Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 December 2013
199. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the degree to which conservation measures already adopted in the context of the Common Fisheries Policy or otherwise continue to improve fish stocks in traditional Irish fishing waters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53588/13]
View answerThis Department’s recent Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) summarises the pressure on the 59 stocks dealt with in the 2013 Stock Book and compares with the same evaluation presented last year. While there has been some improvement in the status of some fish stocks, others remain a concern.
The newly reformed Common Fisheries Policy prioritises conservation measures and environmental issues and implements the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management to ensure the negative impacts of fishing activities on the marine ecosystem are minimised, it also endeavours to ensure that aquaculture and fisheries activities avoid the degradation of the marine environment.
The SIA also notes that the activities of the fleet have other impacts on the wider marine ecosystem. Greater efforts are necessary to achieve a more harmonious and eco-friendly interaction with the broader environment and to support compliance with European Environmental Directives.
As a general principal Ireland is committed to having Total Allowable Catches set at levels that can produce Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) by 2015, where possible and by 2020 at the latest, this is consistent with the newly reformed Common Fisheries Policy reform. A core objective of the Common Fisheries Policy is to "ensure exploitation of living aquatic resources that provides sustainable economic, environmental and social conditions". Under the ongoing reform of the CFP, the goal of attaining fishing mortality rates that are consistent with delivering maximum sustainable yield by 2015 has been set. While achieving this through the regulation of catches (TACs) may be relatively straight-forward in the context of a single species fishery; in multi-gear, multi-species and multi-fleet fisheries using single species, TAC constraints are complex and challenging.
A practical and phased discards policy is now being introduced where in the early years of implementation, TACs and quotas will be set to take account of current levels of discards, which should see quotas increase over time.
I am fully supportive of implementing appropriate measures to achieve the objectives set out in the CFP reform. The new Common Fisheries Policy reform agreement will bring real and meaningful reform to how EU waters are fished in the future. The agreement is designed to ensure the long term sustainability of fishing in Ireland and throughout EU waters.
