Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour)
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373. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will consider re-opening commercial eel fishing in the Waterford region as stocks are above conservation limits (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39735/13]

Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour)
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374. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the British Government is to retain its commercial eel fisheries as this activity is considered part of the fabric of rural life and tradition in the UK; his views on whether commercial eel fishing here is part of the fabric culture and tradition of many traditional fishing families in Ireland who want to continue to practice an age old way of life; where stocks allow, if eel fisheries can be re-opened or set aside and put in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39736/13]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 373 and 374 together.

The European Union Eel regulation (1100/2007) was drafted in response to the endangered status of the European Eel and required EU states, including Ireland, to develop Eel Management Plans (EMPs).

Ireland’s EMP was submitted to the EU in January 2009 and accepted by the EU in June 2009. The plan outlined the main management actions aimed at reducing eel mortality and increasing silver eel escapement to the sea. The four main management actions were:

- a cessation of the commercial eel fishery and closure of the market;

- mitigation of the impact of hydropower, including a comprehensive trap and transport plan to be funded by the ESB;

- ensuring upstream migration of juvenile eel at barriers; and

- improvement of water quality.

I can advise that the overall requirement and objective is to provide, with high probability, a long-term 40% escapement to the sea of the biomass of silver eel, relative to pristine conditions (i.e. if the stock had been completely free of man-made influences including commercial fishing).

The scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and Ireland’s Eel Management Group does not support any assertion that “stocks are above conservation limits”. In 2011, the status of the European Eel in Ireland was defined by the United Nations as critically endangered.

The ICES advice is that the eel stock continues to decline and urgent action is needed. ICES advice is that all anthropogenic mortality (e.g. recreational and commercial fishing, hydropower, pollution) should be reduced to as close to zero as possible until there is clear evidence that both recruitment and the adult stock are increasing. In 2011, glass eel recruitment fell to 5% of their 1960-1979 level in the Atlantic region and less than 1% in the North Sea area, and showed no sign of recovery.

In Ireland, recruitment has been declining at many monitoring sites since the mid-1980s. In the 2000-2011 period, the glass eel catch in the Shannon was at 2% of the pre-1980 numbers. In summary, recruitment of glass eels and elvers remained extremely low during the 2009 to 2011 period. It is anticipated that there will be a considerable decline in silver eel production, as indicated by recruitment history, yellow eel stock indicators and modelled projections for index stocks.

In 2012, as required by the EU, a review of the management of Eel in Ireland was undertaken. This process included a robust public consultation during which many issues were raised and considered. Full details of the outputs of the public consultation are available on the IFI web site. The European Commission will report on the review of all EMPs, including Ireland.

While I recognize fully the difficulty facing eel fishermen, the review of scientific and management advice and inputs from the public consultation informed a decision to continue with the cessation of the commercial eel fishery and closure of the market for the period from 2012 to 2015. Ireland’s EMP will be reviewed again in 2015.

It is up to each jurisdiction, including the UK, to ensure that they are achieving 40% escapement of silver eel biomass relative to pristine conditions. As already advised the review by the European Commission will evaluate all management plans including those of the UK.

With regard to the Waterford region, I am advised that a survey of eel stocks was carried out in the Waterford estuary in 2009 and 2011 as part of surveys of transitional or estuarine waters under Ireland’s EMP. The highest catch per unit effort values were recorded in the transitional waters of the Barrow/Nore/Suir.

I am advised by IFI that low recapture of tagged eels most likely indicate high levels of movement within these transitional waters and make population estimation difficult. The current data make it very challenging to provide an estimate of silver eel escapement/production for such a large transitional water body.

Due to the difficulties in obtaining density estimates for eels in large water bodies and the migratory habits of eels moving upstream into the rivers and/or leaving the transitional water as silver eel, estimating silver eel escapement/production for transitional waters remains extremely challenging. I am advised by IFI that telemetry eel tagging studies undertaken in 2012, and continuing in 2013, will assist in giving a clearer indication of the movement habits of eels in estuaries and improve population density estimates.

Given the challenges outlined above, the precautionary approach was also adopted, based on ICES advice and in accordance with the recommendations of the National Eel Working Group and the eel fishery in transitional and tidal waters was also ceased.