Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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549. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current situation regarding gillnet fishing in area VIa; if he will provide details of any restrictions currently in place with respect to fishing of any species in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2873/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Council Regulation (EC) No 1288/2009 of 27 November 2009 established transitional technical measures for the 1 January 2010 to 30 June 2011. Subsequent measures were established by Regulation (EU) No 579/2011 of 8 June 2011 for the period 1 July, 2011 to 31 December 2012.

These Regulations amended Council Regulation (EC) No 850/98 for the conservation of fishery resources through technical measures for the protection of juveniles or marine organisms and provided for the continuation of certain technical measures established in Council Regulation (EC) No 43/2009 of 16 January 2009.

A new technical conservation measures framework is awaited in the light of the undergoing reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). In the interim an extension of the application of the transitional technical measures is necessary.

In October 2012 following triologues on the issue facilitated by the Cypriot Presidency the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers agreed wording of a new extension to the technical measures. The measures envisaged enable restricted fishing with gillnets including providing for a lesser spotted dogfish fishery, which was a specific request of Ireland.

Council and Parliament have yet to formally ratify the new regulation, this is expected to be finalised in early February, with an early adoption thereafter.

As things stand the measures as outlined in Council Regulation (EC) No 850/98 now take precedence.