Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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243. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will bring to the attention of the European Commission how unfair and detrimental its proposal to ban bass fishing entirely in the first six months of 2016 will be to local tourism (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43785/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The most recent scientific advice for seabass suggests that the stock is in rapid decline and that fishing mortality levels for this stock are four times higher than the level that would ensure Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). In January 2015, the EU Commission introduced emergency measures to reduce the fishing mortality in commercial fisheries (pelagic trawling) of this stock. The EU has since adopted a new Regulation that introduces a comprehensive prohibition on commercial fishing for seabass by all EU Member States fishing vessels in the Irish and Celtic Seas. This underpins the conservation actions already taken by Ireland for over 20 years with regard to this vulnerable stock. The EU has also increased the minimum landing size for seabass and again Ireland supported this measure.

Ireland welcomes further conservation measures for this stock but we have a concern that the proposal as it stands, while aimed at protecting the stock, may inadvertently harm the highly regulated recreational angling sector in Ireland. The current proposal would ban all angling activity for seabass for the first six months of the year and a one fish per day rule for the rest of the year. Currently Ireland operates a 2 fish per day rule and the rest of the EU applies a 3 fish per day rule. I fully support the one fish per day limit suggested, however as I agree with the Deputy on the potential harm to our tourism sector, I do not support a complete ban on angling for the first six months of the year. Irish anglers are not the reason that seabass is continuing to decline and Ireland has been at the forefront of conservation measures for this stock for decades. It would in my view be unfair to take such a severe approach to the recreational sector in Ireland given their ongoing efforts to protect the stock. Consequently, I will endeavour, at December Council, to persuade the Commission that a catch and release recreational fishery be permitted to continue during the first six months of the year.