Vol. 568 No. 2
69 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the concerns expressed by industry and community leaders that EU restrictions on the north-west fishing fleet have caused a complete crisis of confidence in the marine based economy in the area; if he intends to seek a review of the restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15919/03]
As I have previously advised the House, I opposed the fishing effort limitation scheme agreed at last December's Council on the basis that the application of days-at-sea restrictions was not the appropriate mechanism for the recovery of cod stocks and would severely impact on the economies of coastal fishing communities.
I am, therefore, keenly aware of the difficulties arising from the current restrictions and I have held discussions with the fishing industry on how best to develop a viable alternative. The industry and I have agreed that a pre-requisite to the development of a viable alternative cod recovery strategy is the collection of additional scientific data on the state of the cod stock off the Donegal coast. In this regard, the Marine Institute is currently engaged in a study costing more than €300,000 into cod stocks off the coast of Donegal.
This project, which is being undertaken in co-operation with the Donegal fishing industry, will increase our knowledge of that cod stock and will enable more appropriate and specific technical conservation measures to be devised. I will seek to have such targeted measures incorporated into a long-term recovery plan for that cod stock with a view to replacing the blunt instrument of the days-at-sea approach.
The Commission has recently presented a new long-term plan for the recovery of cod stocks off the north-west coast and elsewhere, including the Irish Sea. The new proposals, which again provide for days-at-sea restrictions, will be considered in detail in the coming months. I am also conscious of the need to identify and encourage diversification options for fishermen most affected by the current restrictions. In that context a range of projects involving a total investment of more than €770,000 have just been approved.
