Vol. 491 No. 1
58 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources whether he has indicated any policy preference to the Central Fisheries Board or the Regional Fisheries Boards in regard to the development of the salmon fishing industry, with particular reference to wild salmon; the extent of his wishes in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11549/98]
My policy objective is to secure the future for salmon in its own right and in the economic interests of our rural and coastal communities which it supports.
A basic tenet of this policy is that the balance of advantage, on conservation, ecological and economic grounds, should lie increasingly with redirecting salmon exploitation towards the rivers and estuaries.
I have continued this year with the conservation measures recommended by the Salmon
Management Task Force including reduction in the prescribed maximum number of licences; reduction in sea fishing area for salmon from 12 to six nautical miles from the baselines; driftnet fishery at sea commencement date deferred to 1 June, and driftnet fishery commencement date deferred to 12 May and reduction of fishing time to four days per week, and day-only fishing for driftnets at sea.
I launched last February the technical report by the Marine Institute into the practical implementation of the quota based salmon management system recommended by the Salmon Task Force. I used that occasion to set out in detail my policy for the salmon resource which is designed to bring about incremental strategic change in conservation and management in the interests of the salmon resource and all the legitimate interests in that resource.
I am committed to moving ahead on our ambitious agenda for salmon, this year and beyond. My priority is to ensure that salmon and salmon habitats are protected and conserved in the face of a wide variety of threats to their viability. This priority is set in the context of a comprehensive programme of strategies which aim to deliver on the management, development and information needs of the resource in a cost efficient and effective way. I have stressed that progress will require the continued confidence and co-operation of all sides and acknowledge that the process of change is an incremental one. I have mandated the Central and Regional Fisheries Boards and the Department to work together on all the necessary strategies to deliver on my policy objectives for the salmon resource.
