Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 December 2013
190. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider changes to the herring quota to allow inshore fishermen to carry their tonnage quota onto the next month if weather conditions prevent them from fishing on a given month. [54505/13]
View answerThe current management arrangements in place for the Celtic Sea fishery, were recommended by the Celtic Sea Herring Management Advisory Committee (CSHMAC). Quota allocations with weekly catch limits are set following consultation with the CSHMAC for each management period, taking consideration of numbers and size of vessels booked-in. These arrangements were put in place having regard to the size of the vessels involved in the fishery and the time of year in which the fishing takes place.
The position in relation to the management of all fisheries, both pelagic and whitefish, is that the quota is managed on a single year basis and under fishing by any group of vessels is not carried forward to the following year for that group. For all stocks, any carry over from 2013, which can be up to 10 % in the case of Celtic Sea Herring, will be added to the national adjusted quota for 2014. In line with policy, the Celtic Sea Herring sentinel fishery will receive up to 11% of the adjusted quota, each year.
