I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
The object of this Bill, which was passed by the Seanad earlier this year is to give effect to the main recommendations of the Inland Fisheries Commission by securing the more effective development, protection, conservation, and management of inland fisheries through the reorganisation and strengthening of the existing administrative structure.
This will be done by replacing the existing 17 boards of conservators, which are responsible for the day-to-day work of conservation and protection of inland fisheries, and the Inland Fisheries Trust which conducts large-scale development work on brown trout, coarse fish and sea angling, by a Central Fisheries Board and seven regional fisheries boards.
The central board will be responsible for the co-ordination and, if necessary, direction of the work of the regional boards. It will also have planning, education, advisory and limited research functions. The chairman of the seven regional boards and four persons appointed by the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry will make up the membership of the central board. The Minister will also appoint the chairman of the central board from among the members of the board.
Regional boards will have the function of identifying the fishery resources within their regions and of drawing up and carrying out programmes for the development and protection of these fisheries. The regional boards will comprise elected members with a limited number of members appointed by the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry following consultation with relevant fisheries interests. The elected members will be elected in a democratic fashion by licence holders, ratepayers and trout, coarse fish and sea anglers who avail themselves of their right to be registered in the proposed Register of Trout, Coarse Fish and Sea Anglers on payment of an annual subscription. Voting in the case of licence holders and persons on the Register of Trout, Coarse Fish and Sea Anglers will be confined to such licence holders and persons resident in the State on a specified date.
The number of elected and appointed members on each regional board will be fixed by order. The size of a fisheries region and the nature of the fisheries therein will be factors in deciding the membership of the board. The rules governing the elections will be laid down in regulations and I have in mind a system of panelling the various groups and allocating a specific number of seats to each panel according to its strength in each region. Pending the setting up of the system of elections the Minister will nominate all the members of the first regional boards but these boards will be replaced by elected boards within one year. It would not be practicable to hold elections straight away as trout, coarse fish and sea anglers must be given a reasonable period to register and pay the voluntary subscription so as to qualify to vote.
Initially the staff of the Inland Fisheries Trust will be transferred to the central board and the staffs of the boards of conservators to the regional boards. There is provision in the Bill for movement of staff between the central board and regional boards. I have provided that these transfers will not entail any worsening of remuneration or conditions of service for any person; neither will any superannuation allowances to which a person was entitled prior to his transfer be reduced.
The central and regional boards are enabled subject to the approval of the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry and that of the Minister for the Public Service to appoint such staff as are necessary to carry out their functions. I have included provision for the preparation of a staff scheme and a superannuation scheme by the central board for their staff and the staffs of regional boards. The staff scheme will provide for the regulation, control and management of staff and transfer of staff between boards, and will indicate the remuneration, tenure of office, qualifications for appointment and conditions of service in respect of different grades of staff. I consider that the introduction of more acceptable conditions of employment in the case of inspectors and waterkeepers engaged in the difficult task of developing and protecting our inland fisheries is an essential requirement for the success of the new structure.
Provision has also been made for the acquisition of fisheries and rights of way by agreement or compulsorily. These acquisitions will be subject to the payment of fair compensation and there is also provision for appeal against compulsory acquisitions. It is not envisaged that fisheries efficiently managed will be compulsorily acquired. While the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry is being empowered to sell fisheries or fishing rights vested in him, I do not intend to dispose of any fisheries owned by the State other than by way of transfer to the central board, if such transfer is considered desirable.
The main thrust I see coming from this Bill, is that of the increased emphasis which the Bill places on the development and expansion of our inland fisheries as distinct from the important work of protecting those fisheries which hitherto seems to have been the main objective.
As Deputies are aware, illegal fishing for salmon is one of the major causes of the serious decline in salmon stocks in recent years. Since 1975 landings of salmon have fallen each year from 2.1 million kilos in 1975 to 1.07 million kilos in 1979—a fall in catch of 49 per cent. Even more serious is the fact that the numbers of salmon reaching the spawning grounds are much reduced. Rivers that carried fine stocks of salmon at one time have been almost denuded of spawning stock. Every assistance will be given to the boards to stamp out illegal fishing and in this matter the boards will have the full support of the Garda and the Navy.
I have also included some new provisions in the Bill that will prove of great assistance in fishery protection. The most important of these is the increase of the penalties for fisheries offences to a realistic level. The Bill prescribes fines of up to £500 and/or six months in prison on summary conviction. For the more serious offences provision is made for trial on indictment and the penalty on conviction for such offences can amount to £2,000 and/or two years in prison.
It is provided also that the courts must disqualify any person convicted of a third or subsequent offence of a particular kind from holding a fishing licence for three years. I consider that it is only just that a fisherman should lose his licence if he flouts the law. The powers of protection staff at sea are also increased; they may now take to port a boat believed to have on board unlawfully caught salmon, detain the boat and its occupants until it is searched and use such force as is necessary in bringing the boat to port. I have included provisions which will enable a commercial fishing licence to be used only by the licensee or his nominee. This will help to eradicate the practice of transfer or sale of licences by licence holders and make the work of the protection staff that much easier.
The great potential of fish farming is recognised in the Bill. Briefly, the new provisions make it an offence to engage in aquaculture unless one holds the appropriate licence. The Bill enables an order to be made designating an area of the sea to be an area where aquaculture may be carried on, and licences may then be issued for the carrying on of aquaculture in that area. Such a designation order would be made following investigations, the prior publicising of the nature of the proposed order as prescribed in the Bill and, if necessary, a public inquiry. This procedure will obviate having to hold an inquiry in relation to the issue of individual licences. Implementation of the proposals in the Bill will, of course, require substantially increased expenditure. Perhaps I should better call this increased outlay investment rather than expenditure in view of the many ways the fisheries will benefit the economy.
At present those who benefit directly from inland fisheries development and protection—principally anglers and commercial fishermen—contribute by way of licence fees and fishery rates. The receipts from those sources are supplemented by an annual grant from the Exchequer. Obviously new sources of income must be found to meet a fair share of the greatly increased costs and greatly increased development envisaged.
To secure additional income the Bill provides for payment of a voluntary subscription by trout, coarse fish and sea anglers. This subscription will entitle them to registration in the Register of Trout, Coarse Fish and Sea Anglers and such registration will carry a vote in elections to boards. Quite apart from the financial side I consider this to be a very important provision of the Bill as it recognises the increasing importance of trout, coarse fish and sea angling and affords trout, coarse fish and sea anglers an opportunity to have a say on the boards which hitherto they were not afforded. The Bill also provides for the payment of a levy on the first sale of salmon which would be paid in most cases by salmon dealers or by hotels or restaurants.
I have no doubt that having regard to the development programme being implemented fishery interests will have no reservations about their contributions. Even so, while these provisions will provide increased revenue, the Exchequer will still have to bear the major burden of the cost. The Government gladly undertake this commitment knowing that, not only is the protection of our inland fisheries heritage an essential obligation, but that it also makes very sound economic sense.
Our inland fisheries provide very valuable employment in rural areas, particularly along the western seaboard. They provide exports of from £4 million to £5 million a year and add about £15 million every year to tourist earnings. What is particularly encouraging is that the opportunity exists for a considerable expansion of the resources available.
In conclusion I wish to pay tribute to the members of the Inland Fisheries Commission whose fine report formed the basis of this Bill, to the Council and staff of the Inland Fisheries Trust and to the members and staffs of the boards of conservators for their great work over the years in the development and protection of our fisheries. I recommend this Bill to the House.