(South Tipperary): I raised this question last week and unhappily at the time I was seated over there and the Minister could not hear many of my supplementary questions. Therefore, I have been constrained to bring him back to put the matter before him. This is a perennial problem and since I came into the House the question has been asked on many occasions what we were doing to protect our fishermen along the coast. The other day I asked the Minister several questions. I asked him:
If he is aware of the continual poaching off the Waterford coast by Dutch fishing vessels; and, if so, what steps he intends to take to protect Irish fishing interests there.
I further asked him:
If he is aware that at 3 p.m. on 22nd October there were 36 Dutch trawlers within four or five miles of Ballyvila Head, County Waterford; that several of them were within one mile of the shore, and that they were fishing; and what action he intends to take to prevent further occurrences of the kind.
The Minister replied as follows:
One complaint of illegal fishing by foreign vessels off the Waterford coast was received by my Department. This was on 23rd October, 1968, and was to the effect that 39 foreign trawlers were fishing off the coast near Dungarvan, some illegally.
The corvette L.E. "Macha" reached the area on the morning of the 24th October, 1968, and found the foreign trawlers outside the fishery limit.
The area in question along with other fishing areas around our coast will continue to be patrolled by the Naval Service within the limit of its resources. In arranging patrols cognisance is taken of the increased activities of foreign trawlers off the Waterford coast during the herring fishing season.
My information is that since last July Dutch trawlers have been operating off the west coast, some 40 to 70 at a time and fishing, especially at night, well within the six mile limit. I understand that there have been similar instances off Dunmore East. It was suggested to me that these foreign vessels seem to be that able to get information about the movements of our corvettes and it was suggested that they were getting the information from spotters on the shore. The Minister denied that such information was obtained by any method other than by warning messages passed from one trawler to another. I should like to know if any special investigations have been conducted to justify him in expressing this opinion and specifically whether any garda inquiries or investigations have been made. I also asked the Minister if he would consider the provision of a number of small fast motor torpedo boats or coastguard cutters to deal with this problem rather than the single frigate which is contemplated. The Minister replied that:
Patrolling of our coastal waters will continue to be carried out by the Naval Service within the limits of their resources.
The question of the replacement of the corvettes at present used for fishery patrols is under consideration and the suitability of different types of vessels for this duty and also for naval purposes is being examined. The purchase of a frigate is not and never has been contemplated.
I do not know what advice, if any, the Minister has taken on this matter but the opinion of the people concerned, the fishermen and so on, is that the only way to combat this problem is by having a number of small fast boats. I am not an expert on these matters nor, I suppose, is the Minister but he is in a position to get advice and I should like to know what advice he has taken to date and what decision, if any, he has come to.
This is a very vexed problem because it is a matter which is dealt with by so many Departments and where you have too many cooks the broth may not be so good. I know that the Minister is not responsible for other Departments but the same day I put down a question to the Minister for External Affairs asking him whether the coastal limit for Dutch trawlers is six or 12 miles and the Minister replied:
Netherlands fishing vessels are prohibited from fishing within our 12-mile exclusive fishery limits except in the six- to 12-mile belt in the area between the Old Head of Kinsale and Carnsore Point. In this area they are entitled to fish between the six-and 12-mile limits for mackerel and herring only.
You will appreciate, Sir, that this is a very important herring centre and this kind of poaching is supposed to have obliterated herring centres in other places. I should like the Minister to tell me, if he is in a position to do so, how it is determined that they only fish for herring and mackerel and what steps are taken by his Department to verify this or have his Department been asked to do this. I should also like to know is this special concession limited to the Netherlands.