Billy Timmins
Question:73 Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the position regarding the cod recovery plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22083/10]
View answerWednesday, 26 May 2010
Questions (66, 67, 68)
Written answers
New rules restricting fishing vessels' days at sea in the Irish Sea and the waters to the northwest of Ireland and Scotland have been introduced as part of the EU's revised Cod Recovery Plan set out in Council Regulation (EC) No. 1342/2008 and the TAC and Quota Council Regulation for 2010, 53/2010.
The plan has introduced a new system of effort management that sets effort ceilings (expressed in kilowatt-days) for groups of vessels or fleet segments. The management of these ceilings has been devolved to the national level. Member States have received annual allocations of fishing effort for the areas covered by the Plan, which include the Irish Sea (ICES area VIIa) and the waters to the northwest of Ireland and Scotland (ICES area VIa). The effort allocation levels were established by the EU Fisheries Council on the basis of an EU Commission proposal. They were calculated by averaging the fishing activity levels of each Member State in the areas during a reference period of 2004-2006 or 2005-2007 and then reducing that effort by 25% in respect of 2009 and a further 25% in respect of 2010. This methodology means there is now limited fishing effort available for all Community vessels, including Irish vessels, fishing in the designated areas.
Under the plan, each Member State is required to introduce a licensing regime to manage its effort allocations. Any vessel longer than 10 metres overall must have an authorisation from its Member State in order to operate in one of the designated areas using the fishing gears covered by the plan. Member States can decide on the method of allocating their national pools of fishing effort, which are broken down by fishing gear type.
A Steering Group has been established involving the Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF), The Irish Fishermen's Organisation (IFO) the Department and agencies to provide support to the industry in relation to the practical implementation of these new measures. This steering group meets regularly to assess and monitor the ongoing implementation of fishing effort in the specified areas. The Steering Group has recommended for each period a system of authorisations and allocations of fishing effort for the following periods:
1 February 2009 to 30 April 2009;
1 May 2009 to 30 October 2009;
1 November 2009 to 31 January 2010;
1 February 2010 to 30 April 2010.
A number of measures have been implemented which are intended to reduce Cod mortality in the areas. Firstly a seasonal closure (1 February 2010 to 31 March 2010 and 1 October 2010 to 31 January 2011) of an area locally known as the Cape in an area off the North West coast is being implemented in 2010; this is an important nursery area for juvenile Cod. Secondly a scheme has been implemented which piloted the use of Cod avoidance fishing gear, the Swedish Grid in the Nephrops (prawn) fishery in the Irish Sea. This gear has been tested by Bord Iascaigh Mhara in conjunction with vessel owners and has proven effective in reducing cod as a by-catch when targeting other species. These measures allow Ireland to "buy back" fishing effort for its fleet for 2010 under Article 13 of the Council Regulation.
In addition, an application has been made under Article 11 of the Council Regulation to exclude vessels with a track record of using the Swedish grid in the Nephrops fishery from the effort restrictions going forward. Ireland's application in this regard is being evaluated by the EU Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF). Vessel owners are encouraged to use the separator panel and the Swedish Grid as it is particularly effective in the avoidance of cod catches in the Nephrops fishery.
I will continue to work closely with industry representatives to ensure that the management arrangements for fishing effort put in place are best suited to the situation of the Irish fleet. I remain positive that these measures, which are significantly reducing fishing activity on cod stocks both in a directed fishery and where cod is found as a by-catch in other fisheries, will be effective in rebuilding cod stocks in both the Irish Sea and the north west.
Kieran O'Donnell
Question:74 Deputy Kieran O’Donnell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the position regarding the reopening of the bass fishery to commercial fishermen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22073/10]
View answer
Tom Sheahan
Question:82 Deputy Tom Sheahan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the position regarding the reopening of the bass fishery to commercial fishermen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22015/10]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 82 together.
The Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) has made a proposal to my Department concerning a limited Sea Bass fishery in the Celtic Sea. In the proposal, the FIF have stated that they will take a "precautionary approach to avoid any fishing whatsoever of the Irish inshore stock". The FIF has specifically proposed that vessels would be permitted to land only Sea Bass caught south of (51.30'N) in area VII, which is an area approximately 50 KM off the SE coast and adjacent to the SW coast of Ireland, this area extends 375Km south. The FIF proposal, having regard to the scientific advice that is available on the inshore stock, also provides that all fishing for sea bass should be prohibited inside the Irish 12 mile coastal limit until there is further assessment carried out to determine the state of the stock.
Irish vessels are currently precluded from landing Sea Bass under the Bass (Conservation of Stocks) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 230 of 2006) and the Bass (Restriction on Sale) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 367 of 2007). The complete ban for the commercial fishing of sea bass applies to Irish fishing vessels in all areas while the vessels of other EU Member States are permitted to fish for sea bass, other than within Ireland's 6 mile coastal zone where a complete ban applies. These regulations were introduced as a co-ordinated set of measures with the Sea Bass Fishing Conservation bylaws. The regime imposes a bag limit on anglers of two bass in any one period of 24 hours and a ban on angling for bass during the spawning season, from 15th May to 15th June in any given year. The key reasons for the introduction of these measures in 1990 was the dramatic decline of Sea Bass stocks in the 1970s, which together with the relatively late spawning age of Irish Bass meant that future bass stocks were in a poor state.
I recognise that this is a very complex issue which can have significant local and national impacts aside from commercial fishing, such as angling tourism and marine bio-diversity. Indeed, I am also conscious that a large number of continental and UK anglers visit Ireland every year for the sole purpose of Bass fishing. In order to understand the full impacts of this proposal, I have sought and received scientific advice from the Marine Institute in relation to the proposal by the FIF. Additionally I have sought and received the advice of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority in relation to control implications proposal, from the perspective of the regulation of such a fishery.
In relation to the proposal, Minister Killeen wrote to Minister Lenihan in the Department of Energy, Communications and Natural Resources, who has responsibility for inland fisheries, including Bass angling, seeking his views on this proposal and Minister Lenihan has provided those observations. I am currently considering the proposal together with the advice, observations and submissions made to date, in order to determine whether sufficient information is available in order to reach a determination on the matter.