Vol. 422 No. 1
1 Mr. G. O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Marine the reason a top level plan to swoop on lucrative illegal salmon fishing off the Donegal coast last week had been unexpectedly cancelled; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The role of the Naval Service while engaged on salmon protection duties is to provide aid to the civil authority, in this case the Garda Síochána and the regional fisheries boards. The Minister is satisfied that that arrangement works quite well at present and he has no proposals to alter it.
Under the Fisheries (Consolidation) Act, 1959, members of the Defence Forces, not below the rank of petty officer, are sea fisheries protection officers for the purposes of that Act while serving on board Naval Service ships. Accordingly, they have statutory authority to enforce the law in relation to sea fisheries. The primary responsibility for enforcing salmon legislation within 12 miles from baselines, however, rests with the various regional fisheries boards under the Fisheries Act, 1980.
The Naval Service involvement in support of the regional fisheries boards consists of providing a Naval Service Coastal Patrol Vessel, either LE Orla or LE Ciara, so that the regional fisheries board inspector can carry out his task of examining the licences and nets of salmon fishing vessels. A member of the Garda Síochána, not below the rank of sergeant, is also carried on board the naval vessel to ensure that the inspector is not impeded in the exercise of this duty.
The programme of salmon fishery patrols each year is planned in discussions involving the Department of the Marine, the Central Fisheries Board, the Garda Síochána and the Department of Defence, including the military and naval authorities. It is accepted by all concerned with the protection programme that patrol plans must remain confidential and flexible.
With regard to fishery protection duties generally, Naval Service personnel, in their capacity as sea fisheries officers, act on priorities specified by the Department of the Marine and, using intelligence gathered and experience gained over the years, plan and execute sea fishery protection patrols on an ongoing basis. These would include the implementation of the prohibition on fishing for salmon outside 12 miles from baselines which is enforced by the Naval Service on a year round basis as part of its routine patrol activities.
It would be inappropriate to comment on the day-to-day management of fisheries surveillance activities. By their very nature these activities require flexibility and an element of surprise for maximum effectiveness.
It is extraordinary that the Minister's response is practically the same as the response given by the Minister for Defence at Question Time on Tuesday. Will the Minister explain why a patrol to the north west on Friday last was suddenly cancelled without any warning and sent instead to the south-west? Last Tuesday I asked the Minister for Defence to give an explanation for this but I got no response from him. I was told that the Minister for the Marine would be taking Questions on Thursday and he would respond to the question at that time. The Minister of State has still not given an explanation. Why were the people on board the ship not given an explanation as to why this patrol was suddenly cancelled? I accept the point about confidentiality——
That should be adequate. Let us not forget the need for brevity at this time.
This is a serious matter——
I appreciate that, Deputy, but you have made your point.
Will any further light be thrown on this issue?
As I said in my reply, the patrol plans need to be kept confidential in order to be effective. I cannot tell the House where the Corvette is on any particular date; that information is not available.
It should be.
It should not be. It is a matter for the Central Fisheries Board. It may well be that somebody took a very intelligent decision on this occasion, because it appears there was no run of fish off the north-west coast during that period. As anyone who is familiar with salmon fishing off the north-west coast will know — I am sure my colleague in the House can confirm this — the run of fish in that area is around the time of bonfire night. A number of boats were apprehended and their own owners, who were brought before the courts today, were fined and had their nets confiscated.
May I——
A brief question, Deputy.
The Minister for Defence told me last Tuesday that patrols went to different areas on the instruction of the Department of the Marine. Am I now to take it that the Department of the Marine do not know the areas to which the patrols are sent and that someone further down the line, for example, the officer in charge or the Central Fisheries Board, makes the decision? The Minister for Defence indicated to me that the instructions are issued by the Department of the Marine.
We need to be extremely careful in regard to this matter. If this type of information were to be made available and a precedent set, Members could come in here every week and ask what precisely happened the previous week and what the plans were for the following week. This would defeat the purpose of protection.
Ceist a dó.
It is called accountability.
Someone has to be accountable.
Order. The next question, please.
It is a cover-up.
It is not a cover-up.
It looks like it.
The Department either do not know or do not care.
If the Deputy was to try to establish the landings in various areas, he would find that the fish left the north-west coast a few weeks ago and are probably off the coast of his county by now.
(Wexford): They are all off the coast of County Wexford now, on the River Slaney.
They want to make sure they get down the coast.
I am particularly pleased that all the Deputies from the west and south west coasts are so interested in protecting my constituency.
We are wasting precious time.
It is all about accountability.
I appreciate——
I have called the next question and the Chair will be respected in this matter.
