Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 226: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of viable commercial eel fisheries here in view of the success of the French eel fishery during the same period and under the same constraints. [43023/08]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I refer the Deputy to the reply to his Questions Nos. 230 and 231 of Thursday 23 October 2008. I am advised that eel fisheries in both Ireland and France are currently unsustainable. I understand that scientific research conducted by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) indicated that the European eel fish stock is so depleted that it is now outside safe biological limits. The EU introduced Council Regulation 1100/2007 designed to assist in the recovery of European eel stocks. The Regulation requires that each Member State adopt a national eel management plan suitable for local conditions that will deliver sufficient escapement of adult eel to meet specific targets.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations statistics for Ireland, suggest 400 tonnes was caught per annum between 1995 and 1998. In 1999 the catch was 250 tonnes and the annual declared catch since 2001 has averaged 101 tonnes per annum. This decline is consistent with the downward European trend.

The Deputy's suggestion that the French fishery has been successful is at odds with the published statistics. I am advised that French landings (all life stages) reported to the FAO have dropped from 2,687 tonnes in 1986 to 415 tonnes in 2001. Glass eel caught by professional fishermen has dropped from 1,700 tonnes in 1978/79 to 80 tonnes in 2004/05 and catch per unit effort for glass eel fisheries in the Gironde and Adour fisheries have dropped from 13kg/day to 2kg/day and 7kg/day to 1kg/day respectively, a reduction of 85%. I understand that in order to achieve a recovery in the European eel stock, significant and severe reductions in mortality will be required across Europe.