Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 142: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his attention has been drawn to the potential future employment prospects of aquaculture or fish farming which, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, is currently the fastest growing sector in the world; the action he is taking to harness this potential for job creation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4900/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The considerable potential of the Irish aquaculture sector to create wealth and jobs in coastal communities has been recognised by the Government for some time. The Seafood Strategy, Steering a New Course — Strategy for a Restructured, Sustainable and Profitable Irish Seafood Industry 2007-2013, identifies a much bigger role for aquaculture in meeting the increasing demand for seafood and sets down a number of recommendations that will deliver significant development and expansion of the aquaculture sector. That strategy has been translated into a series of detailed actions and schemes and these have been incorporated in the non co-funded Fisheries Operational Programme 2007-2013.

A provision of €5 million has been made in my Department's Vote to support Aquaculture development in 2009. It is planned to roll out a number of actions to assist the development of aquaculture and draw down the available funds in the near future.