asked the Minister for Agriculture if his attention has been drawn to a recent lecture, given by the head of the fisheries branch of his Department, at the Maritime Institute for Ireland, in which reference was made to the proposed formation of a trawling company to prosecute deep-sea fishing; if so, if he will state what it is intended to do regarding (a) deep-sea fishing, and (b) inshore fishing; further, what steps are to be taken to ensure that the prosecution of deep-sea fishing will not result, as in England, in the ruination of inshore fishing.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Deep-sea Fishing.
The reply to the first part of this question is in the affirmative. The position, as I have on many occasions explained to the Dáil, is that it would be desirable to set up a properly managed, well-equipped, but not large, deep-sea trawling company to work in collaboration with, and not in opposition to, our inshore fleet. The inshore men with their small craft are not of themselves able to ensure the regularity of, and variety in, landings necessary to counter an unrestricted flow of fish imports into this country; but it may be taken that any development of deep-sea trawling will be subordinated to the interests of the inshore fleet.