Vol. 511 No. 5
6 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the number of flagships fined for log book infringements, retention of undersized fish and failure to make entry or exit reports for the period October 1998 to October 1999; and if his attention has been drawn to whether any of the vessels had their licences revoked in their country of registry. [24659/99]
A total of 18 fishing vessels registered in other countries were detained by the Irish authorities in the period 1 October 1998 to 31 October 1999. The detentions arose from suspected fisheries offences which included log-book infringements, illegal fishing, retention on board of undersized fish and failure to make mandatory reports. Fines and forfeitures ranging from £75 to £137,365 were imposed by the courts in 16 cases. One vessel was released without charge and a formal written warning was issued in another case.
Revocation of a fishing vessel's licence would, primarily, be a matter for the authorities in the country of registry, and I have no information that any licence has been revoked. I have, however, in keeping with the commitment to close co-operation, liaison and information exchange on fisheries monitoring and control with other countries, directed my Department to ensure that any convictions before the Irish courts are brought to the attention of the relevant authorities in a vessel's country of registry.
Does the Minister agree that 16 is a large number of vessels? It is estimated there are 150 flagships. What is the Minister's opinion of the remarks of a prominent member of the Naval Service regarding surveillance and the resources the service possesses? He equated the sea area under Irish jurisdiction as the equivalent of having two patrol cars for the entire country. Does the Minister agree that even though 16 vessels have been caught, there are many other vessels taking a chance and getting away with it?
It is a large area to police, there is no question about that. We are spending a large amount of money on it. For a country like Ireland with such a large economic area to patrol, it becomes a burden. The EU is providing additional funds for the Naval Service which does the work. A new vessel costing £20 million was acquired recently.
There is, however, a difficulty. Five of the vessels detained were registered in France, six in the UK, including two Spanish vessels registered there, three in Norway, two in Belgium and two in Spain. In that group there were two flagships.
I recognise Norway is outside the European Union. Has the EU examined the effective system used there for surveillance of vessels fishing in Norwegian waters and the success it has had?
The Norwegians have been successful and it is of interest to us. They have the advantage that they work within their own compass and they can regulate their own area. We are dealing with EU member states and there have to be agreed regulations. We are doing a number of things which simulate the Norwegian system. The weighbridge in the sea is important – ships have to report when they enter one of the ICES segments and have to report what quantities they have when they leave. That creates a new situation because they can be checked more readily.
Satellite monitoring will be introduced on 1 January. While it will take some time for the system to become fully effective, it is expected that will be helpful in tracking vessels. It is, however, an area which needs considerable attention and I hope to give it such attention. We have pressed for the measures now being taken by the EU.
