andMr. Gallagher asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government have received details of the revised proposals of the Commission of the European Communities on fishery conservation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Fishery Conservation.
46.
The Commission yesterday put forward to the Council of Ministers interim proposals designed to limit the intensity of fishing effort in the waters around the Irish coast in the period to 30th June. The main feature of these proposals is that member states would submit advance fishing plans which would have to be approved by the Commission in consultation with Ireland. The proposals also provide for quotas in the statistical zones around Ireland: These would permit of an increase of 30 per cent in catches by Ireland while catches by all other countries would be reduced by an estimated 41 per cent in the aggregate compared to 1975.
We originally refused to consider such a scheme unless the limitation of fishing was applied separately to the subzones contiguous to the Irish coast, and this is now provided for in the proposals.
Ireland has indicated that for the fishing plans to be acceptable to us they must provide for a substantial reduction of fishing effort by other member states and must be capable of effective enforcement.
Details of the proposals are to be worked out by the high level working group and the Minister for Fisheries indicated that meantime we would suspend our unilateral measures for restriction of boat sizes until the next Council of Agriculture Ministers which takes place on 25th March.
Our agreement to consider the revised interim proposals was influenced by the fact that the Commissioner in charge of Fisheries, Vice-President Gundelach gave a firm undertaking to bring forward by mid-April proposals for the definitive revised common fisheries policy with the understanding that the target date for agreement by the Council would be 30th June. The Minister for Fisheries reiterated in this connection that in the view of the Irish Government this must provide for a coastal band in accordance with our consistent demand.