I understand that there is a general desire on the part of the leaders of all Parties that speeches should be curtailed, particularly speeches from the Government Benches. I shall, therefore, not do as I did last year—make a very detailed statement of the work of this Department. I was rather appalled to-day, when looking over the Official Report for last year, to find that I occupied twenty-five columns of the debates. To-day, I shall only make a very general statement and shall not refer to details in the Estimate except where I think they call for a few words.
I have to state that the deep sea fishing industry of the Saorstát is still a long way behind as compared with other countries. The statistics collected by my Department show increases last year over previous years in the quantities and values of fish landed, and this is all to the good, but there are difficulties operating which render our rate of progress very slow. These difficulties are due to international as well as domestic causes. We do not eat much fish ourselves—about 14 lbs. per head per year. We export the bulk of our catch, either fresh or cured, to other countries. We eat all the fish other than herrings and mackerel that we catch, and we import a considerable quantity of fresh and canned fish besides. We export the bulk of the salmon, herrings and mackerel that we catch. Out of 448,000 cwts of fish (excluding salmon and trout) caught and landed in the Saorstát last year, 365,000 cwts. consisted of herrings and mackerel. Of this quantity 275,350 cwts. were exported, principally to Germany and the United States.
The markets for cured herrings and mackerel continue to be depressed, and the low prices realised are reflected in the earnings of our fishermen. This inevitably reacts upon the activities of the men, who are without capital and, therefore, find it most difficult to carry on. The unusually stormy weather and the scarcity of fish during the past few years have contributed, with low prices, to keep the working fishermen practically on the margin of existence. The uncertain conditions operating in the foreign markets for cured fish has caused the position of the curers and exporters to be somewhat precarious, and our Irish curers have carried on during the past few years under very difficult circumstances, frequently incurring losses owing to events which could not be foreseen. Such features are inevitable in an industry in which the very basis of the industry—the fish itself—is so little subject to human control.
While the rate of progress in our sea fisheries is slow, at any rate we are progressing. The quantity of sea fish landed in 1926 was 448,000 cwts., which shows an increase of nearly 15 per cent. on the 1925 catch. The bulk of this increase is due to the greater catch of herrings in 1926, and it is necessary to state that the greater part of the herring catch landed in our ports is made by Scotch and English vessels.
Our mackerel fishing declined in 1926 by 20 per cent. on the catch of 1925. This was due to causes which I mentioned last year. The United States, to which we consign a great deal of our mackerel, did not want our fish last year, because they were catching large quantities themselves, while the English markets were able to get the catches of their own steam trawlers at prices which we could not compete against, chiefly because of the present cost of transit. The landing of other varieties of fish, such as cod, plaice, whiting, shell-fish, etc., show increases on the previous year's landings.
With regard to our salmon fisheries, they gave a satisfactory increase in yield last year as compared with 1925, judging by the returns of exports of this fish. The quantity exported in 1926 was 24,510 cwts., which is an increase of 12½ per cent. on the exports for the preceding year. The value of the catch, however, was only slightly more than in 1925, owing to the traffic disturbances in Great Britain, which caused the price to fall.
Coming to this year, the year opened with very good prospects for the herring industry. The winter herring season opened well in Donegal, where a large fleet of Scotch vessels landed their catches. The quality of the herring was, however, rather disappointing, and the very stormy weather interfered with the operations very considerably. Active preparations were begun early for a very extensive summer herring fishing on the South Coast, from Baltimore in County Cork, to Dunmore East in Waterford. A large number of curers and fishermen came from Scotland, and the season opened early in April. German ships were sent to take portion of the catch in a fresh state to the markets of Hamburg and other Continental ports. The excellent quality of the herrings which had been landed on the South Coast in the preceding two years was mainly responsible for the great interest shown by outside curers and buyers this year. As a matter of fact, our Southern herring disappointed everybody this year. The quality was much below former years, and though the quantity landed at the various ports was large, the prices realised for the catch were poor owing to this fact.
It is satisfactory to report that Kinsale had a very busy herring season, while a new herring-curing port was opened this year at Helvick Head, Co. Waterford. Curing-stations were made by the County Council, and the necessary leading light was put up by my Department, and eighteen or twenty boats landed their catches there, and got on the average better prices than were realised at the other ports.
The summer herring season in Donegal has just closed, and the results have been very satisfactory on the whole. The quality of the fish was much better than the south coast herring, and sales were readily got on the Continent. The landings at Buncrana were the heaviest for many years, and the value of the catch for the six weeks was over £34,000. The spring mackerel fishing this year was better than last year, owing to a better tone in the American market.
Indications and the reports received by my Department show that the salmon catch for this year will greatly exceed former years. There has been a very heavy run of salmon all along our coast, and the rivers are all well-stocked. The drift and draft-net salmon fishermen have done unusually well this year. I have no doubt that this satisfactory result is due primarily to three causes: The 1924 and 1925 Acts, the better working of the Conservators, who have more money to discharge their duties, and the very valuable co-operation of the Gárda Síochána in the protection of the rivers. I have tried to convey an idea to the House of the general course of oúr fishing industry in the past year, and I think I have shown that there is a general improvement, even though it may be very slight.
Coming to examine the position of the fishermen themselves, I think that most Deputies are acquainted with the position of the fishermen since 1920. I went into great detail on that last year. I have no doubt those Deputies who were in the last Dáil will remember it, and I am sure that new Deputies who want to talk on the Estimate will examine the statement I made, and the Estimate generally. The position of those who persevered in the industry is that they require gear to follow the herring fishing, but they cannot find persons of means who will go surety for them in order to get the nets and ropes they require by means of loans from my Department. To meet this difficulty, and to put them in a position to earn the necessary money to pay off arrears on existing loans, I have secured the consent of the Minister for Finance to a special scheme on the lines suggested by the Fishery Conference for supplying the required fishing-gear to men who have proved honest and industrious in the past, and who have done their best to repay their loans. This assistance from the State will not, however, get over all the difficulties of the position. In order to extend our fleet of herring-boats, many vessels now in the hands of my Department should be at work. To man these we need trained deep-sea fishermen, who know their business, and who are ready to go to any fishing-port where there is fishing work to be done. Unfortunately, my experience of many of our fishermen who cry out for bigger and more powerful boats is that they lack the necessary training, and are not willing to go far from their homes to carry on fishing. It is quite useless to put into the hands of such a fisherman a costly and large vessel, which will only be employed a few months in the year. The earnings would not pay the interest on the loan. We need specially-trained fishermen if we are to develop our herring fishing, and to obtain this supply I hold the State must set about the training of our youths. This training must be carried on over a period of years, and must obviously be done principally at sea. I am in consultation with the Minister for Education on this matter, about which it is possible that a supplementary estimate will be submitted to the House this year.
While dealing with the subject of our fishermen, it is perhaps appropriate that I should make some remarks about the findings of the Sea Fisheries Conference which was called together by me last March. The very careful consideration given by the gentlemen who sat on this conference is reflected by the report which they presented to me and which I laid on the Table of the House.
Coming to the Estimates proper, I said I would only deal with one or two, and I will deal with the others when questions are raised on them. The one that is most canvassed is fishery development. This year there is a reduction as compared with 1926-27 of £6,350. The total sum estimated for this sub-head last year was £34,025, but of this sum only £24,345 was spent, leaving an unspent balance on the Estimate of £9,680. It was, therefore, thought prudent to ask the House for a reduced Vote for this service this year, but, as I have indicated, it will probably be necessary to ask for a Supplementary Vote later on.
One of the important sub-heads of fishery development is loans. It will be observed that the sum required for loans is put down at £7,000. Since this Estimate was prepared last November, considerable changes have occurred, and, as I have already stated, I am now arranging for issuing loans under a special scheme which will necessitate my coming to the Dáil later on for a further Vote of about £7,500 to meet the outlay—that is under the scheme put up to me in the interim report of the Fisheries Conference. The amount allocated for loans last year was £7,000, but of this sum only £4,757 was actually disbursed. The reason why this service is not more fully availed of by fishermen who own, or wish to acquire large boats or motor vessels, is due to the fact that they cannot get the solvent sureties which we demand. Already these men are heavily involved, perhaps in past loans, or they may have been come down upon as sureties for loans, and are not prepared to give their names again to support prospective borrowers. The special scheme recommended by the Fishery Conference, and adopted by the Government, is designed to overcome that particular deadlock. Under that scheme loans are now being advanced to fishermen-owners of large-decked vessels, who have in the past honestly tried to meet their liability to the State. These loans are limited in each case to a sum of £150, and are for the supply of nets only. One of the chief reasons which weighed with me in adopting this departure from the position I always adopted, of insisting on solvent securities, was the fact that if we did not do that this year the greater profits of the herring fishing would go to the Scotch and English vessels. I do not know if Deputies would wish me to say much about the inland fishing. If necessary I could say something about the subventions to the conservators.
