Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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832. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if Castletownbere harbour, County Cork, will be included as a designated port as set out in the NEAFC scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27935/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Castletownbere is designated for the landing of pelagic fish and species subject to a multi-annual plan in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009. In addition Monkfish may also be landed at this port as set out in S.I. No. 55/2013 -- Monkfish (Control of Landings) (No. 2) Regulations 2013.

In 2012, at the request of the industry, I added Castletownbere to the list of Irish ports at which third country landings can be processed and this is aimed to facilitate an increase in landings of Blue Whiting into Ireland by the Norwegian fleet. This is contained in S.I 367 of 2012 Sea-Fisheries (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing) (Amendment) Regulations 2012.

The North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) is the Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO) for the North East Atlantic. The area covered by the NEAFC Convention stretches from the southern tip of Greenland, east to the Barents Sea, and south to Portugal. The European Union is a contracting party to the Commission, as are , , , .

Article 21 of the NEAFC Convention provides for the designation of ports by contracting parties for landings of fish caught in NEAFC areas. Currently Killybegs is the only port within the State so designated. I am not aware of any request that has been made to designate Castletownbere port for NEAFC landings, however I will give any such request full consideration.