asked the Minister for the Marine if he was satisfied by Commissioner Cardosa E. Cunha's response to the needs of Irish fishermen on his visit here in July, 1987; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Needs of Irish Fishermen.
21.
The purpose of inviting the Commissioner to visit Ireland was to give him an opportunity to acquaint himself at first hand with the Irish fishing industry by visiting various fishing centres and having discussions with representatives of the industry. I was not expecting immediate solutions from the Commissioner on the various problems which were raised with him. However, I am satisfied that as a result of his visit he will have a better understanding of our particular problems and will take them into account when questions of interest to Ireland are being considered by the Commissioner in future.
I should like to ask the Minister to answer my question which related to the Commissioner's response to the needs of Irish fishermen. Top of that list must be the review of quotas, as I am sure the Minister is aware. Will the Minister not accept that while the Commissioner's visit was a pleasant affair it amounted to no more than a public relations exercise?
Absolutely not. The Deputy was present for part of the tour by the Commissioner and I am sure she will agree that it was a very extensive tour. We took him on a tour of our fishing ports where he had discussions with the various interests, from fishermen to processors and those involved in aquaculture. He had numerous meetings at the different centres. We brought to his attention some of the important issues that concern our fishing industry. For example, we raised the issue of the flag of convenience and pointed out to him that that arrangement was damaging our fish stocks. Already the Commissioner has given us a positive indication of the willingness of the Commission to deal with that issue. Overall the visit of the Commissioner was worthwhile and will have long term benefits for the industry.
Was the Minister satisfied with the response of the Commissioner to our call for increased quotas?
I was perfectly satisfied with the response of the Commissioner to our call for increased quotas. The Deputy will be aware that the purpose behind the quota system is to preserve a limited stock and ensure that it is exploited in a rational way which will be fair to all member states. Arising out of the strict conservation regime which we follow there is now some evidence of an increase in stock which will lead to an increased TAC and quota for us. The Commissioner was pleased to be able to see at first hand the efforts we are making in regard to this.
The Minister will recall that he said there will be no increase in quota — the TAC is a different matter in that it depends on the scientific egg sueveys — until 1992 and, possibly, not after that.
He did not say that.
That was confirmed by his director general in the Minister's presence.
The Commissioner did not say that and no Commissioner could make that statement because the quota will be determined to a large extent by the scientific evidence supporting increased stocks. As a result of tight conservation measures stock increases, and when that occurs the quota will increase significantly.