedy was felt not just in the south east itself but throughout the country. I know that all of us here today offer our sincere sympathy to the families and loved ones of those involved.

Recent years have seen improvements in some of the key stocks subject to quotas exploited by fishermen in the south east. Of particular interest to fishermen in the Waterford and south east region is the positive news regarding increased stock levels for Celtic Sea herring. This was brought about by the close co-operation between local fishermen, processors and others under the umbrella of the Celtic Sea Herring Management Advisory Committee. This stock is now in a good state and provides an excellent example of the benefits to be reaped from long-term management plans for fisheries, utilising best scientific advice. The management plan has led to the stock recovering from the previous downward trend and a healthy sustainable fishery for the future.

In the wider context, as the Senator will be aware, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine recently led discussions as part of Ireland's Presidency of the EU which concluded in an agreement to significantly reform the EU's Common Fisheries Policy, CFP. I congratulate Deputy Coveney on this outstanding achievement. The reforms agreed place the concept of long-term sustainability at the core of future fisheries management policy and will, in time, lead to increased fish stocks in Irish waters, providing a more sustainable living for all our fishermen. The new CFP model of fisheries management will see an end to discards and introduce a fisheries management system based on the principle of maximum sustainable yield, MSY. The increases in Celtic Sea herring, mentioned already, provide an excellent example of why we need to ensure that these types of fisheries management arrangements become the norm so that we can ensure a viable living for our fishing communities in the future.

A previous Government, in response to a recommendation of the independent salmon group, made a decision to close the Waterford Estuary as a salmon fishery in 2006 due to serious concern at declining stock levels. The Salmon Hardship Scheme, a fund of €25 million, was subsequently introduced to address the hardship likely to be experienced by commercial salmon fishermen affected by the Government decision. A community support scheme was also put in place. This initiative focused primarily on communities where commercial salmon fishing was a well-established activity and where its withdrawal demonstrably impacted on the economic and social fabric of the area. Salmon stocks in Ireland are managed on an individual river basis because each river contains a genetically distinct stock.

Responsibility for the wild salmon stocks rests totally with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine has no role in the management of the salmon stock. I am advised by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources that Waterford Estuary is closed to commercial fishing as the estuary would contain migrating fish from each of the three tributary rivers, namely the Suir, Nore and Barrow. It also advises that the river Barrow stock is below its scientifically established conservation limit. Thus, it is only when all three rivers are above their individual conservation limits and generating a sufficient surplus to safeguard stocks that the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources considers that a commercial fishery in the Estuary area can be responsibly contemplated. Annual assessments of each river, including the Barrow, are carried out by the independent standing scientific committee for salmon which advises the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources on management measures.

Commercial fishing by Irish vessels of sea bass has been prohibited since the early 1990s because of serious concerns about the state of this slow-growing stock around Ireland's coast. The European Commission has not yet advised if it intends to pursue a total allowable catch, TAC, and quota regime for sea bass for 2014. The Minister will continue to press Ireland's case at every opportunity at EU level, including at EU Fisheries Council meetings where the issue is discussed and will consider management arrangements for Sea Bass when, and if, the council decides on TACs and quotas for the relevant stocks.

Specific responsibility for eel management rests with the Minister for Communications Energy and Natural Resources. The European eel is now officially classified as an endangered species following significant decreases in stock levels in recent years. Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI, advises that continued research is required to determine population levels in Ireland and the results of this research will inform any future decisions on the question of the reopening of this fishery. The research priority now is to continue the eel tagging studies undertaken in 2012 into 2013 in areas such as the Waterford Estuary. The IFI has indicated that if further eel survey work is required after the tagging programme, it will again consider a role for fishermen in that context. The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has advised that the situation will be reviewed again by 2015 as required by the EU Regulation, based on monitoring during the three year review period and on the latest available advice. An essential part of Ireland's eel management plan is that the eel fishery remains closed during the review period to protect this iconic species which is now on the UN's red list of endangered species.

Looking towards future investment in the south and east areas, axis 4 of the European Fisheries Fund, EFF, is an EU initiative for the sustainable development and improvement of the quality of life in fisheries areas. The Irish Government has chosen small fishery communities as the target for its programme and Bord lascaigh Mhara has been tasked with supporting its implementation. In this regard, BIM has identified six coastal regions around which to develop strategies for small fishery communities. In each of these communities a local fishery action group is established to help both develop a fishing community strategy and make decisions as to how the funds may to be spent. Public funds of approximately €1.5 million will be available for the programme period remaining, reflecting the start-up status of the local fishery action groups which were established in 2012. This will fund activities by the groups to foster economic development and diversification in traditional fishing communities around the coast. Allocation of the funding will be demand-led, but an indicative amount of around €250,000 will be available to each group up to the end of 2015. The Fishery Local Action Group, FLAG, south east delivers on the Axis 4 for counties Wicklow, Wexford and Waterford, including the Waterford Estuary. The south east FLAG is a multi-sectoral partnership of 15 people. Delivery and administrative support of the EFF axis 4 programme by the south east FLAG is facilitated by Bord lascaigh Mhara. Following months of preparation, the south east FLAG, along with BIM, will launch the group's strategy for the economic development of the fishery communities in the south east, including the Waterford Estuary. This event will take place on Friday, 28 June in Dunmore East.

Over the course of the implementation period from 2013 to 2015 the south east FLAG will implement the strategy, including providing grant support to projects that achieve the strategic goals and objectives set out. In addition, BIM continues to support fishermen and the processing sector through a suite of measures contained in the EU co-funded operational programme.

It is important that Ireland's fisheries continue to be responsibly managed, with the principles of conservation and sustainability being central elements. This will enable stock levels to rise and ultimately provide a more sustainable living for fishermen. The success of Celtic Sea herring management shows us how effectively stock management measures can work to deliver real tangible benefits to coastal communities. The new CFP reforms will, in time, usher in a new era of
more sustainable fishing with the views of fishermen being central to the process. The closure of salmon fisheries was necessitated by declining stocks but this situation is kept under review and is designed to ensure that stock levels recover in future years. Developments relating to other fisheries such as sea bass and eels at EU level will be monitored and discussed at EU Council as they arise, with Irish interests vigorously represented at all times by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The FLAG schemes being put in place by BIM will assist small local coastal communities, in particular, with local communities directly involved in the process.

David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for the sympathy he conveyed to the Bulger family which I am sure will be very much appreciated. I am sure he will also agree that fishing families across the south east and the island of Ireland need more than sympathy, rather they need support. We do not have a joined-up approach which delivers sustainable and financially viable fishing opportunities for those fishermen who have lost out because of restrictions which have been put in place for genuine reasons. They have not been properly compensated.

Employment supports have not been put in place. While I welcome the FLAG initiative, the financial contribution is very small. It does not deal with the holistic approach we need to take to examine the sustainability of the fishing sector in the south east. We need a strategy that joins all of that up, but we do not have one. In the absence of that, we are failing coastal communities and fishermen.

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I will convey the concerns of the Senator to the Minister, who I have no doubt will deal with them directly.