Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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782. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department is collaborating with other Departments with regard to the remit of the fishery harbour centres given their potential to service the offshore renewable energy industry without diminishing their core function as fishery harbours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57393/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The six Fishery Harbour Centres are critical infrastructure for our seafood industry and this was the purpose for which they were conceived under the Fishery Harbour Centres Act 1968. Approximately 90% of all fish landings into Ireland come through these facilities which demonstrates how successful they have been for this purpose and also how important they are to the sector. Ireland's 200 miles Exclusive Economic zone provides rich nursery and fishing grounds for our own fleet and for UK and other fleets. The current fuel crisis offers real opportunity for our harbours and coastal communities to become seafood hubs offering best facilities that attract landings from the 80% of fish caught in our 200 mile zone by non-Irish fishing fleets and thereby realise the maximum opportunities for primary and secondary processing of seafood.

My Department participates in a number of offshore renewable energy (ORE) policy groups including the Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan Steering Group and the Seafood/ORE Consultation Working Group. Three of the Fishery Harbour Centres are identified in the Policy Statement on the facilitation of Offshore Renewable Energy by Commercial Ports in Ireland published late last year by Minister Ryan, a reflection of the degree of co-ordination taking place across the relevant departments. That said, recent studies such as the Wind Energy Ireland report into port facilities in Ireland make clear that the Fishery Harbour Centres in some respects not ideal in terms of supporting ORE projects. The role which they may ultimately play is as yet unclear and I understand that Minister Ryan's Offshore Wind Taskforce is actively focused on port facilities as part of its ongoing work.