Question 101: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied with the outcome of the December 2009 EU Fisheries' Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3700/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The package of fish quotas and other conservation measures for 2010 were agreed at the December 2009 Fisheries Council after a marathon 36 hours of intensive negotiations. Tony Killeen T.D., Minister of State at this Department, represented Ireland at those negotiations. I welcome the agreement reached and I am satisfied that it provides a balanced and fair outcome for Irish fishermen.

The ongoing disagreement between the EU and Norway in respect of mackerel fishing overshadowed this year's meeting. It made the job of setting quotas for EU fishermen even more difficult than normal, and Minister Killeen had to fight to ensure that the lack of an EU-Norway agreement did not adversely impact on the Irish mackerel fleet.

There was a real danger that our fleet would be severely limited in terms of the amount of the mackerel it would be permitted to fish. However, Minister Killeen secured a provisional mackerel quota that allows our fleet to fish up to 65% of last year's quota level in the first months of this year, pending any final agreement being reached with Norway on 2010 fishing opportunities.

He also secured assurances from the Council that any new agreement with Norway will be fairer in balancing the benefits with the costs for Member States. Ireland has in the past been a net contributor to the agreement, providing more to the transfer of fishing quotas to Norway than it gained from access to fish stocks in Norwegian waters.

In respect of whitefish stocks, Minister Killeen fought the now annual action to ensure that the commitment of Ireland's hard pressed fishermen - the Hague Agreement - was fully honored by my European counterparts. This was particularly important this year as major reductions in the total allowed catch (TAC) of a number of key fish stocks were proposed by the EU Commission for 2010. Stocks of cod, haddock and prawns – amongst the most important to the whitefish fleet – were all in line for big reductions.

It was proposed, for instance, to reduce the prawn quota by up to 50%. Given that prawns are the most important stock for our whitefish fleet, this cut would have had severe consequences for our vessels. Minister Killeen argued instead that new management measures were needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of this stock. He successfully gathered support amongst his colleagues in the Council for a plan – originally proposed by the Federation of Irish Fishermen – to implement a seasonal closure off the southwest coast in the summer months when the stock is most vulnerable to over-fishing. On the basis of this plan, he was able to get the proposed cut in the prawn TAC reduced from 50% to 9%. This new arrangement delivers effective measures where conservation is required, while still providing a realistic prawn quota where science has shown the stock is healthy.

We achieved a similar result for the haddock fishery. There, the recommendation was for a 54% cut in the TAC. We accept a reduction in the catch of haddock off Ireland's northwest coast was necessary, but Minister Killeen effectively argued for a more balanced approach. This saw the scale of the TAC cut reduced to a more reasonable 25%, along with agreement on a new long-term management plan for the haddock stock. In addition, the harsh restrictions put in place last year on whitefish fishing off Donegal will be reviewed early this year with the aim of making changes as early as possible.

Although the Commission also proposed a 25% cut in the very important Celtic Sea cod TAC, Minister Killeen secured a rollover of the 2009 TAC to reflect recent catches. He successfully argued that we need new and better data on the state of this stock, as fishermen say it is in better shape than other cod stocks around the coast.

One of the brighter aspects of the agreement for Irish fishermen was in the TAC increase of 71% for the important Celtic Sea herring stock for 2010. This is effectively an Irish stock, as we receive the bulk of the quota, and it was nearing collapse two years ago. However, fishermen in the southwest, working together with the Marine Institute scientists, developed a long term plan for this stock. These fishermen had the courage to take the very difficult decisions required to rebuild the stock, and I am delighted that their efforts yielded such positive results. This is a fine example of how working together and taking strong action can pay dividends.