Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 134: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food his views on whether the process of discards, that is, throwing dead fish into the sea if quota levels are reached is the best form of conservation available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43944/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The issue of high levels of discards in commercial sea fisheries is a global problem and is on the agenda of all major international organisations who deal with the development of sustainable sea fisheries and the protection of marine ecosystems.

Discarding is usually a feature of mixed fisheries where one species may be the target of fishing activity, but other species may be caught accidentally in the fishing gear. It can also occur for economic reasons, i.e., when smaller, less valuable fish are dumped in favour of larger, more marketable ones (a practice known as high-grading).

The discarding issue is already being addressed at a European level through measures regulating fishing gear, such as adjusting net mesh sizes or requiring acoustic devices to be attached to fishing gear. A new discard policy, which aims to stop the practice of discarding, is under preparation and a consultation process is currently under way with all the stakeholders. An effective resolution of the discards issue will likely require a combination of new policy and technical measures.

At my meeting with Commissioner Borg on 18 June, I raised this issue as a priority for me and for the Irish fishing industry. While he advised that finding effective solutions is challenging, he restated his commitment to continue prioritising the current work programme, which was agreed by the Council in June 2007. I have sought to bring forward initiatives in this regard for the important nephrops fisheries and will continue to pursue these at EU level.

I will continue to press for progress on this issue at national, EU and international levels and I am confident that, with the co-operation, collaboration and commitment of all the stakeholders, significant improvements can be achieved in this most sensitive area for the long-term sustainability of our industry.