Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 353: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the progress made in regard to the commitment given in the programme for Government to implement a system of instant electronic logging of all catches and landings made by fishing vessels in Irish waters in line with relevant EU provisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18286/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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In November 2006, agreement was reached at the Fisheries Council on an EU Regulation on Electronic Recording and Reporting of fishing activity and on a means of remote sensing of fishing vessels. The new measures oblige fishing vessels to record and submit their logbook by electronic means at least once a day to the control authorities. Following strong pressure from Ireland, including a bilateral meeting in the autumn between Minister Coughlan and Commissioner Borg, it was agreed that the implementation rules would ensure that each Coastal Member State would have full on-line access in real time to the electronic logbook and landing declaration data of all vessels operating in its waters. This measure will substantially strengthen Ireland's controls at sea. The Regulation also allows remote sensing to be used to detect and track fishing vessels. The Commission Management Committee for Fisheries agreed the Regulations on Electronic Logbooks on 6 December 2007. The electronic logbook will be mandatory for all vessels over 24 metres in length from 1 January 2010 and it will be applied to vessels over 15 m in length from 1 July 2011.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 354: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the progress in regard to the commitment given in the programme for Government to fully implement a comprehensive electronic traceability system for fish sales to ensure all fish being sold or transported can be traced back to the trawler; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18287/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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A new web based electronic system for the recording of sales of fish in Ireland has been developed. It is now a requirement that all, auction centres and buyers of first sale fish be registered under the terms of this regime, and submit sales notes electronically within 48 hours of the first sale of fish. Sales notes detail the size, weight, price and date of first sale fish, as well as information about the seller and vessel of origin. In keeping with the Governments policy of developing Ireland's knowledge economy, this web based system was designed and commissioned to accommodate the registration and the subsequent submission of sales notes via the web portal www.fishingnet.ie. Buyers now have to register via www.fishingnet.ie and have to complete sales notes using a secure username and password on www.fishingnet.ie. This system compliments the requirement on masters of fishing vessels to complete standard log books and landing declarations. The log-book records what type of species of fish was caught, which area there were caught in, when they were caught, the quantity caught, and the method used to catch them. Cross-referencing sales notes with landings data i.e. logbooks (as mentioned above), improves the monitoring and control of fish landings into Ireland, and the traceability of that fish.