Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour)
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604. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to introduce a set-aside scheme for eel fishermen who have been unable to fish for the past number of years due to the ban; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36907/14]

Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour)
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605. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will take into account information and statistics showing eel and elver numbers in rivers, from sources outside Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI, such as suitably qualified professionals, researchers and consultants who have been contracted by local fishermen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36909/14]

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions No’s 604 and 605 together.

I would refer the Deputy to the response to questions number 486 of 27 May and number 358 of 10 June last which addressed comprehensively many of the issues raised in these questions.

The scientific advice for eels, which underpinned Ireland’s Eel Management Plan (EMP) under the EU Eel regulation (1100/2007) and the comprehensive scientific assessment of eel stocks nationally, referred to in the response of 27 May, were compiled by Ireland’s statutorily independent Standing Scientific Committee on eels.

This independent committee includes scientists from Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), ESB, the Loughs Agency, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Bio-Sciences Institute (AFBI) Northern Ireland and the Marine Institute.

I can advise that the overall requirement and objective of Ireland's EMP 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).

In 2011, the status of the European Eel in Ireland was defined by the United Nations as critically endangered. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (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 2012, as required by the EU, who approved Ireland's EMP in 2009, a review of the management of eel in Ireland, including a scientific review by the independent Scientific Committee, 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 website.

While I fully recognise 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 again be fully reviewed in 2015 from both scientific and management perspectives.

The very significant decline in the stock dictated that closure of the fishery be applied for conservation reasons under the Fisheries Acts and there is no property right attaching to public eel licences and consequently the issue of compensatory payment is not relevant.

Given that context, in the current national economic circumstances it is unlikely that funding will be available to the Government to provide for such payments.