asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry if he will make an up-to-date statement on the opening of the Celtic Sea for herring fishing in the coming season.
213.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Written Answers. - Celtic Sea Herring Fishing.
212.
asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry the possibility of opening the Celtic Sea to herring fishing; and the opinions that have been given to him by Irish experts regarding the herring there; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
217.
asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry the present stocks of herring estimated to be in the Celtic Sea; and the total allowable catch which biologists in his Department recommend.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 212, 213 and 217 together.
The advice given to me by my Department's fishery biologists is that the Celtic Sea herring stock has now recovered sufficiently to permit of a more extended fishery than the 1,000 tonnes at present allowed to Irish fishermen. It is a matter for the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the body which acts as scientific adviser to the EEC Commission on fishery matters, to estimate the present stock level and to make a recommendation in regard to a total allowable catch for the fishery. That body will be reviewing the up-to-date position in regard to this stock at a specially arranged meeting on 2 November in the light of the most recent information made available by my Department's scientists and I feel that ICES should agree that a more extended herring fishery can now be allowed to take place in the Celtic Sea this season without detriment to the long-term future of the stocks there.
Following my recent visit to Brussels the EEC Fishery Commissioner has undertaken to bring forward a new proposal immediately in accordance with any new advice from ICES and the Fisheries Council held on 25-26 October unanimously adopted a resolution proposed by me requesting the Commission to have this proposal before the Council at its next meeting which has now been fixed for 8-9 November 1982 with a view to having a decision taken in the matter at that Council.