Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 282: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the number of times he has met the Irish South and East Fishermen's Organisation since his appointment; the plans he has to meet the association; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5024/05]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 284: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the number of times he has met the scallop fishermen since his appointment; the plans he has to meet them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5026/05]

Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 282 and 284 together.

I have met the representative of the Irish South and East Fishermen's Organisation on a number of occasions since my appointment as Minister of State. I met representatives of the fishing industry, including a representative from the Irish South and East Fishermen's Organisation, for detailed discussions on 20 December, in advance of the December Fisheries Council. I also met the organisation on 21 December to update representatives on developments at Council.

I afforded the organisation an opportunity to meet on the morning of 22 December to advise on the outcome of the negotiations at Council, which the representative did not avail of at that time. I subsequently met the representative later that day on an informal basis. I also met the organisation's representative informally on 7 December last on the margins of a presentation to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources on total allowable catches, TACs, and quotas for salmon.

In regard to meeting the scallop fishermen, I received a letter in early January setting out the issues arising for the scallop sector. I asked officials in the Department to meet with the scallop fishermen's representatives and to review the fishery and consider options for effective management. My officials met the representative organisation and fishermen on 4 February 2005. I informally met the industry representatives and scallop fishermen last Friday, 11 February, and heard their concerns.

In the coming days, I will be reviewing the outcome of these meetings and will be considering the options available to me. I intend to hold a further meeting with industry representatives shortly with a view to finding a way forward that will ensure that the EU effort limits are respected while providing for a sustainable scallop fishery into the future.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 283: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he intends to implement changes to the scallop fishing industry; the consultation he will have with the fishermen involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5025/05]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 285: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the plans he has for the scallop fishing industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5027/05]

Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 283 and 285 together.

It is important to set out the background to the issues arising for the scallop fishing sector. The main scallop fishery has traditionally been off the south-east coast of Ireland and fishing effort has been increasing since the mid-1990s. There are serious concerns about the state of the scallop stock in Irish waters where fishing effort and fishing mortality is regarded as too high and unsustainable. The Irish scallop fleet in the recent past has moved from these traditional fisheries to prosecute the scallop fishery in the English Channel.

At EU level, ceilings on fishing effort were first established in 1996, in the context of the management of fishing effort for western waters. During the review of the western waters fishing effort regime in 2003, new fishing effort ceilings were established for this fishery based, as for all other fisheries, on the average of the fishing effort levels for the reference period 1998 to 2002, inclusive. This established a fishing effort ceiling for the scallop fishery of 109,395 kwdays inside the biologically sensitive area, new Irish Box, and 525,012 kwdays for the rest of Area VII.

During the period of implementation of the previous western waters regime, the focus was primarily on the management of fishing effort targeting whitefish stocks. Under the new regime for western waters, member states are required to take active measures to ensure that the ceilings established for all the fisheries with effort ceilings applied under the regulations are fully respected. It should also be noted that, following concerns expressed about the increased level of fishing effort on scallops being deployed in the English Channel, the Commission has committed to bringing forward specific conservation measures, including fishing effort limitations for the scallop stocks in the English Channel. Any such measures are likely to impact on the Irish scallop fishery in the Channel.

The Irish scallop fleet has been increasing fishing effort over the period between 1998 to 2002, and 2003 saw a substantial increase in effort over 2002. The level of effort available for 2005 for the Irish fleet is accordingly less than the recent level of fishing effort deployed in the fishery. My officials have held detailed meetings, the most recent on 4 February 2005, with the representative organisation for the scallop fishermen to review the fishery and consider options for effective management. I informally met the industry representatives and scallop fishermen last Friday, 11 February and heard their concerns.

In the coming days, I will review the outcome of these meetings and will considering the options available to me. I intend to hold a further meeting with industry representatives shortly with a view to finding a way forward that will ensure that the EU effort limits are respected while providing for a sustainable scallop fishery into the future.