Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

320. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the recent publication by the European Commission on its multi-annual plan for fish stocks in the western waters which are located within the Atlantic Ocean. [14853/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The EU Commission published on 23 March 2018 a proposal establishing a multiannual plan for fish stocks in the Western Waters and adjacent waters, and for fisheries exploiting those stocks. The proposal covers whitefish and nephrops stocks on which much of our polyvalent segment of the fleet is strongly dependent.

I have asked our stakeholders for initial comments and I will be seeking detailed views over the coming weeks and months as the proposal is negotiated within the Internal Fisheries Working Group. The proposal will be formally presented at the next EU Fisheries Council on 16 April.

The EU Commission set down the main elements of the proposal:

- Simplifying fisheries management under one main regulatory framework, including existing plans;

- while fully respecting the 2020 objective of Fmsy (maximum sustainable yield) the plan will allow a certain flexibility in setting the fishing opportunities, where such a flexibility is needed in order to manage for example mixed fisheries. This flexibility, known as 'ranges of Fmsy', is proposed as the management method for the most commercially important demersal stocks - the target stocks;

- Following the precautionary approach for bycatch stocks, taking into account mixed fisheries;

- Allowing provisions for the landing obligation and technical conservation measures to be put forward by the North Western Waters Advisory Council and the North Western Waters MS Group for the fisheries that concern them most.