Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 186: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason Ireland was only entitled to catch 0.19 billion fish while the total available catch of fish is valued at €1.18 billion [33799/12]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland's shares of the fish resource in waters around our shores is determined by a system of relative stability, based on historical fishing patterns in the confines of set management areas which were determined at the outset of the Common Fisheries Policy. That system has continued since and was not changed in the CFP Reform's of 1992 or 2002. There is no support in the Council of Ministers for a change in the traditional quota allocations in the current Reform either and the Commission has not proposed any changes.

Securing increased fish quotas for Ireland and enhanced fish landings into Ireland remains an objective , but must I believe be delivered within the structures in place. Ireland has been successful in recent years by working within the system, in securing a very significant two thirds share of the new and very large Boarfish Fishery. This fishery will permit Ireland to catch 56,666 tonnes of boarfish this year. The other way of increasing Irish fish catches and landings into Ireland is by growing the stocks on which we are dependant and which are proximate to Ireland. By growing stocks we increase our permitted volumes of landings, even within a fixed sharing arrangement. The quota increases secured in this way in the Celtic Sea this year are clear evidence of the gains that can be secured through this approach.

There are many conservation vehicles in the context of the reform of the CFP which hold the potential to substantially increase catches by Irish fishermen in the short and medium term, these include long term management plans of stocks, reducing and eliminating discards where possible and rebuilding stocks to Maximum Sustainable Yield .