Vol. 560 No. 1
561 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will make a statement on the arrest of the Castletownbere trawler, The Ardent, on 22 January 2003; and his views on whether the current regulations governing the Irish fleet are unfair and in contrast to the opening up of further sections of our waters to foreign fleets. [2009/03]
I know the Deputy will appreciate that it would be completely inappropriate for me to comment on matters being dealt with in the courts. In relation to the general issue raised, the position is that the establishment of annual total allowable catches, TACs, and quotas are part of the EU structure for the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fish stocks. These are agreed by Council and their implementation is a legal obligation on member states. In relation to the Irish Box, I am working intensively at EU level to seek changes to the Commission proposal for western waters to provide for the continuation of the Irish Box as a conservation zone with continued restrictions on fishing effort within the box.
