I propose to take Questions Nos. 1132 and 1134 together.
The Blue Whiting fisheries quota management policy is established policy and was put in place following a public consultation process in June 2014. The 2014 policy put in place sets down a clear, transparent, and fair process for the management of the blue whiting fishery.
In 2014, the Minister published a consultation document on the management arrangements and sought the views of the industry representative bodies on the paper. This consultation document was prepared taking account of the views submitted by Industry representative bodies, the existing sharing arrangements between segments, and the internal segment management arrangements, together with the history of the fishery and its future potential.
The Minister recognised the increased interest from the polyvalent vessels and increased the share allocated to this segment from 6% to 9%.