The final sub-head comprises nine items in all and shows an aggregate increase of £5,922 in the receipts expected to come to credit of this Vote. Three of the items, namely, (4), (5) and (9) account for this increase, the remaining six items being virtually the same in amount as they were for 1946-47. Item (4) is better by £250 than the corresponding entry last year because an enhanced figure has been obtained for the letting of angling rights controlled by the Department. Item (5) shows a rise to £10,000 from the £5,000 appearing in the previous Estimate in respect of anticipated repayments to the Exchequer by the Sea. Fisheries Association on foot of advances made for boats and gear. The increase of more than £700 in Item (9), Miscellaneous Receipts, is attributable mainly to refund by the Sea Fisheries Association of the salary of manager, which is paid out of sub-head A of this Vote.
During the discussion on this Estimate debate last year the House was informed that the results achieved by our sea-fishing industry during 1945 had been satisfactory both as to quantity and value; that the figures were, in fact, the best for a period of 27 years. It is pleasant to report that, in spite of some particularly bad weather towards the close of 1946, the total value of that year's catches was slightly better than the figure of £680,000 recorded for 1945. An important feature was that once more our inshore fishermen, although handicapped by poor conditions of wind and weather, as well as by the difficulties of gear supply, made landings which in relation to the total tonnage of their small vessels were very satisfactory. As regards the operations of the Sea Fisheries Association the directors still have their problems arising from the scarcity of boats, engines and fishing gear with which to outfit many skilled fishermen, whose applications for such facilities have been listed with the Association for anything from one to five years. They hope, however, to find the market position with regard to such requirements considerably easier during the year, and it is this belief which has led them to apply for a larger sum by way of repayable advances, to which reference has been made earlier. The marketing activities of the association continue to be carried on successfully, and at some points, such as Dingle, structural extensions are about to be put in hands. Properly equipped boat building premises are nearing completion at Killybegs, which when finished will constitute a valuable accommodation for members resident on the northwest coast line. The directors have kept in mind the special needs of the part-time fishermen working mainly from curraghs and canoes, and their applications for facilities are always accorded the best possible consideration.
I think it well to refer here to the system in vogue prior to 1931 under which boats and gear were supplied to fishermen—borrowers on their personal bond backed by two solvent sureties— as distinguished from the present method of hire-purchase operated by the association. When our sea-fishing industry became virtually bankrupt in the slump which followed the first world war the borrowers of fishery loans could not meet their obligations, and their sureties pleaded that as the conditions prevailing could not have been foreseen when they signed the documents, they were unable to meet their obligations. After a long and careful survey of each loan account (there were some hundreds of them) it became evident that there was no alternative to the writing-off of nearly £100,000. Under the enabling statute —i.e., Fisheries Revision of Loans Act, 1931, the arrears were being written off in batches up to the year 1939, and schedules of particulars were duly laid on the Table of the House. Partly owing to the diversion of staff to more urgent duties in the emergency, and partly to avoid misunderstanding about the writing-off of loan arrears at a period when fishermen were making exceptionally good earnings, action was suspended. The time has come, however, to clear up the matter finally, and I have directed that the needful be done as soon as possible. I just mention the subject to make it clear that the balance of these old arrears to be written off (total is about £20,000) refers to transactions which, in the main, originated some 30 years ago—most of the borrowers together with their sureties having since passed away. The present position about repayment for boats and gear supplied through the association is, as already indicated, satisfactory.
Arrangements for setting up a properly equipped and well managed deep-sea trawling company, the shareholding in which would be available to the public at large, have not been completed. There have been various conferences on the subject, but so far no real progress has been made. As the fishery authority, I am interested in the establishment of a trawling company only in so far as its operations would supplement the landings of the in-shore fleet to provide sea fish for the home market. The interests of the inshore fishermen would be the primary consideration.
Parts I, II, III and VI of the Fisheries Act, 1939, have, with the exception of some half-a-dozen sections, been brought into force. As from 1st January, 1948, Sections 35 and 36 will come into operation, and all netting in fresh water (subject to a few specified exceptions, such as the conduct of scientific investigations, or the use of a landing net by an angler, etc.), will be prohibited. This abolition of fresh-water netting is being carried out on a compensatory basis on principles laid down in Section 35. The effect of removing the nets from the fresh water portions of our rivers will be to increase the head of fish ascending to the spawning beds and, therefore, must naturally lead to an increase in the stock of the rivers, with greater potential catches for anglers. The advantages accruing from this cessation of fresh-water netting would, however, be offset to some extent, in four or five years' time, by increased captures of fish by nets in the estuaries when the larger stock of fish was returning from its sojourn in the sea. For that reason, the Act provides means in Section 37 for the gradual restriction of netting in the public estuaries. Consequently, within the next two or three years it will be appropriate to bring Section 37 also into operation. With regard to Parts IV and V of the 1939 Act, the operation of which had to be postponed when the emergency conditions obtained, it may be said that preliminaries for the engineering procedure involved are well in hands. This concerns the gradual taking over by the Minister (again on a compensatory basis) of all estuarine fisheries now privately held. The process will of necessity be gradual, because the working out of such a transfer will be a complicated and tedious process. The ultimate objective, however, is the working of all these fisheries by the State in the public interest.
Consolidation of the Fisheries Statutes.—There were enacted from 1842 onwards some 30 Acts dealing with fisheries; and, in addition, there were several other Acts (e.g. Acts dealing with electricity supply, drainage, etc.) passed with a direct bearing on the subject. During the past three years my Department, in consultation with the Parliamentary draftsman, has been getting into shape a consolidation measure designed to bring within one statute the entire set of fishery laws, of which in their present form there has been long-standing complaint from both lawyers and laymen. In the process of consolidation a great many points of overlap and of inconsistency (with particular regard to definitions), are being cleared up; and there is with the printers at the moment a volume comprising our fishery law as it now stands. Before final consolidation can be achieved there are some outstanding matters for which we must provide. Therefore a Fisheries (Amendment) Bill will be introduced with the object of clearing up the outstanding points, and when this latest Act is passed it will be amalgamated with the volume now in course of printing, and so we shall bring into being a complete Fisheries (Consolidation) Act. The great advantage of having available the volume in question is that all concerned with the subject can thus see what exactly will be the effect of the proposed amending measure upon the law as it now stands.
Exclusive Fishery Limits.—In conclusion, some comment is due upon the long-standing question of our exclusive fishery limits. All that can be said, however, for the moment is that informal discussions between the officers of my Department and those of the British Ministry concerned, which had to be postponed during the war years, were resumed last year. The whole matter is not one that can be dealt with offhand but on our side no avoidable delay is being permitted to occur, and I hope there will be no avoidable delay in this House in giving me this Estimate.