Vol. 514 No. 2
36 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources his views on whether restrictions should be introduced in order that flagships and other foreign fishing vessels should land their catches between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday to ensure full scrutiny of their catches. [3563/00]
43 Mr. Sheehan asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the reason fishing vessels under the flag of convenience are allowed land their catch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights when Department fish inspectors are not on duty to monitor the landings in view of the fact Irish fishermen are not allowed the same conditions. [3590/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 36 and 43 together.
EU regulations on fisheries control require an EU fishing vessel proposing to land into a member state other than its flag state to give four hours advance notice to the relevant authorities in the country into which the landing is to take place. Third country fishing vessels are obliged to give 72 hours advance notice of proposed landings. In both cases the proposed port of landing and the time of arrival must be specified.
These advance notice requirements facilitate a rigorous and targeted scrutiny of landings by my Department's sea fisheries officers. Any further restrictions or requirements would have to be introduced in the context of a designated port scheme, applicable equally to Irish and other EU fishing vessels. While I have no immediate proposals in that regard, the position can be kept under review as part of ongoing work to ensure the optimal effectiveness of fisheries surveillance and control.
