Written answers
Tuesday, 5 December 2023
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Fishing Industry
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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436. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will publish, in tabular form, the number of registered inshore and offshore fishing vessels in the ranges under 10, 10 to 12, 12 to 15 and over 15 metres licensed to catch fish for commercial reasons in Ireland for the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53417/23]
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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In accordance with section 3 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 2003, the Register of Sea Fishing Boats is maintained by the Registrar General for Sea Fishing Boats and is publicly available online at: gov.ie - Sea Fisheries Administration (www.gov.ie) . In addition, the EU Commission publishes annual fleet reports including Ireland which are also available online. oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu/fisheries/rules/fishing-fleet-capacities_en These reports typically identify the number of vessels in a variety of length classes similar to the information sought by the Deputy.
The fleet breakdown as per the Register of Sea Fishing Boats at the end of December 2022 is set out in the table below. I have asked the Registrar General for Sea Fishing Boats to compile figures for the past 10 years and to provide these directly to the Deputy.
| Length Overall | No of vessels |
|---|---|
| ≤ 10m | 1485 |
| >10 ≤ 12m | 221 |
| >12 ≤ 15m | 67 |
| >15m | 212 |
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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437. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the nature of the business relationship between Fexco and Bord Iascaigh Mhara in administering funding schemes for the fisheries sector; if there are direct employees of BIM available to answer queries the applicants may have on these schemes and particularly the application and drawdown of funding process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53418/23]
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Sea Food Task Force, which I established in March 2021, made sixteen recommendations to leverage Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) funding to support Ireland's seafood sector and coastal communities in responding to the challenges faced by Brexit. To date I have announced sixteen BAR schemes, with some €305.5m funding made available to the sector.
While I have asked BIM to implement these schemes, the matter of staffing and resourcing such administrative tasks is a matter for BIM directly. Likewise any third party contractual relationships are a matter for BIM directly.
In that context I have asked BIM to respond directly to the Deputy on the questions raised.
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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438. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he and his Department officials have considered introducing a market disruption fund for shellfish fishermen from EMFAF funding streams due to significant market disturbance in the last while; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53419/23]
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am very aware of the challenges the sector is facing at the moment.
As regards implementing a scheme to mitigate market disruption under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), this is not possible at the moment. The EMFAF Regulation sets out a range of priorities and objectives in relation to the measures that may be funded by the Commission under the Regulation. Article 26 (2) of the Regulation specifically addresses the matter of market disruption and provides for ‘compensation to operators of the fishery and aquaculture sector for their income foregone or additional costs’, however the Article goes on to state that this may only be eligible for funding under EMFAF if the Commission establishes, by means of an implementing decision, the occurrence of an exceptional event.
In 2022 the Commission did issue an implementing decision, EU Regulation 2022/500, which provided that aid paid between February 2022 and December 2022 would be eligible.
At present there is no Commission implementing decision in place that would allow aid to be paid under EMFAF in respect of market disruption.
My Department has provided a range of supports to the inshore fleet over the past few years, funded under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR), and will continue to provide supports to this fleet as further schemes are developed and implemented under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) over the coming years.
With the assistance of my Department, the National Inshore Fishermen’s Association (NIFA) achieved recognition as an EU Producer Organisation and joined the Irish Islands Marine Resource Organisation (IIMRO) in representing the inshore sector. These organisations, through the implementation of Production and Marketing Plans, will help to develop opportunities for their members. Both of these organisations are eligible for funding under the EMFAF programme to assist in the achievement of their aims.
It is vital that, in addition to funding supports, we also work to identify and develop new markets for these vessels. As such, I participate in an ongoing programme of trade missions and promotional activities to enhance the continuing efforts of Bord Bia and industry in marketing Ireland's high quality and sustainable seafood and agri-food produce in key priority markets such as China, South East Asia and West Africa and to a number of key European markets all of which are priority growth targets for Ireland’s seafood and agri-food export sectors.
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