Vol. 476 No. 4
163 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Marine his views on whether twin rigger trawlers are unsuited to fishing in the Irish Sea in view of the declining stocks and the unsustainable and rapid depletion which this fishing technique causes; and the measures, if any, he proposes to take in order to protect stocks and the livelihoods of the less predatory trawlers in the Irish Sea. [7308/97]
A number of EU member states, including the United Kingdom, have entitlements to fish in the Irish Sea. All vessels fishing in Irish waters are subject to Community fisheries legislation. The scope which a member state has to impose additional restrictions on fishing methods is limited to its own national fleet. As twin rigging is permissible under Community fisheries provisions, if the Irish Government were to introduce additional restrictions on fishing methods they would only apply in respect of Irish vessels. The method is not commonly used in the Irish fleet.
Twin-rigging, together with other matters of a technical nature relating to fishing gear, is the subject of ongoing discussion at EU level and bilaterally between Ireland and the UK.
The Department of the Marine works closely with the UK fishery authorities on the introduction of conservation measures to safeguard and regenerate Irish Sea stocks in order to preserve a sustainable livelihood for the fishermen who fish in those waters.
Most recently both the Irish and UK authorities have introduced a requirement that all prawn trawls must have square panels which allow immature white fish to escape. This measure is aimed to substantially reduce discards in the prawn fishery.
