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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 25 Oct 1989

Vol. 392 No. 2

Written Answers. - Schull (Cork) Port.

35.

asked the Minister for the Marine if he will take immediate steps to have Schull, County Cork designated as a landing port for herrings this year and in future years.

To explain the background to the designation of ports let me clarify the objectives for the Celtic Sea herring fishery.

My primary objective is to establish a regime of management which can protect the livelihood of fishermen from over-fishing and consequent collapse of the stock. This happened in the recent past and led to the closure of the fishery for a number of years.

My secondary objective is to ensure that with available quotas the fishery is conducted in a fashion that maximises the amount and duration of sustainable income and employment in fishing and fish processing. It is against this background that my Department met representatives of fishing organisations in an effort to agree a regime for management of the Celtic Sea herring.

Designating ports of landing is, as I have explained, an integral part of effective management regimes. Unfortunately the different interests representing the industry could not agree on the ports which should be designated. I thus chose six ports — Castletownbere, Dunmore East, Cobh, Dingle and Baltimore: Fenit is designated from 22 October to 4 November 1989.

I regret that it was not possible to designate more ports on the south coast, but this would make management considerably less effective, and the future of fishing interests considerably less secure. I have no plans at this stage to approve landings of Celtic Sea herring in Schull between now and Christmas. This is in line with the general trend where the herring stocks move eastwards and fishing during December-January is concentrated off Dunmore East and possibly Cobh. My Department would be happy to examine any agreed alternative ports to those designated on the south coast that may be suggested and agreed by representative industry groups.

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