Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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275. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will put an observer on any vessel fishing in the exclusive economic zone, under the Law of the Sea to which Ireland is a party; when he last put an observer on a super-trawler, and, if not, to set out the reason. [42632/15]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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296. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an observer scheme is operational on Irish pelagic vessels and if, at the forthcoming fisheries negotiation, he will call on the European Union to make resources available to flag ships of member states to ensure they have observers on board when they enter Ireland's fishery zone to monitor by catch and to protect Ireland's marine resources; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42941/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 275 and 296 together.

The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the fisheries policy of the EU. It is a set of rules for managing EU fishing fleets and for conserving stocks. The CFP operates within the international framework of the Law of the Sea.

Control of the vessel within Ireland’s Exclusive Fisheries Zone is a matter for the Irish control authorities who monitor fishing activity of all vessels operating the area. The Control authorities have on-going information in relation to the vessels operating in the Irish Exclusive Fisheries zone including their activities and characteristics. Under the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act, 2006, all operational issues of this nature concerning sea fisheries control are, as a matter of law, exclusively for the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) and the Naval Service. As Minister, I am precluded from getting involved in operational matters including in relation to law enforcement.

In relation to the overall framework for fisheries control in the EU, in October 2009 a new regulation dealing with fisheries controls was adopted. Council Regulation 1224/2009 establishes a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy. Control and inspection is now focused where it is most effective through an approach based on systematic risk analysis. Inspection procedures are standardised and harmonised for all stages in the market chain, including transport and marketing. The Control Regulations were introduced so that there is a common EU level playing field and to provide for an effective range of controls across EU waters.

One of the key elements of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy is the introduction of a phased ban on the discarding of unwanted fish catches. The first part of the landing obligation, the ban on discarding pelagic stocks such as herring and mackerel, came into effect on the 1 of January 2015. The EU Commission adopted a Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1393/2014 on 20 October 2014 which implements a discard plan for certain pelagic fisheries in north-western waters in line with the recommendation of the North West Waters Member States Group.

A Control Experts Group from the North West Waters Regional Group of Member States has been set up and has produced a draft set of recommendations on additional control measures for the pelagic sector in respect of the landing obligation in pelagic fisheries. The views of the Pelagic Advisory Council in accordance with article 18 of the CFP basic regulation (EU No 1380/2013) on the recommendations have been received and will be fully considered.

The draft recommendations are being considered by the NWW Member States Group. The measures recommended by the Control experts cover a range of actions including the use of cameras or other remote sensing equipment on all large pelagic vessels, both freezer vessels and our own RSW (Refrigerated Seawater Tank vessels) to support the landing obligation. It also recommends control observers “for individual trips to address dynamically - assessed risks of a more transient nature.” It is important to note that the flag Member State would be responsible for placing control observers on its vessels and funding is a matter for each Member State. I consider that any strengthened control measures must provide tools to both the flag Member State and the coastal Member State to better monitor and control fishing activities. We will continue to work closely with the North Western Waters Member States to identify the control actions that are most useful so that the landing obligation is fully respected.