Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 396: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the strategies to protect coastal fishing and salmon stocks over the next ten years. [34160/04]

Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of the immense importance of the coastal fisheries sector to fishing communities in Ireland. As a first step in bringing effective management and conservation measures to the coastal sector, a scheme for the licensing of traditional pot fishing boats was launched by the previous Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, in 2003. The implementation of the licensing scheme is now nearing completion and will facilitate the introduction of the necessary structures to support effective management of this sector.

Bord Iascaigh Mhara, BIM, with the support of the Marine Institute and departmental officials, are working towards bringing forward proposals for a network of inshore fisheries local advisory committees, LACs. The LACs will set the objectives for inshore fisheries in their area and the development of local management plans to deliver these objectives. This will involve inshore fishermen in the decision-making process.

Nationally-based species advisory groups will also be established and will bring together expertise from BIM, the Marine Institute, third level colleges and fishermen to produce scientifically-based management advice to assist the LACs. In addition, the proposed European fisheries fund, to cover the years 2007 to 2013, places considerable emphasis on the sustainable development of coastal fishing areas, an objective that has my full support.

In regard to salmon, the overriding objective of the Government is to conserve the wild salmon resource in its own right and for the coastal and rural communities it helps to support. The economic goals for a sustainable commercial salmon fishery based on quality and value rather than volume and the development of salmon angling as an important tourism product are both fully compatible with this primary objective.

Since 2002, the Government has accepted the scientific advice that reductions in the overall fishing effort are required in order to sustain and rebuild wild salmon stocks nationally. As a result, the Department has implemented a strategy to ensure, through progressive reductions in catch, that the conservation limits specified by the standing scientific committee of the National Salmon Commission are being reached. This policy of promoting the application of quotas on commercial fishing and bag limits on angling has delivered significant catch reductions aimed at achieving the overall shared objective of restoration of salmon stocks.

It is the Government's belief that the current strategy of developing a sustainable commercial and recreational salmon fishery through aligning catches on the scientific advice holds out the strong prospect of a recovery of stocks and of a long-term sustainable fishery for both sectors.