Vol. 518 No. 6
66 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the steps being taken to deal with the problem of flags of convenience vessels in Irish waters; the discussions, if any, he has had with EU Commissioner Fischler on this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12922/00]
At my meeting with Commissioner Fischler on 28 March, one of the main areas of discussion centred on the need to ensure compliance with the rules by all EU fishing fleets. As the Deputy may be aware, the rules have been tightened by virtue of the new EU fisheries control regulations which came into force last year. The regime now in place allows for enhanced inspection and monitoring arrangements for flagships. I believe that the specific requirement whereby flagships must provide at least four hours notice of intent to land into ports other than those of their flag state will prove to be a very effective measure.
At this juncture, the primary focus must be towards ensuring that the rules are effectively enforced by all member states. The Commissioner shares my determination to deal with the problem and I can assure the Deputy that Ireland's fisheries protection services at sea and on land are rigorously monitoring and controlling flagship activities in the Irish zone.
With regard to the many clashes at sea and damage done to Irish vessels, particularly by Spanish vessels, does the Minister agree that the main problem arises ships under flags of convenience? I agree that improvements have been made but what further improvements does the Minister envisage to deal with the long standing problem of ships under flags of convenience using Irish ports to fish unlawfully and to cause havoc to our own fishing fleet?
The primary problem with regard to flagships arises from the difficulty of ensuring that these vessels are not over-fishing the quotas available to them. For this reason our concern is to eliminate the illegal activities of flagships through effective controls. The introduction of satellite monitoring, the new EU control regulation which came into force in July 1999 and the higher level of boardings by the Naval Service will all combine to counteract any illegal activity by flagships. The new requirement under the EU control regulation that flagships should give four hours notice will be particularly helpful.
It is difficult to say if the problem is caused by flagships. I do not have sufficient information to say whether it is or not. I can say that between 1 January and 30 April 2000, there were 391 boardings and 18 detentions. We are monitoring the activities of those ships very carefully and we will continue to monitor the situation carefully.
In view of the substantial number of boardings and inspections carried out by the Naval Service, was the information compiled as a result of those inspections brought to the attention of Commissioner Fischler at his recent meeting with the Minister?
First, may I clarify that of the 18 detentions, six were of flagships.
We did not go into that detail during my meeting with Commissioner Fischler. However, we are carefully monitoring the activities of flagships. There is close liaison and sharing of information on fishery control, including flagships, between ourselves and the UK authorities. This has contributed to a general tightening of the regime.
I fail to comprehend how the Minister thinks that the four hours notice of landing can be effective when from 6 p.m. on Friday until 9 a.m. on Monday there are no fishery inspectors in Castletownbere or in any other fishery harbour to monitor landings by those vessels. They are at liberty to land as much fish as they like between 6 o'clock on Friday evening and 9 o'clock on Monday morning. If the Minister were to traverse the roads of west Cork during any weekend he would see huge articulated lorries packed to the brim, leaving for the continent.
The Government promised to seek the banning of flagships in the programme for Government. In the interim programme this promise was deleted. I believe that seeking the banning of flagships is no longer the intention of the Government.
At the meeting between the previous Minister, Deputy Woods, and Ms Loyala de Palacio, the Spanish Fisheries Minister, closer co-operation was promised with regard to the monitoring of flagships, of which 415 fish in Irish waters. How successful has that monitoring been and have the Spanish kept to their commitment? Has the Government received any feedback from the Spanish authorities regarding the success of their monitoring?
As is clear from the figures I have given – there have been 18 detentions, including six flagships – the monitoring has been very successful. It is accepted however that it can be more effective and we are striving all the time to improve on it. I have to be honest – Deputy Sheehan always seems to be able to catch me out – I do not know whether there is monitoring between Friday evening and Monday morning in Castletownbere. We have a small team of inspectors who work very hard. We are trying to ensure there is effective monitoring. I will establish for the Deputy whether they work between Friday and Monday.
There are 300 fisheries inspectors in Spain.
