First, let me convey the apologies of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Simon Coveney, who cannot be here this evening to take this debate as he is involved in CAP negotiations in Luxembourg.
I am conscious, as we speak today about the fishing sector in Waterford and the south east, that this has been a particularly difficult few weeks for the fishing community of that region. The shock of the recent tragedy was felt not just in the south east itself but throughout the country. I know that all of us here today offer our sincere sympathy to the families and loved ones of those involved.
Recent years have seen improvements in some of the key stocks subject to quotas exploited by fishermen in the south east. Of particular interest to fishermen in the Waterford and south east region is the positive news regarding increased stock levels for Celtic Sea herring. This was brought about by the close co-operation between local fishermen, processors and others under the umbrella of the Celtic Sea Herring Management Advisory Committee. This stock is now in a good state and provides an excellent example of the benefits to be reaped from long-term management plans for fisheries, utilising best scientific advice. The management plan has led to the stock recovering from the previous downward trend and a healthy sustainable fishery for the future.
In the wider context, as the Senator will be aware, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine recently led discussions as part of Ireland's Presidency of the EU which concluded in an agreement to reform significantly the EU's Common Fisheries Policy, CFP. I congratulate Deputy Coveney on this outstanding achievement. The reforms agreed place the concept of long-term sustainability at the core of future fisheries management policy and will, in time, lead to increased fish stocks in Irish waters, providing a more sustainable living for all our fishermen. The new CFP model of fisheries management will see an end to discards and introduce a fisheries management system based on the principle of maximum sustainable yield, MSY. The increases in Celtic Sea herring, mentioned already, provide an excellent example of why we need to ensure that these types of fisheries management arrangements become the norm so that we can ensure a viable living for our fishing communities in the future.
A previous Government, in response to a recommendation of the independent salmon group, made a decision to close the Waterford Estuary as a salmon fishery in 2006 due to serious concern at declining stock levels. The salmon hardship scheme, a fund of €25 million, was subsequently introduced to address the hardship likely to be experienced by commercial salmon fishermen affected by the Government decision. A community support scheme was also put in place. This initiative focused primarily on communities where commercial salmon fishing was a well-established activity and where its withdrawal demonstrably impacted on the economic and social fabric of the area. Salmon stocks in Ireland are managed on an individual river basis because each river contains a genetically distinct stock.
Responsibility for the wild salmon stocks rests totally with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has no role in the management of the salmon stock. I am advised by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources that Waterford Estuary is closed to commercial fishing as the estuary would contain migrating fish from each of the three tributary rivers, namely the Suir, Nore and Barrow. It also advises that the river Barrow stock is below its scientifically established conservation limit. Thus, it is only when all three rivers are above their individual conservation limits and generating a sufficient surplus to safeguard stocks that the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources considers that a commercial fishery in the estuary area can be responsibly contemplated. Annual assessments of each river, including the Barrow, are carried out by the independent standing scientific committee for salmon which advises the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources on management measures.
Commercial fishing by Irish vessels of sea bass has been prohibited since the early 1990s because of serious concerns about the state of this slow-growing stock around Ireland's coast. The European Commission has not yet advised if it intends to pursue a total allowable catch, TAC, and quota regime for sea bass for 2014. The Minister will continue to press Ireland's case at every opportunity at EU level, including at EU Fisheries Council meetings where the issue is discussed, and will consider management arrangements for sea bass when, and if, the council decides on TACs and quotas for the relevant stocks.
Specific responsibility for eel management rests with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The European eel is now officially classified as an endangered species following significant decreases in stock levels in recent years. Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI, advises that continued research is required to determine population levels in Ireland and the results of this research will inform any future decisions on the question of the re-opening of this fishery. The research priority now is to continue the eel tagging studies undertaken in 2012 into 2013 in areas such as the Waterford Estuary. The IFI has indicated that if further eel survey work is required after the tagging programme, it will again consider a role for fishermen in that context. The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has advised that the situation will be reviewed again by 2015 as required by the EU regulation, based on monitoring during the three year review period and on the latest available advice. An essential part of Ireland's eel management plan is that the eel fishery remains closed during the review period to protect this iconic species which is now on the UN's red list of endangered species.
Looking towards future investment in the south and east areas, axis 4 of the European Fisheries Fund, EFF, is an EU initiative for the sustainable development and improvement of the quality of life in fisheries areas. The Irish Government has chosen small fishery communities as the target for its programme and Bord lascaigh Mhara has been tasked with supporting its implementation. In this regard, BIM has identified six coastal regions around which to develop strategies for small fishery communities. In each of these communities a local fishery action group is established to help both develop a fishing community strategy and make decisions as to how the funds may to be spent. Public funds of approximately €1.5 million will be available for the programme period remaining, reflecting the start-up status of the local fishery action groups which were established in 2012. This will fund activities by the groups to foster economic development and diversification in traditional fishing communities around the coast. Allocation of the funding will be demand-led, but an indicative amount of around €250,000 will be available to each group up to the end of 2015. The Fishery Local Action Group, FLAG, south east delivers on the axis 4 for counties Wicklow, Wexford and Waterford, including the Waterford Estuary.
The south east FLAG is a multi-sectoral partnership of 15 people. Delivery and administrative support of the EFF axis 4 programme by the south east FLAG is facilitated by Bord lascaigh Mhara. Following months of preparation, the south east FLAG, along with BIM, will launch the group's strategy for the economic development of the fishery communities in the south east, including the Waterford Estuary. This event will take place on Friday, 28 June in Dunmore East.
Over the course of the implementation period from 2013 to 2015 the south east FLAG will implement the strategy, including providing grant support to projects that achieve the strategic goals and objectives set out. In addition, BIM continues to support fishermen and the processing sector through a suite of measures contained in the EU co-funded operational programme.
It is important that Ireland's fisheries continue to be responsibly managed, with the principles of conservation and sustainability being central elements. This will enable stock levels to rise and ultimately provide a more sustainable living for fishermen. The success of Celtic Sea herring management shows us how effectively stock management measures can work to deliver real tangible benefits to coastal communities. The new CFP reforms will, in time, usher in a new era of more sustainable fishing with the views of fishermen being central to the process. The closure of salmon fisheries was necessitated by declining stocks but this situation is kept under review and is designed to ensure that stock levels recover in future years. Developments relating to other fisheries such as sea bass and eels at EU level will be monitored and discussed at EU Council as they arise, with Irish interests vigorously represented at all times by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The FLAG schemes being put in place by BIM will assist small local coastal communities, in particular, with local communities directly involved in the process.
