Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 December 2013
15. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will indicate his intended position at the December Fisheries Council meeting in relation to member states that do not catch their total allowable catch in the nephrod fishery in Irish waters; and his views that it is sustainable that member states that are not active in a fishery should continue to receive a total allowable catch. [53135/13]
View answerThe annual fishing opportunities for the Community’s fishing fleets are traditionally agreed at the December Fisheries Council. This year, the arrangements for 2014 are due to be negotiated at the Council scheduled for 16th, 17th and 18th of December. The levels of Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and the quotas for Ireland will again be determined at that meeting following negotiations with Member States and the EU Commission.
The process of preparing for the Council has been under way since the publication of detailed proposals for TACs and quotas of key stocks of interest to Ireland on the 30th of October. The Commissions’ proposal for Nephrops in the Irish Sea was, however, only received on the 22nd of November. In preparing for the Council I have engaged in consultations, with the assistance of the Marine Institute and BIM, with the industry and other stakeholders here in Ireland as well as with other Member States in regard to stocks of common interest. I have also had direct engagement with the authorities in the UK, which involves Northern Ireland. The latter are particularly important when it comes to nephrops. There have also been protracted discussions in Brussels and these have continued this week in preparation for Council next week.
The Commission’s proposals are based on formal advice received from ICES, the independent international body with responsibility for advising on the state of fish stocks. It also takes account of the views of the (STECF) Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, which gives the Commission its views on the economic, technical and social impacts of the scientific advice.
Specifically with regard to nephrops, Ireland has stocks in both Area VI and Area VII. The latter is of vital importance to the Irish fishing industry and Commission proposal on the table is for a cut of 24% on the 2013 quota. In financial terms this would cost the Irish fleet over €10 million. The proposal appears to be based on a narrow interpretation of the ICES advice and does not take into consideration the fact that traditionally landings are significantly below the TAC. This is the second most important fishery to Ireland after mackerel, and I am not accepting such a drastic and unwarranted cut.
Under utilisation of quotas by some Member States is a fact, the effect of which is that actual landings have been at or below the scientific advice for a number of years. Given this, and allied with the over restrictive interpretation of the advice, reducing the TAC as proposed by the Commission is, in my view, unnecessary and overly precautionary. I will work closely with my UK colleagues to make the strongest possible case in order that the proposed level of reduction is not implemented.
