Vol. 478 No. 4
279 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for the Marine his understanding of the five most important issues of priority of Irish fishermen; the proposals, if any, he has for each of these issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11427/97]
The key priority issues for Irish fishermen are to ensure an economically viable future for the sector through sustainable exploitation of fish stocks by a fleet working to the highest achievable standards of operational and structural safety, and which is competitively placed to deliver consistency and quality of supply, at best achievable prices, to meet consumer and processing demand on domestic and export markets.
I am committed to working with the industry to deliver the required conservation, management, protection and investment strategies, and to maximise available fishing opportunities for the sector, to support these objectives, through necessary policy initiatives at national and EU level.
