Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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94. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which European fish catch conservation measures continue to benefit the industry, with particular reference to conservation and sustainability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34848/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) provides the framework for the long term conservation and sustainability of fish stocks around our shores and is designed to ensure the long term sustainability of fishing in Ireland and throughout EU waters. A key element of the new CFP is the setting of fishing levels on the basis of MSY (Maximum Sustainable Yield). This should ultimately lead to healthy fish stocks, higher quotas for both Irish and EU fishermen and lead to more sustainable fishing patterns. The new Common Fisheries Policy specifically calls for the progressive restoration and maintenance of populations of fish stocks above biomass levels capable of producing MSY. I am committed to the ambitious objective of achieving MSY by 2020 at the latest.

Scientific information on the state of the fisheries resources exploited by the Irish fleet is compiled by the Marine Institute and is published in the Stock Book each year.

The 2014 Stock Book informs us that in relation to stocks of a healthy biological state, there was an improvement in 2014 compared with 2013 on the state of the resource base in relation to pressure indicators. In all 73 stocks are subject to the scientific advice of the Marine Institute. This is an increase from 59 stocks last year, mainly due to the addition of a number of skates and rays stocks. There is a higher number, 25 stocks, assessed to be sustainably fished in 2014, up from 20 last year. The proportion remains the same due to the higher number of stocks being assessed overall this year. The number of stocks overfished has also increased from 14 in 2013 to 22 in 2014. This is due to the inclusion of 4 new stocks (rays and sea bass) and 4 stocks have gone from unknown status or underfished to overfished. The number of stocks with unknown status is 26, which is similar to last year.

In respect of the biomass of stocks, that is the quantity of mature fish in the sea, approximately one quarter, or 17 stocks are in a positive state with above biomass trigger points. The number of depleted stocks has increased from 7 to 12 and now 16% of stocks are assessed to be depleted. The number of stocks with unknown Spawning Stock Biomass (SSB), no assessments or undefined maximum rate of fishing mortality (Fmsy) remains relatively high involving 44 stocks. Many of these stocks have good information on biomass trends and this informs scientific advice for the stocks.

The 2015 Stock Book is due to issue in November 2015 and it is expected that these early indications are that these positive trends will continue.

A Key element of the new CFP is the setting of fishing levels on the basis of Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). This will be phased in gradually, applying by 2020 at the latest for all stocks. This will result in more fish being left in the sea to mature and reproduce leading to increased abundance of fish, and over time to higher quotas for Irish fishermen.