Deputy Dinny McGinley gave me notice of his intention to raise on the Adjournment the subject matter of job losses in Donegal South-West arising from the closure of the mackerel fishing season. Deputy McGinley has ten minutes at his disposal and the Minister has five minutes to reply.
Adjournment Debate. - Mackerel Fishing Season Closure.
Firstly, I should like to thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for facilitating me in raising this important matter for Donegal South-West on the Adjournment at this late hour. I should like to ask your permission to divide my time with our spokesperson on fisheries, Deputy Madeline Taylor-Quinn, and my constituency colleague, Deputy Mary Coughlan.
Is that satisfactory? Agreed.
It is generally accepted that the fishing industry is in a very bad and severely depressed state at present. We all know of the difficulties the people in this industry are operating under — for example, the difficulties they have with the granting of licences for fishing boats. I think it is true to say that very few, if any, licences are being granted at present. There is also the difficulty with the GRT, the gross registered tonnage, and very few grants are being allocated under the FEOGA scheme. In addition, our fishing fleet are subject to quotas both at EC level and with nationally imposed quotas.
The decision taken on Sunday last to close the mackerel fishing season at this early stage, almost eight weeks before the end of the year, was unprecedented and is another nail in the coffin of the fishing industry. Never before has this section of the fishing industry been closed so early in the year. The result of this decision is that the entire mackerel fishing fleet is tied up at piers in Killybegs and elsewhere and the fishermen are not allowed to go out to catch any more mackerel until January next year, weather permitting. Another result is that crew members will have no option but to sign on for the dole or other social welfare benefits between now and the commencement of next year's season. In addition, the many hundreds of people who are employed in the processing industry, crane drivers and other ancillary workers on shore, are laid off and they have to apply for social welfare payments. This is a disastrous blow for these people in the lead up to Christmas. Many of the families in south-west Donegal who have traditionally depended on this industry as a source of income for their families are going to have a very lean time indeed at Christmas.
A number of years ago — I think it was in 1985 — we had a similar discussion in the House when the mackerel season was closed well into the month of December. In fact, that debate was held on 11 or 12 December 1985. The reason the industry is being closed so early is because we are paying the price of the disastrous negotiations which were conducted on our behalf last year when we got what was probably the lowest quota ever. I warned at that time, and raised the matter in the House, about the serious implications of this low quota. The people of Donegal and those working in the processing industry are experiencing the difficulties which have been caused by these disastrous negotiations.
We cannot blame the fishermen, because they have co-operated in the management of the mackerel fisheries during the past year. Not alone did they subject themselves to EC quotas but they also subjected themselves to national quotas and helped to manage the fisheries as best they could. However, if a fisherman has only about 60,000-70,000 tonnes of a quota and he has a catching capacity of 150,000 tonnes he will end up in difficulties. The irony of this, and to rub salt into the wounds, is that the Dutch, the Scots, the Danes and the Norwegians are as busy as ever fishing for mackerel around our shores when our fishing fleet are tied up. This has serious implications for our markets, which we have worked hard to capture. The processors in Killybegs and Donegal, like those in other fishing districts, have spent a lot of time and money capturing markets abroad but they are left exposed to the Scots, the Dutch and the Danes. That is one of the long-term difficulties we will have to face.
The only alternative the fleet has is to go to the Rockall section for the remaining 2,000 tonnes of herring that is left. Indeed, it is hardly worth bringing them to the pier because the price is about £100 per tonne. We should remember that 2,000 tonnes would not give us one week's fishing with our catching capacity. We could ask our fishermen to go to the Celtic Sea, where some of the quota has not been caught, but there is no market for the fish from that sea because they are out of season. The fish caught there would not be an acceptable alternative for Japanese tastes.
The only solution is for the Minister and the Government to press immediately for a supplementary quota of at least 20,000 tonnes. That would keep the fishermen of Donegal and the mackerel fishermen at work. Moreover, it would keep those engaged in the processing industry in employment until the end of the year. There is a high rate of unemployment in Donegal and the people face more unemployment at this sensitive time of the year. Emigration is staring many of our people in the face. The common talk along the pier at Killybegs and in the factories of that town, in Meenaneary and Dunkinneely, in recent days is that their only hope is to work on the construction of the Channel Tunnel. I do not know what the Minister's attitude to that is, but perhaps, in a perverted way, he will look favourably on that solution because it would mean a reduction in the unemployment figures. We do not want the unemployment figures reduced by fishermen having to depart from our shores. Those people have been engaged in this industry for years and they should not have to emigrate.
This problem never arose so early in the season and in my view it is due to a lack of foresight by our negotiators in the last two years. We have the lowest quota ever and I appeal to the Minister to make an approach to the Commission to have our quota increased by 20,000 tonnes. There are rumours circulating in Donegal that the Minister plans to have the quota increased by 2,000 tonnes, but I wonder what he will be trading off for that concession. I should like to tell him that with our catching capacity an increase of 2,000 tonnes will keep our fishermen in work for one week.
I am sorry to have to tell Deputies Taylor-Quinn and Coughlan that their time is limited. They have three minutes.
I will give way to Deputy Coughlan.
It is unfortunate that we have such a short space of time to discuss this important matter. As a local Deputy, I should like to voice my concern about this issue. The fishermen, the processors and those who provide ancillary services are worried about this unprecedented stoppage in fishing. I realise that we have to be good Europeans and that we must work within the system, but I must impress upon the Minister my grave concern for an industry that is the only lifeline in my constituency. I will support the Minister in any effort he proposes to make to obtain an interim concession from the EC. He should do everything possible to allow the boats fish until the end of December. I am sure he will agree that seven weeks is a long time for fishermen to have to wait at a time when money is needed so desperately.
It is my hope that the Minister will be successful in his appeal to the EC. I do not wish to frustrate any negotiations that the Minister proposes having on the quota, but I hope he will be successful in his efforts. This is a serious matter for the fishermen and processors in Donegal. We are aware of the implications nationally and of the importance of adhering to EC regulations but there is no doubt that the quota is inadequate. It is because we are dealing with an emergency that there should be an increase in the quota to take us up to January, when the new quota system will be introduced.
This is the earliest that the mackerel season has closed for Ireland. The Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, in the House on 11 December 1985 complained about the inadequacy of an 80,000 tonne mackerel quota but now we have a quota of 69,000 tonnes. That is most unsatisfactory. The Minister must impress on the EC the problem being caused by the fact that the Dutch fleet continue to fish around our coast. They have a 30,000 tonne quota and a larger fishing fleet but it appears that they are being allowed to fish unhindered.
There is also concern among the fishing community that there is not proper supervision of our fishing waters. It appears that there is one law for Irish fishermen and another for fishermen from other member states. There is a need for a rigid policing of the quota system in all member states. The Minister must pursue that issue at EC level. The negotiations that have taken place to date have been unsatisfactory and the Irish case has not been put in a determined way. The Minister should as a matter of urgency visit Brussels and insist on the EC having another look at the quota system.
I should like to thank the Deputies for raising this important issue. It is a matter of great regret to me that European Community policy governing the exploitation of Community fish resources has forced the closure of the Irish western stock mackerel fishery at this stage. Once the Irish quota had been reached I had no alternative but to close the fishery. The need for this action stems, of course, from the unsatisfactory level of catch possibilities available to our fishermen resulting from the TAC and the quotas regime approved in Brussels in December 1988. It is nevertheless important to stress that fishery quotas, while somewhat unpalatable, are there essentially to protect the livelihood of fishermen. It should be remembered that the first and ultimate victims of any failure to have conservation measures will be the fishermen themselves.
In Brussels last year my predecessor — I reject the idea that he did not fight hard — was faced with an almost impossible task when pressing Ireland's case for mackerel quotas due to the unfavourable stocks at that time. I should like to assure Deputies that at this year's negotiations I shall endeavour, where the scientific evidence permits, to improve the catching possibilities of Irish fishermen. In particular, I will seek every opportunity to impress upon my European colleagues the vital importance of pelagic fisheries to Ireland and I will be looking for ways and means in which recognition can be given to this.
The House will be aware that when the total allowable catch is decided we get 21.3 per cent of that. That is the fixed amount and as soon as that weight of fish has been taken the fishery must close. The mackerel fishery has been subject to enormous pressures in recent years and if fish landings are to be improved effective conservation measures have to be in place throughout the entire fishery. The mackerel stock is now at risk and continuing conservation measures will be necessary to prevent its collapse. The recent experience of the Celtic Sea herring fishery demonstrated very clearly the disastrous consequences of over-fishing. This fishery, which was close to total collapse some years ago, has now recovered due almost entirely to positive conservation and control measures. The measures now being implemented in the mackerel fishery are designed to lead to a much healthier stock position in future years and, hopefully, restore this valuable fishery to its former level.
As mentioned by Deputies, another important aspect that needs to be addressed is the impact of reduced mackerel landings on the home processing sector. I have been very concerned to note that over the last few seasons the level of mackerel landings abroad by the Irish fleet has been increasing steadily with a consequent reduction in the quantities of fish available to our processors. In 1987 over 80 per cent of the mackerel catch was landed in Ireland, a bigger total allowable catch than for now. This has fallen to 50 per cent in the current year. To some extent this has been due to the change in the migratory pattern of the fishery. In the past the stock migrated to Norwegian waters in the summer months and moved south westwards to the Community waters in the autumn.
In recent years, however, this migration to Community waters has been unpredictable as the fish have tended to leave Norwegian waters later each year and consequently have spent less time in the traditional spawning areas of the Scottish and Irish coasts. This change in the pattern of the fishery has affected the Irish fishing fleet and led to a situation where it has become more economical to land a significantly higher proportion of the catch into Scottish and European ports to the detriment of the home processing industry. This problem of reduced landings is something I intend to address as a matter of urgency and I shall be consulting the industry well in advance of next season. I am determined to ensure that the maximum benefit of this fishery accrues to the Irish economy.