I feel it is a step in the wrong direction. Not alone will it be bitterly opposed by those directly engaged in that branch of the industry, but also by boards of conservators who have their own experience of the past. They were then told that the takings of that fund would go entirely for protection purposes but they discovered that was not so.
With regard to boards of conservators, we all agree it is most important and very essential that they should have first-class protection services. I would suggest to the Minister that, where there are water keepers or water bailiffs employed at low rates of pay, according as vacancies occur he would consider appointing responsible water keepers on a good salary which would enable them to devote all their time to the duties. They should be paid well and paid properly. We have known cases in which water keepers were paid very small allowances, while they had very large areas in which there were important fisheries under their control. They were expected to give all their time watching and protecting those valuable fisheries.
The best way to get a man to take a really active interest in his work is to give him responsibility and pay him well for doing the work. If he is given responsibility and paid properly there is no doubt that he will do his job well and do it conscientiously. I am not suggesting for one moment that the water keepers who are lowly paid neglect their duty, or that they succumb to the many temptations that fall their way. Boards of conservators who are really actively interested in the protection of fisheries should see that the right and proper type of water keepers are engaged, and that areas are allotted to them in the knowledge that they will be able to pay full and proper attention to those areas. I have known areas in which boards of conservators had water keepers employed at £3 10s., £4 10s. and £5 per week while other water keepers were employed at £8 8s., £9 9s. and £10 10s. per week. I think that if they had fewer water keepers employed, paid them a more uniform and better wage, and gave them greater responsibility, boards of conservators would then be guaranteed greater protection and a better service.
I hope the Minister will circularise the various Garda barracks to see to it that the fullest possible measure of co-operation will be given by Gardaí in areas where there are valuable and important fisheries. I hope that the Garda will lend a helping hand, assisting by every means in their power in the protection of valuable fisheries. I know that the Garda, particularly in Donegal, parts of Kerry and parts of Cork, have given valuable assistance. It is only right that when they have given such valuable assistance some appreciation of that should be placed on record.
The protection of valuable fisheries is certainly the concern of all. In addition to soliciting the support and the co-operation of the Garda I think there would be no harm in making an appeal through the medium of the teachers in the schools. A word could be spoken to the children on the importance of preserving and protecting our fisheries. The help of the children could be solicited with regard to fishery protection in their own way. After all, it is in the schools that the seeds of good citizenship are planted. If we are to have good public spirited citizens, who will co-operate with the law in every respect, I feel that a helpful word in this respect in the schools would have a very beneficial effect after a number of years.
During the term I was in the Department I made more than one pronouncement with regard to illegal fishing. I spoke rather strongly on this on more than one occasion. I remember attending a meeting of the Kerry Board of Conservators in the hotel at Listowel. The Deputies and Senators from the constituency were present and my attention was drawn to illegal fishing that had taken place in parts of that board's area. My speech was afterwards published in the daily newspapers. I expressed a hope that district justices and others would not be slow in seeing that those who were guilty of such offences would be punished as severely as the law would permit them to be punished. I know from my own experience that even the best efforts of boards of conservators to maintain proper protection will not meet with the success that one would desire. However, with funds available, with the proper type of person as water keeper, with the support and co-operation of the general public in addition to that of the Garda, I feel that an effort can be made to see that illegal fishing will be eliminated and that we can have worthwhile protection for important fisheries.
I hope my successor, the Minister for Lands, is taking the same view I took in seeing that any requests that come before him for mitigation of fines will be dealt with in the same way as they were dealt with for the past three years. I cannot recollect during my term of office making one single recommendation for mitigation of a fine. I feel that that should be made known for the information of boards of conservators.
Again, if my memory serves me correctly, I remember when in the Department receiving a letter from, I think, the Cork Board of Conservators, asking for leniency to be exercised in so far as illegal fishing in one instance was concerned. Despite the request that came from a board of conservators, I distinctly remember writing on the file "No mitigation whatever recommended" because the offence was of a serious character and because, in so far as myself and the Minister for Agriculture were concerned, we were not prepared to recommend to the Minister for Justice any question of mitigation of fines for fishery offences.
It must be understood, and I am sure that boards of conservators understand it quite well, that the Minister for Justice is entitled to and can act independently, apart entirely from any recommendation either from the board of conservators or from the Minister for Lands now, or from the Minister for Agriculture in the past. On no occasion during my term of office did I recommend a single case to the Department of Justice in respect of mitigation of fines. On the contrary, I spoke very strongly against it and made an appeal to everybody concerned with the protection of fisheries to do what they possibly could to see that the law was given its fullest and severest effect in so far as punishing those guilty of fishery offences was concerned.
I agree entirely that the greatest possible tourist attraction lies in our inland fisheries. We have some of the finest and most attractive inland fisheries in the world. A group of English anglers came over here some time ago and did some fishing in our lakes. Afterwards they wrote back— and it is on record—that, from their experience of inland fisheries, they considered that ours were the greatest in the world. We should publicise our inland fisheries more and more on the Continent and particularly in England.
From the point of view of our tourist industry, the angler is a most important type of tourist to attract. He comes here and he is not much trouble. He goes down the country and goes out to fish, taking his lunch with him. He stays out fishing all day and enjoys his sport. Then he comes back in the evening and goes down to the local hotel or the local pub, as the case may be, and talks about his day's sport and enjoyment and tells his friends about it. He does the same on the following day. There are parts of Ireland where our people like to see angling tourists arrive. I hope that even more publicity will be given to our inland fisheries. Quite a good deal of publicity has already been given to them but any money spent in advertising our inland fisheries is money well spent. When we have inland fisheries well worth publicising we should spend the money in order to attract angling tourists. I am sure the Minister has information at his disposal which is very gratifying to the effect that, year after year, more and more angling tourists are coming here. The more who come the better and they are all very welcome. I am certain that any such tourists will not be disappointed because we have the greatest inland fisheries in the world to-day.
When speaking of inland fisheries, it is only right that the work of the Inland Fisheries Trust should be mentioned. That trust was established for the purpose of stocking, improving and making our inland fisheries more attractive as well as to give information to tourists as to the extent and possibilities of fisheries in which they might be interested. Perhaps the Minister has not had time to go very fully into the workings of the Inland Fisheries Trust but my opinion is that no body has had greater achievements in such a short space of time and their work deserves a word of appreciation here. They have removed coarse fish and stocked certain fisheries. They have developed important rivers. We have had the setting-up of the fish farm at Fanure near Roscrea. A great volume of publicity has been given to our fisheries abroad. I regret that that good work does not seem to be appreciated by the angling public because, if my memory again serves me correctly, the membership of the trust is not as high as one would expect despite the fact that the fees are very low.
The annual membership fee of the Inland Fisheries Trust is something like 5/- or 7/6. For that 5/- or 7/6 per year, the most excellent fisheries possible will be placed freely at the disposal of any member who desires to fish in them. It is remarkable—it is probably more through lack of thought than anything else—that there are so many fishing enthusiasts who are not members of the trust. The Minister should appeal to fishing enthusiasts throughout the country to help in the great work of the trust by becoming members. In that respect, they are asked to make very little sacrifice. The Minister should, I feel, express appreciation of the work of the trust. Any angler who is really interested in the sport and who is anxious to see our inland fisheries developed to an even greater extent should have no hesitation in becoming a member of the trust.
When we speak of the Inland Fisheries Trust, no matter what part of Ireland we may be in, we usually connect that trust with the very great work of the secretary, Mr. Michael Kennedy. I feel that his work, his writings, the books he has published on such subjects as the life of fish, the movements of fish and the value of various fisheries, all go to show that, in Mr. Kennedy, the trust has a man with a sincere interest in and thorough knowledge of his job. It is only right that those of us who have a knowledge of his work and are aware of his achievements should place on record the very valuable services he has rendered. He has spent endless hours, day and night, studying the movements of fish. He has been a tower of strength to the trust. I feel it would be a pity, when we have such a keen administrator in charge of the trust, if every angler in the country did not become a member of the trust.
When in the Department, I noticed that a good deal of valuable fisheries were being poisoned and destroyed because of the operations of Bord na Móna. Before I left office, I was arranging for a conference between officers of Bord na Móna and officers of the Fisheries Branch to see what could be done to remedy the position. I know quite well that one cannot possibly expect Bord na Móna to stop their operations because fish are being poisoned. I am certainly not advocating that. I know the work they have carried out in my own constituency; but I also know that in my constituency a valuable fishery, known as the Figile River, has been completely destroyed because of the operations of Bord na Móna and the owner of the fishery has directed the attention of the Fisheries Branch to his serious loss.
I wonder if it would be possible to have any compensation provided to the owner of a valuable fishery where his fishery is destroyed because of the operations of Bord na Móna? I mentioned this matter to Bord na Móna and I know they will do everything they possibly can. I believe, in the year 1957, in such an age of progress it should be possible to find some chemical which would allow Bord na Móna to carry on its operations, and at the same time protect valuable fisheries. I hope the Minister for Lands will investigate the possibility of appointing a committee, representative of the Fisheries Branch and of Bord na Móna, to see what can be done.
I remember receiving very strong representations from County Meath on this matter. The Trim Anglers' Association were making strong representations that, as a result of the operations of Bord na Móna, a lot of valuable fish had been poisoned and a valuable fishery practically destroyed. I remember taking up the matter with Bord na Móna. Again, everything possible was being done, but it seemed that the fishery was being destroyed. Quite recently, I directed a communication to be sent to the head of the Fisheries Branch in regard to a place in my constituency, near Clonbullogue, Offaly, where a valuable fishery is again being destroyed because of the operations of Bord na Móna. I feel it is not outside the bounds of possibility that, if the engineering staff of Bord na Móna and the staff of the Department came together, some remedy could be found to relieve the position.
I come now to An Bord Iascaigh Mhara. An Bord Iascaigh Mhara has been charged with the development of our fisheries and with the distribution and marketing of our fish. It has been the subject of serious criticism by certain interests in the fishing industry. I want to place this on record. When the Minister for Lands tours every fishing centre in this country, as I have done, and when he puts the question to the ordinary fisherman as to what he thinks of An Bord Iascaigh Mhara, the ordinary fisherman will say: "Without An Bord Iascaigh Mhara, we would have no guarantee of a prosperous existence or future."
I recall addressing groups of fishermen at Schull, Ballycotton, Youghal, Galway, Killybegs, parts of Mayo, Kilmore Quay, Dunmore East, Clogher Head, and so on. On every occasion, I made a point of inquiring from the ordinary fisherman, the man on whom the future of the industry is completely dependent, what were his impressions of the workings of An Bord Iascaigh Mhara. Although we have had complaints from marketing interests, wholesalers and other fishing interests, who are anxious to put An Bord Iascaigh Mhara out of the marketing end of the business, the ordinary fisherman always replied that the board guaranteed him a price for his fish and guaranteed that he could dispose of his fish. On no occasion did any fisherman in any part of Ireland say a single word against An Bord Iascaigh Mhara. All they said was: "If An Bord Iascaigh Mhara were put out of existence, we would be at the mercy of the fishmongers who would be anxious to get all of our fish at the lowest possible price and sell it over again at the highest possible price."
