The Estimate for Fisheries for 1956-57 is for a net sum of £158,420 of which £53,000 has been granted by way of Vote on Account, leaving £105,420 to be voted to complete the Estimate as stated in the Money Resolution.
As shown in the printed Estimates, the amount required for 1956-57 represents a net increase of £20,305 compared with 1955-56. In this connection I might point out that the total original net Estimate for 1955-56 was £116,640, but during the course of the year a Supplementary Estimate was passed providing £20,500 to complete the payment of compensation to the one-time occupants of the several fishery in the tidal waters of the River Erne, and a sum of £975 was paid from the Vote for remuneration in respect of Civil Service salary increases properly chargeable to Vote for Fisheries. Taking these two items into account the net increase of £20,305 already referred to is arrived at.
To help the House in considering the Estimate I will refer briefly to the significant increases and decreases under the various sub-heads compared with last year. Under sub-head A, Salaries, Wages and Allowances, there is an increase of £2,025 which is due to increased salaries payable to the staff of Fisheries Branch. Sub-head E (1), Scientific Investigations, shows an increase of £805. Taking into account slight variations on two sub-divisions under the sub-head, this increase is due to increased provision for shellfish experiments. More intensive work is planned for the current year in relation to the development of oyster culture, particularly in Clew Bay. This work has been going on for some years in conjunction with An Bord Iascaigh Mhara, but my Department is now assuming responsibility for the work in its entirety. Seed oysters have been planted in successive years and there is some evidence that this work is meeting with some success. It is intended that it should continue in the hope that eventually an oyster fishery of some importance will be re-established in the area.
Under sub-head F (1), Grants to Boards of Conservators and Local Authorities, etc., there is a net increase of £6,200. Sub-division 1 of this sub-head provides for the statutory recoupment to local authorities of losses arising from the exemption of fisheries from local rates under the Fisheries Act, 1925. The recoupment by the State is related to the current local rates and as these show a tendency to rise it is considered essential to cover increases by the provision of £24,000 or £4,000 more than the sum provided last year. An additional £250 is provided under sub-division 2 of the sub-head to meet increased payments under the Fisheries (Tidal Waters) Act, 1934, to Ballyshannon and Letterkenny Boards of Conservators to make good the loss of fishery rates formerly payable on the estuarine fisheries in the areas covered by these boards which are affected by that Act. This expenditure is offset to some extent—£750—by receipts from special local licences which must be taken out by fishermen proposing to fish in the estuarine fisheries concerned. Under sub-division 4, £14,000 is included compared with £12,000 last year to provide grants to boards of conservators to supplement their incomes from local sources, mainly licence duties and fishery rates. I may say that the grants made last year were supplemented by £2,650 which remained in the Salmon Conservancy Fund. The provision this year therefore represents a decrease of £650 on the total sum available last year.
Sub-head F (6) which provides a Grant-in-Aid of £10,500 for the Inland Fisheries Trust shows an increase of £500 compared with 1955-56. The trust, like all other bodies, is finding its expenses increasing from year to year and this extra £500 is considered necessary to enable the very valuable work being done by the trust to be continued without any serious retrenchment. Sub-head G, Grant-in-Aid of Administration and Development of An Bord Iascaigh Mhara under which £71,930 is set down in the Estimate, shows an increase of £29,545 compared with last year. The administration provision of £28,430 is £405 more than in 1956. The sum towards development works included in the Estimate is £43,500 compared with £14,350 last year, i.e., an increase of £29,140. The provision for administration expenses covers mainly the salaries of administrative and technical staff employed by the board. It also includes a sum of £4,400 to cover travelling expenses of the board's staff as well as the fees and travelling expenses of the members of the board and the travelling expenses of members of An Comhlachas Iascaigh Mhara. The individual items which go to make up the sum included (£43,000) for development works are as follows — £5,000 is needed for the replacement of certain machinery and the acquisition of lifting equipment to deal with very heavy loads now being handled at the board's boatyards. Such machinery and equipment is necessary to improve efficiency at the yards and also to avoid the possibility of accidents in the handling of very heavy items of machinery such as marine engines, etc. Local installations for the better handling of fish are being provided as follows — freezing equipment at Dublin, £3,250; ice plant and cold store at Castletownbere, £5,000; quick freeze department at Schull, £8,100; quick freeze department and ice plant at Cahirciveen, £10,100; ice plant at Killybegs, £5,000; refrigerated transport, £2,100; fish filleting machines at Galway and Killybegs, £4,200; also is included a small sum of £750 to cover small miscellaneous schemes of development. These works at local centres which I have mentioned form part of a long-term programme of capital works of development upon which the board has embarked with my approval. They are intended to improve the quality of fish marketed and to stabilise supplies as far as possible by making it possible to avoid sending all the fish landed to the markets immediately it is landed without regard to the conditions that exist on the markets.
The sum that I have mentioned in respect of each work represents only the amount that is being provided from the Exchequer. These grants do not represent the total cost of these works as it is intended to supplement them by repayable advances from the Central Fund to the total amount of £48,700. Many of the projects mentioned are to a considerable extent of a pioneering nature and on that account it is not thought reasonable that the board should be asked, to repay the full cost involved. The projects will, however, return an income to the board in due course and the portion of the cost provided by way of advances represents what is considered a reasonable sum for repayment by the board. In addition to the items which I have referred to there are three other works which the board are undertaking during the current financial year and which do not involve the payment of any grants from this Vote. It is intended to provide repayable advances for these works which are — Office premises on the Dublin Fish Market, £2,400; Storage accommodation for gear and equipment and workshops at Dublin, £9,600, and the provision of a fish processing station at Galway £27,500. The total cost of this station at Galway is expected to be about £55,000, and the balance of the cost or 50 per cent. is being made available as a grant from the National Development Fund. This work has been going ahead for some months past. Considerable progress has been made with the construction of the buildings and half of the grant available from the National Development Fund has been already drawn. The main item among the advances which it is hoped to make to the board during the current financial year will be, of course, the sum required by them to finance their scheme for the supply of boats and gear on hire purchase to fishermen. The board have estimated that the total sum they will require in the current year for that purpose will be £157,000. Forty-five thousand pounds however will become available to the board from cash sales, prepayments on boats issued and certain repayments by the fishermen, thus leaving the sum required as an advance from the Exchequer at £112,000. Almost all the boats now being issued by the board are of the larger type fitted with the most modern equipment, and the board hope to be able to make available about 12 boats of that type during the year together with keeping up supplies of fishing gear to fishermen who cannot provide the same from their own resources.
In connection with the figures I have mentioned as advances needed by the board during the current year, I must point out that no firm decision can be made as to the availability of these sums until further provision is made by legislation for advances to the board from the Central Fund. Under the Sea Fisheries Act, 1952, advances to a total of £500,000 were authorised by the Oireachtas. At the end of the financial year on the 31st March, 1956, the balance remaining unissued out of this sum was £68,388. This balance would be insufficient to meet the advances I have already referred to and further legislation is required to authorise advances in excess of the £500,000 specified in the Act of 1952. A Bill for this purpose is in course of preparation and will, I hope, be shortly before the House. If and when the Bill is enacted, final consideration will be given to the question of issuing the advances sought by the board in the current financial year. To sum up the position as to the financial requirements of the board during the current year, we must take the following items which I have already referred to into consideration — Grants for administration and development, £71,930 to be provided on this Estimate; advances from the Central Fund for development works, including a sum of £15,000 carried over from last year, £103,200; and for the provision of boats and gear on hire purchase, £112,000. Adding the balance of the grant, £13,750, due from the National Development Fund in respect of the Galway premises, we get a final total of £300,870.
So far I have dealt with the increases of some significance which have taken place on various sub-heads. The only decrease of any significance is that the sub-head which provided last year under a Supplementary Estimate for the payment of £20,500 as balance of compensation in respect of the onetime several fishery in the tidal waters of the River Erne is this year blank. Taking increases and decreases and allowing for a reduction in Appropriations-in-Aid of £1,047, the net increase in the Estimate is £20,305.
What I have said so far has been concerned with the finances of the Estimate, but I am sure the House would wish to hear something from me as to the general condition of the fishing industry. I am glad to be able to say that the quantity and value of fish landed in 1955 show a considerable increase over the corresponding figures for 1954. The quantity of sea fish, excluding shellfish, landed in 1955 was 303,519 cwt. or 48,805 cwt. more than in 1954. The value of these landings at £686,195 was £50,393 more than in 1954. As to shellfish, it is not possible to express as a global figure the quantity landed as some classes were dealt with by weight and others by count. Significant improvement in landings can, however, be recorded as the total value of all shellfish landed in 1955 at £196,103 showed an increase of £41,578. Taking all classes of fish together the total value of landings in 1955 was £882,298 compared with £790,327 in 1954.
Apart from the satisfaction that there is in the increase in total landings, there are other satisfactory features. It is Government policy that the fishing industry should be based to the greatest extent possible on the inshore fishermen. The word "inshore" I may say very often gives rise to misconception in the mind of the public. It is often thought that the word implies fishing very close to the shore and that the outer waters are left untouched by our fishermen. This is not so as with the type of boat, ranging usually between 56 and 60 ft. overall with first class equipment, now being used by our fishermen, fishing activities are not confined to the grounds close to the shore. Our fishermen are going quite long distances to sea and it is not uncommon that they stay overnight on fishing grounds some distance from the coast. In 1955 the total quantity of demersal fish, i.e. the varieties which are usually found at some depth, landed by inshore fishermen reached 185,764 cwt. This figure shows an increase on the corresponding figure for 1954 and is a continuation of the steady increase in the landings of such fish by our inshore fishermen over several years. The balance of the landings of demersal fish 8,152 cwt. was made by the three fishing vessels operated by An Bord Iascaigh Mhara.
Another important factor in the overall increase in landings in 1955 was the very welcome increase of almost 50 per cent. in the landings of herring. Mackerel landings which with the herring landings constituted by far the major portion of the fish landed here up to some 20 years ago, again proved disappointing in 1955. During 1955 only a very small quantity of fresh and frozen fish was imported to meet whatever shortages arose from time to time due to the incidence of bad weather. The position is that we have now reached the stage that supplies of fish from home landings are adequate to meet the existing demand and from that situation arises the question as to whether with the continued increase in catching power with the issue of further boats to fishermen, the situation will come about that supply will exceed demand and thereby cause marketing difficulties for the fishermen. This possibility is fully realised and steps are being taken to expand and improve the distribution of fish throughout the country. I have already mentioned several works which An Bord Iascaigh Mhara intend to carry out with a view to improvement of distribution. Ice making plants and fish storage premises are being established at several points around the coast. A fish processing station is already being operated by the board at Killybegs and another such station is in course of construction at Galway. The board is also considering the possibility of establishing inland distribution centres and one such depot established at Limerick is doing good business.
These efforts are concerned mainly with distribution of fish for the table. There is another aspect of the question, the disposal of landings of pelagic fish (mainly herring and mackerel) which are made very often in very heavy quantities during a comparatively short season and which cannot be absorbed by what might be termed the week-to-week trade. The only solution available to us in the absence of a revival on a large scale of the salt curing trade which cleared such heavy landings up to the early thirties, is the provision of reduction plants for the manufacture of fishmeal. This matter has been under consideration and, as the House will probably remember, Bord Iascaigh Mhara has had a pilot plant in operation at Killybegs for some time. Much useful information and experience has been gained from the working of this plant and not the least important result has been that it has demonstrated to the local fishermen what an advantage even a small plant of that type can be in providing an outlet for heavy landings of any particular type of fish which could not be disposed of through the ordinary marketing arrangements.
The pilot plant has served its purpose in Killybegs and I am glad to be able to inform the House that a group of businessmen with experience of fishmeal manufacture on a large scale on the Continent have decided to seek facilities for the establishment of a full commercial size fishmeal factory at Killybegs. Such a factory would, I need hardly say, be a very welcome step in the further development of the fishing industry not alone at Killybegs but generally along the Donegal and neighbouring coasts. The need for fishmeal factories on other parts of the coast is also becoming evident, and it is considered that the full expansion of the industry at certain places, particularly where herring and mackerel are usually available in large quantities, will need such in course of time. I am not able to say at present the localities in which such development works will be undertaken but I can assure the fishermen whose interests are vitally involved that the whole question of fishmeal manufacture is getting the closest consideration.
I have already referred to the expansion of our fishing fleet and the increased landings which are resulting therefrom from year to year. Most of the new additional fishing vessels acquired by our fishermen are provided under the scheme of hire purchase operated by Bord Iascaigh Mhara. In this connection the following figures will be of interest. During the year ended 31st March last 15 fishing boats were provided under the scheme and seven boats were re-engined. Eleven of the boats supplied were new craft. Nine vessels, each of which was 50 ft. overall were built in the board's own boatyards, two were built in privately-owned yards, one being 45 ft. and the other 55 ft. overall. Four secondhand boats (one, 63 ft., two, 50 ft. and one, 35 ft.) were acquired by the board and issued to fishermen. In addition to this work, the four yards operated by the board carried out a considerable amount of repair work for fishermen.
The demand for boats is well up to the board's capacity to supply and it is a gratifying feature that young men who have acquired training and experience as crew members on the modern type vessels now in use around our coasts are coming forward for boats from which they feel confident of being able to secure a satisfactory livelihood. The other main activity engaged in by the board is the sale of fish, and it is satisfactory to note that the sales in 1955-56 at 160,762 cwt. showed an increase of 52,779 cwt. over last year. The value of the sales in the year ended 31st March, 1956, reached a total of £508,236. These figures do not include business done by the board in the marketing of shellfish and, in this connection, a pleasing feature of the board's activities is the very large increase from 8,234 cwt. in the year 1954-55 to 17,224 cwt. in the year 1955-56 in the quantity of mussels which was passed through the board's purification tank at Cromane, County Kerry. This I hope is an indication of the permanent revival of this fishery which has been in a more or less depressed state for many years.
There is just one other matter in connection with the board's activities which I think calls for reference, and that is the record of the three fishing vessels operated by the board. Last year, I made reference to these vessels when the Estimates were before the House and pointed out that their record up to then had not been satisfactory inasmuch as considerable financial loss had accrued from their operations. The engines in these vessels have given much trouble and much fishing time has been lost on that account. These troubles have continued during the past financial year and one of the vessels has had to be fitted with a new engine. It would seem from the unsatisfactory service being given by the engine in the other two boats that the installation of new engines in these cases also must be considered. In view of the heavy loss already sustained on these vessels, I am asking the board for a complete survey of the vessels activities to date and for their views as to their future working. I consider that further losses on the operation of these vessels cannot be tolerated and when I have the views of the board before me, I will make a decision as to their future.
There is another body in the scheme of fisheries administration as well as the board to which I would like to make some reference on this occasion. The body I refer to is An Comhlachas Iascaigh Mhara, which was set up under the Sea Fisheries Act, 1952. This body was intended to be an advisory body, and it was designed to be representative of the various sections of the fishing industry. It has no executive functions and is provided with considerable financial help each year from State funds through the board. Travelling and subsistence expenses to the members are paid and accommodation for meetings is provided by the board, and furthermore secretarial services can be provided by the board on terms to be agreed between the two bodies, if the comhlachas so desires.
During the past four years the board has paid out a sum of about £1,600 towards the expenses of the comhlachas. So far the comhlachas has secured only a very small membership particularly of retailers and fishermen, and cannot properly be said to be fairly representative of the industry as a whole. Its income from membership recruited directly has been very small, and would have been altogether inadequate to meet expenses. In addition to the help from State funds the comhlachas has also had the advantage of quite a considerable sum of membership moneys which were transferred to it from the funds of the old Sea Fisheries Association, but despite all the help given to it the position now is that the comhlachas is in financial difficulties.
The committee came to me recently and informed me that they must be given further financial assistance by the State as they are unable to carry on. I informed them that in view of the provisions made to help them by the payment of their travelling expenses, etc., that I could not give any hope that a special grant could be made to them to finance secretarial and such expenses. I consider that the financial help given to the comhlachas has been fair and reasonable and I maintain that with the proper approach to their duties they should be able to recruit such membership from the various sections of the industry which would provide them, through membership fees, with whatever additional funds they require.
Apparently the committee of the comhlachas does no look at the matter in that way. They have established a most expensive secretariat, having regard to the nature of their functions, and it is obvious that they have entered into commitments, without due regard to their financial resources. Their financial position is now difficult and I understand that certain members of the committee are endeavouring to get that body as a whole to resign. They hope to have this development blazoned forth in the newspapers with material supplied by themselves and carefully composed to give the impression that my Department and the board have driven them to their decision.
I know that there are on the committee of the association individuals whose dearest wish is the removal of the board from all business in the marketing of fish, purely in their own selfish interest. If the journal published by the comhlachas can be taken as expressive of the views of the committee as a whole, it can be assumed that all the members of the committee are antagonistic to the board, but I do not believe that the fishermen's representatives could be so. The journal has, so far as I can recollect, never printed the slightest measure of praise for anything the board has done. It has, time after time, sought to discredit the board and to create the impression that it is an impost on the industry which prevents progress, rather than promotes it.
This propaganda may mislead some people but the test to be applied to the services which the board renders is to ascertain the views of the fishermen in the matter. I have done this as far as possible, and every group of fishermen that I have consulted has been emphatic in the view that the board must be retained. Not alone do they regard the board's service in the provision of boats and gear as indispensable but they also regard the board's marketing services as being something which is vital to their best interests.
It has often been stated as Government policy that the interests of the whole-time inshore fishermen whose members, I am glad to say are steadily increasing, are paramount as far as the Fishery Authority is concerned among the various interests in the fishing industry. That policy remains and will continue, and I tell those people who are hoping to disrupt the comhlachas that if they think by so doing that they will frustrate that policy, that they are greatly mistaken.
The board was established as a body to help fishermen in every way possible, and despite the attempts being made to have it removed or its activities curbed by selfish sectional interests in the fishing industry, it will be maintained as long as the fishermen want it.
I have said that the fishermen's interests are paramount but this is not to say that other interests in the fishing industry, such as wholesale, retail and curing sections are not of very great importance too. This was realised when the Sea Fisheries Act, 1952, was being framed and for the first time in the history of the industry in this country a consultative and advisory body representative of all the sections of the industry was brought into being. I believe, despite our disappointments so far, that such a body could serve a very useful purpose providing that all sections came together in the proper spirit to contribute as best they could to the welfare of the industry as a whole. So far, I am afraid that purely sectional interests have been pushed too much to the forefront.
The present committee of the comhlachas have not approached their functions, in my opinion, in the proper way, but I am not without hope that we will eventually have a committee which will realise that they have a serious responsibility and can do valuable work for the industry by spending some time in hard thinking and producing well-considered and detailed proposals and suggestions for the better development of the industry.
So far I have been dealing with the sea-fishing side of the industry, and I will now give the House some information as to the general position during the year 1955 of the other side of the industry, i.e., inland fisheries. These fisheries consist of the salmon, sea trout and eel fisheries which are carried on on a commercial scale and, as regards salmon and sea trout, constitute as well a very important sporting and tourist attraction. In addition, we have extensive brown trout and coarse fish waters which are also a valuable asset both as a source of much pleasure to our own people and as an attraction from abroad. My Department can only collect statistics, however, in respect of salmon, sea trout and eels, as these are the only classes of fish taken in our inland waters subject to fishing licences or to any regulations as to furnishing of returns of catch.
The statistics collected for 1955 reveal that the total catch of salmon by all methods in that year was 1,261,402 lb. valued at £363,788, compared with 1,976,677 lb. valued at £500,243 for the previous year. The catch of sea trout at 73,201 lb. valued at £10,824, showed a slight improvement on the previous year for which the corresponding figures were 70,854 lb. and £10,800.
The 1955 season was characterised by fairly heavy rainfall up to the end of June, after which there was a prolonged drought lasting in many areas to the end of the season. This gave unfavourable conditions for estuarine netting until about the end of June when the major portion of the season had passed. Runs of all groups of spring fish were not good in 1955. Grilse, as in 1953 and 1954, again turned up much later than hoped for, thus reducing the catch very considerably.
The total catch of salmon in 1955 was distributed as to the various methods of capture as follows — draft nets, 48 per cent.; drift nets, 19 per cent; rod and line, 19 per cent.; stake nets, etc., 14 per cent. The percentage for rod and line has shown a steady increase in recent years, and although the total catch of salmon in 1955 was 37 per cent. less than in 1954, the actual number of salmon taken on the rod was only reduced by about 14 per cent. The total number of rod licences issued in 1955, excluding endorsements, was 6,604, an increase of 409 licences on those of 1954. This increase in a continuation of the upper trend in the number of rod licences taken out for several years past.
As to the eel fisheries, the year 1955 showed a considerable improvement. The catch was 187,177 lb. valued at £19,433 compared with 143,372 lb. valued at £17,993 for 1954. Water conditions during 1955 were generally favourable for eel fishing.
As to brown trout and what are generally known as coarse fish, the main development that has taken place can I think be attributed to the very fine work that is being done by the Inland Fisheries Trust in co-operation as regards some waters with Bórd Failte. Local angling clubs and committees are also very active in many places and much valuable work is being done through local enthusiasm and the realisation that local waters cannot be properly developed without a considerable measure of local effort. The work which has been in progress for some years past is bearing fruit as is evidenced by the fact that we have now frequent reports of attractive fishing being available in many waters which up to a few years ago were in a state of serious neglect and in which the trout population had been reduced to insignificant proportions.
The trust in the beginning of its career adopted what I think was a very wise policy when they decided that its operations in any particular locality must be in close co-operation with local angling clubs and associations. The trust is not a body to supplant local effort but rather to supplement it by doing what is outside the capacity of local interests to undertake, and for this reason, if for no other, it deserves the full support of all anglers, throughout the country.
I mentioned last year that the trust was investigating the possible sites for the establishment of a fish farm. This work had to be done in a very exhaustive manner as a suitable site must have some particular physical characteristics for the successful operation of the farm. For instance, a minimum flow under the most severe drought conditions must be assured. The water must be to a great extent spring water with a constant all the year round temperature. The configuration of the site must give sufficient fall to convey the water to the hatchery and ponds at adequate pressure and again the general character of the site must be such that the ponds, etc., can be easily constructed leaving no danger of water seepage or disappearance. Some few sites had some of the desired characteristics but one was far ahead of all others in that respect. This particularly good site is at Fanure, near Roscrea, and it has been purchased by the trust. Work has already started in measuring up and surveying the ground and it is hoped that the construction work can be commenced in the near future. The cost of the farm is being met by a grant of £25,000 from the National Development Fund. The farm will be a great asset in the development of our trout waters. It will enable most of our restocking schemes to be carried out with young fish at the fingerling stage thus saving the enormous losses which are known to take place where stocking depends on the planting out of fry. The farm will also be a centre of scientific research and in that way help further in collecting data which will be helpful to all concerned with fishery development.
Last year I referred to the establishment of the Salmon Research Trust in conjunction with Messrs. Arthur Guinness, Son & Company, Limited. The object of the trust is to conduct scientific research directed towards the general improvement in the public interest of the salmon and trout fisheries. During 1955 the trust commenced its operations and it has established a research station on the Burrishoole Fishery at Newport, County Mayo, with the co-operation of the owner of the fishery. I am sure that the work of this trust will result in very valuable information being made available which can be applied in the development of our salmon and sea trout fisheries as a whole.
I have given a brief survey of the present condition of our sea and inland fisheries. It may be fairly claimed that progress has been made in many directions and that a solid foundation has been made for further progress in the years to come. If there are any points which I have not touched upon and about which Deputies may wish to have further information, I will do my best to supply it.