Vol. 506 No. 6
14 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources if he has satisfied himself that the Irish fishing fleet will have access to adequate fishing grounds to meet its requirements; if Ireland's access to these grounds will be adequate in view of the increasing demands of EU partners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15970/99]
I should clarify for the Deputy that the Common Fisheries Policy embodies the EU principle of free access to fishing grounds but that this is subject to quota entitlement and the 12 mile limit derogation. The fishing opportunities available to the Irish fishing fleet are in reality determined more by the state of quota and non-quota fish stocks in EU fishing waters and, for the commercially significant stocks, by the quotas allocated to Ireland under the Common Fisheries Policy. It is of course the case that Ireland's long-standing position is that our allocated share of fish stocks under the Common Fisheries Policy falls far short of a fair and equitable level. Ireland's case in that regard remains on the table and I am taking every opportunity to advocate and advance that case, as I did at the recent Fisheries Council of Ministers in relation to blue whiting quotas.
Within the framework of the CFP, we are working to develop additional fishing opportunities for the Irish fleet, notably to ensure full take up of existing quotas and the development of new commercial opportunities in non-quota deep sea species. The whitefish fleet renewal programme is supporting up to £70 million worth of investment in the fleet. This investment programme will considerably enhance the ability of the whitefish fleet to safely and efficiently exploit offshore and deep water fishing grounds. It will also enable the fleet to compete more effectively with the fleets of other member states in all fishing grounds.
I am pressing on an ongoing basis for change within the CFP framework which will improve the position of the Irish fleet. Key considerations are improved conservation measures and a level playing field on enforcement of quota and conservation rules by all member states. The 2002 review of the Common Fisheries Policy will be a vital opportunity to pursue further change in the interests of the Irish fishing industry. The national CFP strategy review group is working on a wide-ranging agenda which will inform our negotiating position in the run-up to and during the review.
The Minister mentioned blue whiting which has been in the news recently. What the Minister described as a major coup in the talks was described by a prominent leader of the fisheries sector as the opposite. He pointed out that part of our problem is that one vessel in Donegal caught about 17,000 tonnes of blue whiting while the overall quota we have been allocated is 24,000 tonnes. Overall, fundamental changes must take place in the review of the next Common Fisheries Policy. To what degree is the Minister confident that Ireland will get a significantly enhanced quota of the different species? We were sold out many years ago and we are still paying the price for that. The Minister is aware that many fishermen are describing the Common Fisheries Policy as a shambles as far as Ireland is concerned.
Regarding blue whiting and the recent negotiations, it is true that a representative of the pelagic fishing industry said on radio that there was no point in going to the meeting as things had been stitched up in advance and that an agreement had been reached between other countries which was very much to the disadvantage of Ireland and the UK, although to a lesser extent. I pressed the issues very hard at the Council. The representative attended in the building while the Council meeting was taking place, but left for home in the belief that nothing could be achieved. Contrary to that view, in the course of the meeting we managed to increase our allocation by 50 per cent. This has been described as and regarded as a coup. It certainly surprised most people involved.
It was mentioned that one vessel caught 17,000 tonnes. Our problem is that—
This issue might be more relevant to Parliamentary Question No. 21 which deals with blue whiting.
The issue of blue whiting was negotiated under the Common Fisheries Policy and I think the Deputy was within his rights in raising it. We could catch much more blue whiting given the vessels we have. The problem is that we were not catching more blue whiting. Had we been catching more over recent years we would have got a better quota. We got the equivalent of the average of our best three years in terms of catches, which were the three most recent years. From that point of view we got the best we could have expected. The total allowable catch was also reduced which means the quantities for all countries were reduced, and this caused some confusion in relation to amounts.
Regarding the general principle of the CFP and what we can and are doing about it, we have a good strategy group in place. The Deputy referred to its first report which was excellent. We can be quite certain that with the industry so deeply involved in the area we will have the best possible advice. A recent European Parliament report on the regionalisation of the Common Fisheries Policy called on the Commission to propose that the 12 mile exclusive fishing limit be extended to 25 miles for all member states. We will certainly be pursuing this, as will the CFP review group.
