asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state whether he is aware that the Killarney Fishery Board ordered the Cromane fishermen to suspend all net fishing as from Wednesday, the 21st instant, and that, if this order is complied with, the salmon fishing industry in the area will be destroyed, and if, in view of the serious plight of the fishermen concerned, he will have steps taken to amend the order at the earliest possible date.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Suspension of Net Fishing.
I am glad to inform the Deputy that this is a misapprehension. The Kerry Board of Conservators has warned a number of fishermen in the Cromane area against the continued practice of illegal methods of fishing which are detrimental to the livelihood of the fishing community of that area, thereby giving fair notice, which the board is in no way obliged to give, that if illegal methods of fishing continue, the fishing gear being used will be seized and the offending fishermen prosecuted.
Is the Minister aware that some years ago, owing to the difficulties experienced by the fishermen along that coastline, the then Minister for Fisheries, Mr. Lynch, gave a concession to these men, in that the restrictions now about to be imposed by the Minister were not imposed, that is, in relation to fishing on Saturday and the type of net which his inspectors describe as a fixed engine? Is he further aware that the concession given by the then Minister for Fisheries has worked out satisfactorily, by which a custom in operation for the past 50 years was allowed to continue, and if he is now prepared to allow matters to stand as they were——
The Deputy is making a speech.
——and not destroy the livelihood of these fishermen?
I fully appreciate that the question raised by the Deputy is one of some complexity and difficulty, but I do not think the Deputy can ask me to approve breaches of the statute law, and the law of Oireachtas Eireann provides that you must not use a pusher net, which is, within the meaning of the Act, a fixed engine, and must not fish between certain hours in any given week. These laws are made for the protection of nobody but the fishermen fishing in these waters, because, if such methods are employed and if constant fishing takes place, the supply of salmon to these waters will simply disappear. I think the Deputy will realise that it must be a matter of indifference to any Minister for Fisheries how or when men fish, provided it does not result in the ultimate obliteration of the fishery. This is a matter I shall be glad to discuss with the Deputy, but I assure him that any precautions at present being enforced are being enforced solely for the protection of the livelihood of the fishermen of this Cromane area.