Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 321: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will consider the request from the Donegal County Council Islands Committee to allow islanders to continue drift net salmon fishing which in their view will not damage the levels of salmon stock but would ensure a sustainable livelihood for those involved in salmon fishing on islands here; if he will meet this committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42338/06]

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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International best practice for the management of North Atlantic Salmon requires the adoption of the precautionary approach and the cessation of indiscriminate mixed stock fisheries. These are the recommendations of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation and the International Council for the Exploitation of the Sea. Moreover, if we do not end mixed stock fishing in 2007, the EU Commission will unquestionably proceed in their action against Ireland under the Habitats Directive.

In future the harvest of salmon, by any means, will be restricted to those stocks of rivers that are meeting their conservation limits. This means there will be no indiscriminate capture of fish. Commercial fishing and recreational angling can continue only on the scientifically identified exploitable surplus.

The Government's primary motivation is the conservation of the wild salmon species. It is vital to afford every protection to the remaining salmon stocks and to clearly prioritise conservation over catch.

The current imperative must be to maintain stocks above conservation limits or at the very least halt the observed decline. If we do not take action now the relentless decline in stocks will continue, leading to the inevitable demise of wild salmon, valued as a cultural, recreational and economic resource.

I am aware of the concerns of Donegal County Council Islands Committee and recognising the implications of alignment with the scientific advice for the commercial salmon fishing sector in 2007 and beyond, the Government will put in place a fund to address any financial hardship that may be experienced by the sector. It is proposed to provide a measure of relief to each individual in line with the level of hardship likely to be experienced based on the recent catch history of the individual licence holder.

An additional fund will be available for a community support scheme. The focus of this measure should primarily be those communities where drift-net fishing has been a well-established activity and where its withdrawal demonstrably impacts on their economic and social fabric, e.g. Gaeltacht areas and island communities formerly involved in the drift-netting sector.