Written Answers - Fisheries Council.
Eamon Gilmore
Question:
21
Mr. Gilmore
asked the
Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources
the matters, if any, he expects to be considered at the December Fisheries Council; the issues, if any, he will seek to have addressed at the Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[22242/97]
I am glad to have the opportunity to brief the House on the forthcoming Fisheries Council. The critical item on the agenda next week will be the annual negotiations on the total allowable catches. The EU Commission has tabled its proposals for 1998 in light of latest scientific recommendations and assessments of the state of the stocks.
The detailed scientific advice in relation to a number of fish stocks is extremely pessimistic. The Commission has followed the advice in its own recommendations for significant cuts in the TACs of most stocks in order to let the stocks build back up or even to prevent collapse. The context within which we are working to maximise Irish fishing possibilities next year is therefore very difficult. I am working closely with the fishing industry, which has been fully briefed on the proposals, to negotiate the best possible deal for Ireland in the Council. My overall objective in these difficult and tough negotiations will be to maximise the fishing possibilities for Ireland next year, while ensuring that conservation objectives are met through the setting of sustainable TACs, geared to protecting the long-term viability of stocks. Council will have to seek to strike the right balance between biological and economic imperatives that is to secure the future of stocks while providing realistic economic opportunities for the fishing industry next year. The achievement of the balance will be very difficult.
Other major items on the agenda are proposals for the allocation, for the first time, of national quotas for horse mackerel and bluefin tuna. First time allocation of quotas is usually based on the relative track record of each member state, over a number of years. Since the allocation key will stand for future years, it is therefore critical that Ireland gets the best achievable allocation first time around. Ireland has a significant catch record over recent years in the horse mackerel fishery but does not have any significant recorded catches of bluefin tuna.
The horse mackerel fishery is increasingly important for the pelagic segment of the fishing industry and I will be seeking a quota for Ireland to reflect our catch trends. It is also, however, a very important fishery for a number of other member states who will equally be fighting to get the best possible deal for their fishermen. There will be a very tough battle at Council to maximise the share for Ireland.
In relation to bluefin tuna, the position is that the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas has recommended a 25 per cent reduction on catches of bluefin tuna to protect stocks. It is against this background that a first time share out of this stock in Community waters will be discussed. While we do not have any real track record to date for bluefin tuna to support an individual quota for Ireland, there is a growing level of interest in the industry in this high value fishery reflected in a pilot programme of technology transfer with Japanese interests last summer. I intend to pursue at Council the setting aside of a reasonable "unallocated" quota which would allow several member states including Ireland without individual quota to fish against this unallocated quota. There will doubtless be strong opposition in Council, from member states with significant track records, to the setting aside of any "unallocated" quota but we will be working with likeminded member states to overcome this opposition.
The agenda for Council will also include a formal signing off on the EU Norwegian fisheries agreement for 1998. The annual negotiations with Norway concluded last week. The 1998 overall mackerel TAC has been set at 484,000 tonnes which gives Ireland an additional 10,000 tonnes next year. This is good news for the Irish pelagic fleet. In addition, under sustained pressure by Ireland, Norway's share of the blue whiting stocks in western waters has been cut by 10,000 tonnes for 1998. This will give scope for the Irish industry to further develop this promising fishery in 1998. I am satisfied that we have achieved a good deal for Irish fishermen in these negotiations. The industry representatives have welcomed the package which will certainly improve the outlook for the Irish pelagic catching and processing industry next year.
This will be a tough Council and I do not underestimate the difficult challenges of delivering on our objective to maximise fishing opportunities for 1998 for the Irish industry. As I have said I am liaising very closely with the industry on our negotiating stance. The House can be assured of my full commitment to getting the best deal possible for the Irish fishing industry next week.
