Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 1555: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the proportion of the overall EU fishing quota for 2007, as awarded in December 2007, given to Ireland. [29923/08]

Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 1556: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the proportion of the EU quota for fish caught in Irish waters that was awarded to Ireland for 2008. [29924/08]

Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 1582: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the value of fish taken from Irish waters by non Irish fleets since 1973 in view of the huge discrepancy between estimates as low as €16 billion to as high as €200 billion. [30385/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1555, 1556 and 1582 together.

Ireland's share of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) is fixed on the principle of relative stability, although minor variations may occur from year to year. The following table sets out the Irish quota for 2008 and the corresponding EU TAC in all the fisheries where Ireland has a quota and historical involvement. The TACs are set for stocks for International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) areas, sub-areas and divisions which are defined in Regulation (EEC) No. 3880/91 of 17 December 1991 and do not have regard for Member States national fisheries zones. Therefore, a calculation of the catches taken from Irish waters by non Irish fleets can only be estimated as there are no EU catch statistics that determine catches in a given area on the basis of national Exclusive Fisheries Zones. The Cawley Strategy — Steering A New Course estimated that in 2004 the total catch by all fleets within the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone was 700,000 of fish valued at €500,000. There are of course EU quotas in seas and indeed oceans throughout the world (such as in the Baltic) where the Irish fleet has had no historic involvement and has no quotas.