asked the Minister for Defence if it is proposed to take special steps to protect the herring fishing grounds off the coasts of the south east of Ireland against poaching from foreign trawlers; and, if so, what form of special protection is being taken.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Protection of Fishing Grounds.
It would not be in the public interest to disclose any steps being taken in connection with fishery protection work in any part of our territorial waters.
I may say, however, that my Department is mindful of the needs in this respect, of the various fishing areas around our coast and that all receive appropriate attention commensurate with our resources.
The Minister is no doubt aware of the fact that trawlers from practically every nation in Europe are fishing off the south west coast at the moment. The herring fishing is very promising down there and, if what happened last year is repeated this year, there will probably be a considerable amount of poaching. Does the Minister not think that this indicates that special steps should be taken to deal with the situation?
My information is that at the moment there are not trawlers of every nation in Europe lying off that particular area. It is appreciated that there may be an influx of such trawlers towards the end of the month. We are aware of the position in that regard but I do not think it desirable to publish any steps that may be taken to deal with the situation.
I think the Minister is misinformed about the trawlers off the coast.