Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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1602. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will provide an estimate in cooperation with the relevant fishermen and fishermen’s co-ops as to the estimated financial loss to the Irish fishing fleet to date in 2021 as a result of the ongoing blockage of Irish fishing vessels from the waters around Rockall. [43159/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland has never made any claims to Rockall, which is a small uninhabitable granite rock located approximately 160 nautical miles west of the Scottish islands of St. Kilda and some 230 nautical miles to the north-west of Donegal. Nor has Ireland ever recognised British sovereignty claims over Rockall, and accordingly has not recognised a 12 nautical mile territorial sea around it either. This remains the position of the Government.

The Government has been in contact with the relevant Scottish and UK authorities on Rockall over recent years and intensively since the beginning of the year. 

Through this engagement, the Government is seeking to address the issues involved, reflecting the longstanding fisheries tradition in the area.

Both myself and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney T.D., as well as our respective officials, continue to consider all options for further engagement on the issues involved and are working closely together. 

While engagement continues, there remains an increased risk of enforcement action being taken by Scottish fisheries control authorities against Irish vessels operating in the waters around Rockall at present.

Irish vessels have traditionally fished for haddock, squid and other species in the Rockall zone for many decades.  These fisheries are of substantial economic importance to our fishing fleet based in Greencastle, Killybegs, Castletownbere and other ports around the country.

While haddock and other species may be fished outside the 12 nautical mile zone around Rockall, the squid fishery only occurs within the 12 nm zone.  The interim report of the Seafood Sector Task Force, which was published in June, estimates that the total squid fishery is valued at around €6.6 million (based on 2019 landings).

I am acutely aware of the impact on our industry of the absence of a squid fishery this year.  I have asked my Department to examine this matter through the framework of the Seafood Sector Task Force.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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1603. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current status of the dispute between the EU Member States Commission, Norway and the Faroe Islands over mackerel quotas; and the way that dispute is reflected in reciprocal access to harbours by vessels from the relevant fleets in dispute. [43160/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, earlier this year, Norway unilaterally declared a 55% increase in its Mackerel quota in 2021. In tonnage terms, this means an increase from 191,843 tonnes to 298,299 tonnes – an increase of 106,456 tonnes for 2021. The Norwegian decision seeks to increase its share of the North Eastern Mackerel Stock from 22.5% to 35%. The Faroe Islands have since followed suit and also increased their unilateral share by 55%.

Mackerel has been managed under a UN Coastal States Agreement that involved the EU, Norway and the Faroe Islands for the period 2014 to 2020. Iceland had refused to participate in the management agreement and the three parties to the agreement set aside a significant share of the share of the stock (15.6%) to cater for catches by Iceland as well as Greenland and Russia. For 2021, after Brexit and the UK departure from the EU, the parties involved agreed a global Total Allowable Catch level but were unable to agree on a new sharing arrangement. Consequently, there is currently no Coastal States Agreement on Mackerel in place.

While the EU and the UK have an agreed framework for fisheries under the TCA and recently concluded an annual agreement on shared stocks for 2021, there is no such bilateral agreement between Norway (and Faroes) and the UK. This was the justification used by both of these countries for increasing their mackerel share.

I have consistently made clear that this declaration by Norway and Faroes to hugely increase their mackerel quotas is a direct threat to the sustainability of the overall mackerel fishery and the future of the Irish pelagic fishing industry. There is no justification for this unilateral, opportunistic and unsustainable move. Both countries are now doing what they have consistently criticised Iceland for doing over the past decade. This is all the more disappointing because it undermines the critically important arrangements for joint management of mackerel by the Coastal States under the UN structure. As the scientific advice sets the sustainable level of fishing each year on mackerel, an increase by Norway means either the stock is overfished or other parties must take a smaller share. Neither option is acceptable.

Under the EU /UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement, there will be a 26% reduction in the Irish mackerel quota within the EU by 2026, with 60% of this reduction applied in 2021. Mackerel remains Irelands most important fishery with a quota for 2021 of 60,849 tonnes valued at approximately €80m and it underpins the important Irish pelagic fish processing industry in the North West. Ireland is the largest Mackerel quota holder in the EU.

I have called on EU Commissioner Sinkevicius to reject completely this unilateral action by Norway to claim a much higher share of the mackerel stock. I wrote to him to ask him to respond without delay to this provocative and irresponsible action and to pursue actions available to the European Commission to protect the important EU mackerel fleets and mackerel processing industry. It is vital that the EU Commissioner takes urgent steps to counteract this irresponsible action by Norway. Norway must understand that responsible partners do not get rewarded for such unacceptable action.

Our mackerel fishers have already taken unacceptable cuts to their share of the mackerel stock under the EU/UK TCA. I am working with them to pursue all avenues to deliver a more equitable burden sharing within the EU. I am very concerned that this action by Norway will add further uncertainty to the mackerel industry already trying to adjust to reduce quotas after Brexit.

Access to harbours is not covered under Coastal States Fisheries agreements. Direct landings by non EU vessels are regulated under both North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission Port State Control rules and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fisheries legislation. Landings by Third country vessels can only take place in EU ports that have been designated specifically for this purpose and must fulfil all regulatory requirements including relevant documentation and prior notification. Ireland currently has two fully designated ports – Killybegs, Co. Donegal, and Castletownbere, Co. Cork with five other designated ports for landings by Northern Ireland vessels.