asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries why licensed salmon fishermen from the Glengad/Malin Head area of County Donegal are precluded from landing their catches at Greencastle, County Donegal.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Donegal Fish Catches.
15.
If fishermen from the Glengad/Malin Head area of County Donegal hold licences from the Foyle Fisheries Commission they are free to land their catches of salmon in any part of the Foyle area, including the port of Greencastle. Under existing arrangements this facility is granted only to licences of the Commission.
If these fishermen have not a Foyle licence but hold a Letterkenny licence would it not be possible for them to land their fish at Greencastle?
Apparently the commission are not prepared to permit it. I think there are a number of reasons for this. The Letterkenny board apparently gave as many licences as people would pay £3 for. They become so numerous that there would be no such thing as conservation if this were permitted.
Quite a few of these men for whom I speak have been refused licences by the Foyle Commission. They are using Swilly licences and Greencastle would be their home port. I think the rules could be relaxed to give them a little support. They do not get much support otherwise. They are being harrassed. A British gunboat arrested a boat last night. I think we should do something to help these fishermen.
The Deputy says these people have applied for and have been refused licences?
Yes.
I could ask them to look into this.
This question relates to the landing of fish rather than the area where fish are caught. Why does the Minister see an objection to fishermen who have a licence from the Letterkenny board landing in Greencastle in view of the fact that this is the port they are fishing from?
The Deputy must accept that there was an effort by the commission to have some form of conservation. That is mainly done by limiting licences. If the Letterkenny board were prepared, as they were, to issue licences ad lib to anybody who offered £3 and there was an enormous number of licences issued in this way, they simply do not want to facilitate them because that would limit what they can do about conservation, because they would be giving a further percentage to the same people.
Will the Minister accept the fishermen have licences to fish in the Letterkenny board area and they fish there because it is to their advantage? Why does the Minister see an objection to their landing in Greencastle?
I think there is a little more involved than catches the eye. There is the difference in the cost of a licence in the Letterkenny area and the cost of a licence given by the Commission. There is a little bit of money involved somewhere in this as well.