Written answers

Wednesday, 21 March 2012

Department of Agriculture, Marine and Food

Common Fisheries Policy

9:00 pm

Photo of Clare DalyClare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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Question 40: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views that sustainable fisheries under Common Fisheries Policy reform cannot be implemented without a comprehensive, unrestricted observer regime. [14599/12]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The sustainable exploitation of any renewable natural resource, means that the resource can be used indefinitely. Fisheries can be defined as sustainable, when they are conducted over the long term at an acceptable level of biological and economic productivity, without leading to ecological changes that exclude options for future generations.

Under the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, the European Commission have proposed a fisheries management regime in the context of Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). This means taking each year a proportion of fish in the sea that is the right size to let fish grow and reproduce at their most productive level. From a broader perspective as I have previously stated, Ireland is committed to having Total Allowable Catches set at levels that can produce Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) by 2015, where possible. The philosophy behind this approach is to obtain the maximum long-term catch, while simultaneously ensuring the stock size is kept large enough to maintain productivity. However, I would stress that the transition from the current management framework to a framework based on MSY will need to be on a phased basis. Where we have the necessary scientific advice from ICES, I was supportive of TACs for 2012 that ensure that we are delivering MSY for these stocks by 2015. In this way, the transition to MSY will take account of the socio-economic impacts through reduced catches in the short term. The benefit of an MSY approach is that in the longer term, it will deliver more stable and sustainable fisheries for our industry. There is a huge volume of fishing trips undertaken by Irish vessels and indeed the whole European fleet on an annual basis. In these circumstances, the resource and cost implications of a comprehensive observer programme can not justified. The delivery of sustainable fisheries is not, in my view, dependant on a full observer coverage programme. It is dependant on, inter alia, the support and buy- in of fishermen to conservation measures and compliance with quotas set together with an effective control regime.

An observer programme is in place in order to collect data to inform scientific advice on the state of fish stocks. Under the EU Data Collection Regulation (EC No 199/2008) Ireland is required to collect data on fish stocks and fisheries. The Marine Institute (MI) is charged by my Department to carry out the Irish work programmes in relation to our obligations under the Data Collection Framework (DCF). The DCF supports the scientific advice needed to conduct the Common Fisheries Policy.

The MI carries out a work programme which includes a comprehensive research vessel survey programme, port sampling of landings, sea sampling of discards, age profile of the fisheries resource, analyses of EU Logbook and Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) data. These data are the raw material used to assess the resource and develop scientific advice. Furthermore, a three-year National DCF Programme was developed by the Fisheries Science Services unit (FSS) for the years 2011 to 2013 and was submitted to the EU Commission in May 2010. The programme was evaluated in June 2010 and EU funding of €9 million was secured by Ireland to conduct the Irish data collection programme. This programme, including the observer element, is a vital requirement to inform decision making on sustainable fisheries.

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