Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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552. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 561 of 24 May 2016, if there is a mechanism whereby his Department and the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources could work together and liaise on the issue of compensation for eel fishers and the possibility of availing of such compensation from a European Union fund. [14642/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I understand that Minister Naughten advised the Deputy in his response to Parliamentary Question No. 561 of 24 May 2016 that there is no property right attaching to public eel licences and consequently the issue of compensation is not relevant or appropriate, given that the closure of the fishery was applied for conservation reasons under the Fisheries Acts.

While my Department’s European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Operational Programme provides for compensation for permanent cessation of fishing activities, that aid is permitted under article 34 of the EMFF Regulation (508/2014) only in respect of fishing fleet segments that have been identified in Ireland’s Fleet Annual Report as not being effectively balanced with available fishing opportunities and which are the subject of a related Action Plan under article 22 of the CFP (Regulation 1380/2013). This is not the case in respect of eel fisheries and thus EMFF compensation is not available for eel fishermen affected by the Eel Management Plan.