asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he has any proposals to regulate fishing for escallops on the western side of the Irish Sea.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Escallops Fishing.
41.
I have no proposals at present for the further regulation of escallop fishing in the area mentioned.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware of a report of over-fishing of this type of selfish on the eastern seaboard and that escallops are in danger of becoming extinct?
There is in existence a regulation which, on the grounds of conservation, prohibits the taking anywhere within the jurisdiction of the State of an escallop measuring less than 4½ inches across its greatest width. No further regulations are being considered at present but this provision is adequate for the time being.
Has the Parliamentary Secretary been informed that escallops smaller than this size have been exported to France and elsewhere?
If so, their export would be illegal.
What is the Parliamentary Secretary doing to stop it?
If the Deputy brings specific cases to my notice I will be only too glad to take action.
It is for the Parliamentary Secretary to find out.
These generalities will not get us anywhere. If the Deputy will give me any information he has, I will act on it. I have tried to find out about it and I could not. The Department are now moving smoothly and the Aran islanders are happy.
Deputy Molloy is good at handing things out to his pals.
What about present patronage?
The Deputy would know more about that than we would.
I wish to ask the Parliamentary Secretary whether there are any agents or bailiffs in his Department whose job it is to ensure that undersized escallops are not taken, whether in the east, the west, the north or the south. Is any person or persons responsible for applying this regulation?
Any agent of the Department would have an obligation to report to the Department on a question such as this—that escallops were being illegally fished and that they were less than the minimum prescribed length. I assume that any agent of the Department or BIM would be obliged to make a report.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary examine this information and if he ascertains that there is no person responsible for applying this regulation he might consider appointing people to do so? To my knowledge there is none at the moment.
I do not think it is necessary to employ people to do this work specifically. It can be fitted in with other work. On that basis I will take the Deputy's view into account and ask people who are engaged in other types of work to see to this question of illegal escallop fishing.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.