Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 11 Apr 2001

Vol. 534 No. 4

Adjournment Debate. - Marine Safety.

Mr. Sheehan

I warn the Minister of impending loss of life at sea, if he does not consider the request I make tonight and the request that has been communicated to him by the Commercial Salmon Fishermen's Association and the Irish Salmon Fishermen's Association for the introduction of safety days during the salmon fishing season of June and July. Safety days for salmon fishermen is practised in other restricted fisheries along the American and Canadian coastline and is working well to the benefit of salmon fishermen in that part of the Atlantic Ocean. Safety days are allowed at the end of the season to compensate for the days lost as a result of weather conditions which prohibit fishing vessels going to sea. They are of vital importance in protecting the lives of fishermen in small craft.

In 1990, the Department of the Marine reduced the length of the salmon fishing season from 85 days to 32 days. The wild salmon fishing season is now confined to the months of June and July compared to March to July, inclusive, under the old regulations that pertained prior to 1990. In terms of workable hours, the reduction is from 1,920 hours in 1990 to 384 in 2001 – a reduction of 80% in the fishing period for wild salmon along the Irish seaboard.

The Cork Commercial Salmon Fishermen's Organisation has warned of the possible consequences of the current policy. It is becoming extremely difficult for the commercial salmon fishermen to survive on 20% of the season they originally had when one allows for engine breakdowns, bad weather, etc. Unfortunately, this shortfall in the salmon season is forcing fishermen to go to sea in dangerous weather conditions which will, undoubtedly, result in a fatal tragedy sooner rather than later.

I am sure the Minister is aware that the majority of craft engaged in salmon fishing range from 16 foot open punt boats to 30 foot half deck fishing boats. Salmon fishermen, due to the short season, have no option but to go to sea to make a living even when they realise there is a real danger to themselves, their crews and their craft.

With the incoming introduction of the new log book and tagging scheme for salmon boats, it would be quite feasible for the Minister to introduce the concept of safety days as this could be noted in the log book of each salmon fishing craft. If steps are not taken by the Minister's Department to immediately introduce safety days at the end of each salmon fishing season, disaster could occur to the people operating same. In the event of a tragedy, God forbid, the blame will lie fairly and squarely at the feet of the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources and his Department who now have the power to rectify this problem. I urge the Minister to act on my request before it is too late. I hope he will treat my request on behalf of the Irish salmon fishermen operating around our coastline favourably and introduce the safety days policy into the salmon fishing period forthwith.

I am sorry the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resource or the junior Minister is not here tonight. However, I know the Minister of State, Deputy Coughlan, is a very good represen tative for them. She comes from a good fishing constituency and county, Donegal, which is similar to my constituency of South West Cork and Counties Cork and Kerry. I know only too well that she realises the potential danger facing those salmon fishermen in their small crafts being tossed about in the wild Atlantic Ocean when trying to make a living out of salmon fishing which is seriously restricted at the moment.

Ms Coughlan

I thank the Deputy raising this important issue. It gives me the opportunity to deal with the issue of safety days for commercial salmon fishermen and to update the House on salmon management policies generally. The Salmon Management Task Force, which reported in 1996, identified as a major and critical element of salmon management strategy sharing the resource in a manner which is fair and balanced between all legitimate interests. The task force identified the following legitimate interests: the spawning escapement; the legal commercial fisheries; the recreational rod fishery; and the wider community, including tourism interests.

The Minister agreed with the analysis of the task force which informed him of the principal policy objective of increasing returns of salmon, thus enhancing the availability of stocks for tourism and domestic sport angling to the national benefit.

Following the publication of the task force report the following salmon conservation measures were introduced to reduce the commercial fishing effort on salmon and improve the spawning escapement: a reduction from five days per week to four days per week for commercial salmon fishing; a ban on night time fishing; a restriction of fishing to within six nautical miles from the coast; a restriction of the drift net fishery to the months of June and July, and a deferral of the commencement of draft netting until 12 May.

As part of this package of measures, the prohibition on the use of monofilament drift nets was lifted.

The task force noted that each year requests are made for extensions to the fishing season and it expressed the view that an extension could only be considered in the overall context of the introduction of quotas. The request for the granting of safety days has been made by the Irish Fishermen's Organisation. The rationale is to maintain the 32 day season by allowing extra days at the end of the season to compensate for days lost through bad weather and other factors. This would reduce the pressure on fishermen to go out in adverse conditions in the industry's view.

The Minister is aware others would take the view that the granting of safety days would in effect amount to a back door extension of the commercial fishing season and an increase in the level of commercial fishing effort. He has asked his Department to examine the case made by the commercial fishermen taking all perspectives into account and will also invite the salmon commission to consider and advise on the IFO request. I will also bring to the Minister's attention the Deputy's proposals regarding his concerns in the south.

As Deputies will be aware, shortly after coming into office, the Minister established the National Salmon Commission. The commission has the function of assisting and advising in relation to salmon conservation and management. The commission consists of a chairman and 20 other members. These members are representative of all the stakeholders in salmon, that is, the commercial sector, the recreational angling sector, the aquaculture sector and processors. It also includes the fisheries boards, the Marine Institute and the ESB.

The commission gave positive advice regarding the introduction of a wild salmon carcass tagging scheme and settled the regulations for the scheme in its first months of operation. The scheme commenced in January of this year and it will provide information on the catch of fish by the commercial and recreational fishing sectors. The management information provided by the tagging programme will help to quantify salmon in a new way and together with the national fish counter programme will inform future salmon conservation and management strategies. The immediate priority has been to secure the co-operation of all players in the tagging and counting of wild salmon and the Minister has moved to clarify the operation of the tagging scheme to keep the focus on the counting of fish caught by all sectors.

As stated previously in this House, tagging is not an end in itself – it is a means to an end – which is decision making based on real and comprehensive information. There are a range of complex challenges facing the salmon resource and the Minister has asked the salmon commission to give analysis and advice on the following key priorities – expanding and upgrading the national fish counter programme, enhanced spring salmon conservation strategies, catchment management strategies, the water quality chal lenge, incentivising reduction of commercial fishing effort and predation. At its most recent meeting the commission agreed to recommend a range of measures for the conservation of spring salmon which will be forwarded to the Minister shortly.

It is important that all sectors play their part where catch and escapement data show that stocks are under threat. No sector can be relieved of the obligation to reduce their share of mortality on salmon in catchments at risk. In this regard the process of catchment management has an important role to play in bringing together all the local fisheries and other interests which have a stake in a particular river catchment. Under the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1999, the fisheries boards have been given the function of organising together with local interests the voluntary development of inland fisheries catchment management plans.

A number of these plans have been developed in the regions and significant additional funding has been made available to support them. The Minister has encouraged the fisheries boards to work together with local angling clubs and associations which have a particular role to play in the sustainable management and development to the public benefit of inland fisheries.

Within the catchment management process there are already in operation voluntary pilot schemes for the reduction of commercial fishing effort. The Department has also received a proposal for a salmon nets set-aside on the River Blackwater for 2001-05. The proposal has been prepared by the Southern Regional Fisheries Board with the co-operation of local stakeholders. The proposal is for the set-aside of up to 81 drift nets and six snap nets. The Department is in ongoing discussions with the southern board regarding this catchment based proposal. I will bring the Deputy's concerns, with which I wholeheartedly empathise, to the attention of the Minister.

The Dáil adjourned at 10.25 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 12 April 2001.