asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he is aware that the fishing fleet fishing out of Cobh Harbour have to lie up unable to sell their catch; and if he will take steps to attach some luggers to the fleet to take fish to the British and continental markets.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cobh Fishing Fleet.
34.
There are no difficulties in transporting herrings to the British market. As regards continental markets, it is the practice of the buyers or their agents to make their own arrangements for the transport by lugger of the herrings they purchase and it would not, therefore, be my function to provide for such transport.
I am aware that boats recently landing herrings at Cobh were for a time operating on a self-imposed daily quota because some of the continental buyers had sent their luggers elsewhere for herring supplies. This is one of the normal hazards of unexpected herring landings. Heavy landings of herrings at Cobh have not been a feature in previous years and it is understandable that continental buyers could not have anticipated the availability of herrings there this year. The fishermen concerned accept this position. Some additional luggers have, however, arrived at Cobh in the past few days and the fishermen have been able to relax their own restrictions on herring landings.
Is the Minister aware that 31 of those boats are only able to go out two or three days a week, due to the fact that they cannot sell their catch. Over the six weeks up to date they have caught roughly 4,000 cran of herring per week for export. They are being taken out by two Dutch luggers and a German one at £4 a cran which comes to £96,000 and if they could have turned out their full catch during those past six weeks, it would mean £100,000 or £150,000 more to them. In view of the fact that Fisheries is the only Department in this country that has not given any increase in export during the past 12 months, would he not consider that the loss of £100,000 in export to those people over six weeks is a pretty heavy thing and there is every appearance of that continuing for the next month or six weeks? They have now discovered the best fishing in this country in Cork Harbour——
We cannot debate that on this question.
I am asking the Minister whether there is any hope that he can get any increase or any means of selling this fish during the next month?
The first thing I would like to observe seems to be somewhat contrary to Deputy Corry's train of thinking as expressed on this. It is that there has been what might be regarded as an unexpected fishery developed in or around and landing at Cobh.
Herrings appear in queer places every year.
You get some queer herring too, but that is neither here nor there.
There are some queer cods here.
What I understood then was that some weeks ago the fishermen themselves not having an outlet for all that they might be able to catch, created a self-imposed restriction on the amount that each boat might land, of 75 cran or something per boat, and that this worked for some time—at least it kept things under control—and that two additional luggers then arrived and that this restriction was removed. It would appear as if, though these have arrived in addition to the one that had been there which was inadequate—there are three now instead of one six weeks ago— there still is difficulty in the movement of herring catches. I understand that there are in the south-east a couple of buyers who are boycotted in other waters and are being boycotted in this particular port who have orders which they have not filled and would be prepared to fill them from Cobh but this boycott applies to them there as well. I do not know whether it would solve all the problems or not if there was no boycott or whether the three luggers now available are sufficient or not.
No.
This I do not quite know but it must be three times better than it was six weeks ago and if these boycotted buyers were allowed to buy, it might improve it still further. If Cobh is as good a fishery as Deputy Corry asserts it is, and I sincerely hope it is, then the suddenness with which this fishery began to produce will have made itself felt and buyers from abroad who might be going elsewhere seeking fish will come to where they know they are and will buy from them as they need them.
Is the Minister aware of the difficulty that these men have to undergo in coming into the port of Cobh? First of all, they have to pay in Dunmore East a landing charge of 3d a cran——
That does not enter into the question. The question relates to the sale of fish that have already been caught.
Very well; I shall deal with this nest of pirates at the tail end of a stream next week in my own way and as they should be dealt with but as far as the other portion of it is concerned, I would like to say to the Minister that we are looking for more production—every shout from every Department of State is for more production. These people are confined to three days a week on which they have to pay the pirates 30/- every time they come in through Roches Point, a fee to the pirates in Cork Harbour.
This does not arise on Question No. 34.
In the circumstances, would the Minister not make a further effort to ensure that these people can fish full time so that he will be able to point out that he has a couple of hundred thousand pounds extra out of fishing in the 12 months.
I should like to ask the Minister is he not aware that it is a big hardship on fishermen to have their catches limited due to the lack of luggers and a big loss to the national economy and is the Minister not aware that herring fishing fortunately is growing in the south of Ireland in recent years? We had it in Castletownbere, Passage and Cobh in addition to Dunmore East. Surely the Minister will agree that the Department should take note of this position in view of the reasonably good price prevailing and help to find a market for the full catches of the fishermen. The Minister mentioned a while ago the difficulty of the boycott but surely the Minister is aware that the only buyers boycotted were buyers who tried to bring in people from outside areas trying to take away the fish from the southern fishermen. He is well aware of the dispute between the fishermen——
We cannot discuss that on Question No. 34. Question No. 35.
Let the Minister reply. I asked the Minister a question and I object to the procedure here in which the Chairman moved to the next question.
I moved to the next question because I have allowed sufficient supplementaries on Deputy Corry's question.
You allowed Deputy Corry to make a speech when it suited you.
I also allowed Deputy M.P. Murphy to speak on this question which is Deputy Corry's question. Question No. 35.