Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 July 2018
547. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which fish conservation policies have benefited fish stocks in the seas around this country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31839/18]
View answerIreland’s goals for sustainable fisheries are supported through the Common Fisheries Policy. The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) provides the framework for the long term conservation and sustainability of fish stocks around our shores and is designed to ensure the long term sustainability of fishing in Ireland and throughout EU waters. Key features of this policy include setting Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and quotas to deliver maximum sustainable yield (MSY) in all cases by 2020; a discards ban (Landing Obligation) to be phased in by the beginning of 2019; and the establishment of a regional decision making arrangement.
Setting fishing levels on the basis of Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) is an essential aspect of the policy. Fishing opportunities for each Member State are agreed on an annual basis at the EU Fisheries Council of Ministers on the basis of a proposal produced by the European Commission that is informed by the best available scientific advice. The Common Fisheries Policy specifically calls for the progressive restoration and maintenance of populations of fish stocks above biomass levels capable of producing MSY. To achieve this, the FMSY exploitation rate shall be achieved for all stocks by 2020 at the latest. This should ultimately lead to healthy fish stocks, higher quotas for both Irish and EU fishermen and lead to more sustainable fishing patterns.
This December’s Council showed a rebuilding of many stocks, this was demonstrated by a 34% increase in our whitefish quotas off the North-West coast and a 64% increase in the Irish Sea. These are both areas that were severely depleted just five years ago. The work done to rebuild these stocks has led to significant increases for quotas for our fleets. This shows that the many years of intensive, industry led conservations measures are paying off.
The landing obligation (also referred to as the ‘discards ban’) was also introduced as part of the current CFP. Its objective is to eliminate the wasteful and unsustainable practice of discarding. The reform is being rolled out in a practical and phased manner. The first part of the landing obligation, the ban on discarding pelagic stocks such as herring and mackerel, came into effect on the 1st of January 2015. The landing obligation was extended to certain demersal stocks (whitefish and prawns) from the 1st of January 2016 and will be fully phased in by the 1st January 2019.
Scientific information on the state of the fisheries exploited by the Irish fleet is compiled by the Marine Institute and is published in the Stock Book each year. The most recent Stock Book, 2017, contains 74 stocks that are subject to the scientific advice of the Marine Institute. From the 74 stocks, 29 are assessed as being sustainably fished in 2017. This number has grown every year since 2013. This in turn leads to the number of stocks being overfished declining from 22 in 2014 to 17 in 2017. The biomass of stocks, the quantity of mature fish in the sea, has also increased. In 2017 there were 27 stocks in a positive state above biomass trigger points. This is an increase over the preceding year of 22.
There remains work left to do to but the progress so far must be acknowledged. The EU Commission has also noted that the state of fish stocks in European Atlantic and nearby waters continue to improve which indicates that we are seeing the benefits of prudent and responsible fisheries management practices. I am confident that we will continue to make significant progress that will ensure the continued economic viability of our fishing fleet and fish processors while supporting the communities that depend on a vibrant fishing industry.
