Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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218. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if independent monitors are on board the super trawlers off the west coast, as required under Council Regulation (EC) No 812/2004 of 26 April 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41429/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Article 4 (1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 812/2004 of 26/4/2004 laying down measures concerning incidental catches of cetaceans in fisheries, requires inter-alia, Member States to design and implement monitoring schemes for incidental catches of cetaceans using observers on board the vessels flying their flag and with an overall length of 15m or more, for defined fisheries. The fisheries subject to this requirement includes pelagic fisheries. The regulation does not require that every vessel carries an observer and the regulation puts the obligation on the Flag Member State to design and implement the scheme rather than the vessel or the coastal state in whose waters the fishing takes place. It is a matter of competence for the Flag Member State of the vessel concerned to ensure that observers are onboard where required under their national scheme. Ireland has submitted its Annual report for 2014 to the EU Commission in respect of the Irish fishing fleet.