John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 201: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the way in which gill netting in waters deeper than 200 m, banned in Areas VI and VII, will be enforced. [2134/06]

Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The ban on the use of deep water gill nets is set down in the 2006 total allowable catch, TAC, and quota regulation. Under this regulation, EU fishing vessels may no longer deploy gill nets, entangling nets or trammel nets at a depth of greater than 200 m in certain areas, including waters to the north, west and south west of Ireland. This includes parts of International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, Areas VI and VII. While I understand the current ban is regarded by the EU Commission as a short-term emergency measure and that the Commission will bring forward long-term measures during the course of 2006, I will be at the forefront in pushing for the continuation of the current ban unless strong, effective alternative measures are brought forward by the Commission.

The regulation requires the removal of such nets from the specified areas by 1 February 2006. It is, in the first instance, the responsibility of each member state with participants in the fishery concerned to ensure that their fishermen comply with the regulation within the specified time. The Naval Service will be responsible for policing the ban within the Irish exclusive fisheries zone, EFZ, and will monitor fishing activity in this zone to ensure that the banned gear is not deployed. New EU rules came into force on 1 January 2006 which require that gill nets must be marked with the identification of the vessel to which it belongs, which will facilitate the work of the Naval Service in this regard. In EU waters outside the Irish EFZ, it will be the responsibility of the control authorities of each member state to monitor waters within their own EFZ, which are covered by the ban and in international waters, it will be a matter for the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission.

There is also a significant problem, highlighted by the Deepnet report, of abandoned gear in relation to this fishery. Work has already been carried out by Bord Iascaigh Mhara and UK Government agencies during 2005 to remove nets that have been discarded at sea and I will be pressing for an EU co-ordinated campaign to build upon this excellent work.