Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 June 2017
41. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address concerns that the fisheries industry is in a state of crisis; the measures he is taking to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27971/17]
View answerI do not accept that the Irish fishing industry is in a state of crisis. That said, the potential of Brexit to impact negatively on our industry is a matter of very serious concern.
At this stage it is impossible to say with certainty what effect Brexit will have on the Irish fishing industry. We don't yet know what changes the UK Government may seek to the current arrangements. I am, however, clear that our objective is to maintain our current access to fishing grounds in UK waters in the Irish Sea, Celtic Sea and north of Donegal and, to protect Ireland’s current quota shares.
I am, and will remain, in close contact with fisheries stakeholders as the issues develop and work with them and my fellow fisheries Ministers in the EU to ensure that we are all fully prepared for what are likely to be extremely complex negotiations.
As part of this work, my Department is holding a further Brexit discussion with stakeholders at the National Seafood Conference in Galway at the end of this month. This will include presentations from the Chairs of the North Western Waters Advisory Council and the North Sea Advisory Council respectively. These Councils represent industry and NGO stakeholders from all of the EU Member States with fishing interests in the UK zone. Representatives from the Irish fishing industry will also participate.
My aim, in the context of Brexit is to ensure that fisheries remain high on the agenda in the negotiations and that we obtain the best possible outcome for our industry. I would like to assure the Deputy that I will be unequivocal in opposing any dilution of our existing EU quota shares and any limitations on our existing rights of access.
In terms of the current state of Irish fisheries, it should be noted that the total value of our quotas for 2017 is a 6% increase on those of 2016. In particular, Ireland obtained increases by volume of 14% and 9% respectively for our two most important fisheries, namely mackerel and prawns.
