Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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366. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of small boat operators who are unable to fish due to bad weather and the consequent effect on quotas (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46927/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Celtic Sea sentinel herring fishery is a small boat, under 18m, herring fishery operating in a specific herring spawning area off the South East Coast known as the Dunmore Box. Following two devastating collapses of the Celtic Sea Herring Fishery, the recovery plan identified the special area known as the “Dunmore Box” as an important area for herring reproduction. The Sentinel fishery was established in order to have a small fishery which would act as a sentinel or indicator of the state of the overall herring stock in the area. This sentinel fishery is in addition to the Main Celtic Sea Herring Fishery. Under current policy arrangements, the Sentinel is allocated 11% of the overall adjusted Celtic Sea Herring quota.

Following a request from the Celtic Sea Herring Management Advisory Committee in 2015, I approved extended opening arrangements for the sentinel fishery arising from the poor fishing during the bad weather.The Sentinel fishery remained open until midnight on 22 December.  It re-openedat 00.01 hours on Tuesday 29 December and was closed again at midnight on 31 December.  The fishery opened for 2016 on Sunday 03 January 2016 for a two to three week fishery, as requested by the Celtic Sea Herring Management Advisory Committee. 

In terms of quota, under national management arrangements, quotas are allocated within the year. Under long standing policy quotas may not be carried forward into the following year in respect of individual boats or groups of boats within a fishery e.g. the sentinel herring Celtic Sea fishery. This policy protects the public ownership of quotas and protects against property rights being established which would transfer ownership of quotas into private hands.  All uncaught quota is carried forward to the following year, in line with provisions of the EU Regulation. Uncaught quota may be carried forward from 2015 into 2016 up to a 25% limit of the 2015 quota. The total available quota for the year is made available to operators in line with the policy set down by the Minister for the management of the Celtic Sea Herring fishery.  

The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority has provided details on the out turn for these two fisheries for 2015 as follows:

In view of the large amount of quota carried over from the Sentinel fishery in 2015, I have sought a recommendation from the Celtic Sea Herring Management Advisory Committeeon increasing the 11% of quota allocated to the Sentinel, to a higher amount for 2016, as an exceptional measure to take account of the poor fishing conditions in 2015.

Having considered a request from the National Inshore Fisheries Forum for a representative place on the Celtic Sea Herring Management Committee, I have written to the Chair of the Committee advising her that henceforth the National Inshore Fisheries Forum will be entitled to two representatives on the Committee. I hope that the representation of the NIFF on the Committee will further support the very good work of this Committee in providing advice on management arrangements for the Celtic Sea herring fishery.