John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 409: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will ensure that available cod quota will be prioritised for allocation to those fishermen who lost their salmon licence and to small boat owners in view of the financial hardship in the wake of the removal of the salmon licences. [12970/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Following consultation with Member States, the Commission agree the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and Quota Regulations at the December Fisheries Council each year. These Regulations set out for each Member State the total tonnage of catch for certain species including cod in specific areas of the sea that they are allowed to catch. It is the responsibility of each Member State to manage their fisheries within these quotas.

In Ireland, representatives from my Department meet with industry representatives on a monthly basis to discuss the whitefish catch allocations/limits (including cod) that should apply to the fleet for the following month or months. As a general rule, my colleague, Minister Killeen, endeavours to implement the recommendations of the industry representatives with regard to the particular quota regimes. The allocation of a larger share of the quotas to specific groups of fishermen would have the impact of reducing the available quota for others and is not likely to get general industry support especially as cod quotas in 2009 were reduced. However, we are fully prepared to consider any proposals from industry in this regard.