Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 28 Jan 1998

Vol. 486 No. 1

Written Answers. - Horse Mackerel Quota.

Michael Finucane

Question:

229 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the action, if any, to be taken following his statement that he was looking at how members of the Fisheries Council had discriminated against Ireland in the allocation of a reduced horse mackerel quota for the first time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1491/98]

Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources (Dr. Woods):

Ireland won vitally important increases over EU Commission proposals for fishery quotas for 1998 at the recent EU Council of Fisheries Ministers on 18 and 19 December last. These included a 45,000 tonnes quota for valuable white fish species, a 19,180 tonnes quota for herring in the Celtic Sea, an increase of 12,600 tonnes over 1997 in the mackerel quota. In the case of horse mackerel, I secured a quota of 73,900 tonnes, i.e., some 26 per cent of the total available EU quotas.

The Deputy will be aware of my considerable dissatisfaction in the matter of the setting of quotas for the horse mackerel fishery by the Fisheries Council in December. The scope and appropriateness of follow up action has been under review in my Department since the start of the year. In that context the Attorney General has recently been requested to advise whether the Council decision on this matter was appropriately adopted and is legally valid. I will be considering, on receipt, the Attorney General's advice in the context of deciding on any appropriate next steps.