asked the Minister for Tourism, Fisheries and Forestry if he is satisfied that fish quotas available for Irish fishermen will be fully taken up and if he will make a statement on the matter.
40.
Written Answers. - Fish Quotas.
33.
asked the Minister for Tourism, Fisheries and Forestry the reason the quota of cod available for Irish fishermen has not been fully taken up; and if he will make a statement on the recent quota exchanges which he has made with the United Kingdom authorities.
I propose to take Question Nos. 33 and 40 together.
I expect that generally speaking our quotas will be fully taken up this year with the exception of cod and whiting. Under exchange arrangements possible under the Common Fisheries Policy it is open to us to exchange some of our unused quotas for species in which our own quotas fall short of our requirements as was done last year and this year for mackerel.
Cod is taken by our vessels as a by-catch and so the catches are unpredictable. The recent exchange in area VII was initiated by the UK authorites whose own quota had run out and who offered in exchange a quantity of a species for which our quota had run out. Exchanges are not done on a strict weight basis but rather on the relative commercial value of the various species involved.