Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for giving me the opportunity to raise what may be one of the most important issues I will face in my area as the idea of legislation for the Foyle is close to the hearts of the hundreds of people who work in that area.
I commend the Foyle Fisheries Commission for including fishing organisations in its reaction to the report which it is currently reviewing. However, many groups have been ignored. For example, the North-West Region Cross-Border Group comprises County Donegal, Derry City Council, Strabane Council and Limavaddy District Council which work together. They have been established for over 20 years. They have worked on the Foyle basin study, they have a five year plan and have sought European funding for the Foyle and yet, as a cross-Border group and in the context of a cross-Border venture, they were not approached with regard to this report. That is a big mistake. I understand they have been approached separately but their collective attitude is exactly the type of one which any cross-Border review should incorporate.
I was also worried about the timescale. A deadline of 30 November was set for the return of all reactions to the report but, at the same time, we were told last week that the legislation is at an advanced stage of preparation. This gives me the impression that we have put the cart before the horse. If local people are just beginning to comment on what they want but the legislation is at an advanced stage, it seems there is something wrong.
I would be happy if the Minister or the Minister of State, with the Commissioners and the chief executive, met the local authorities and groups involved because one of the issues I came across while talking to the people concerned is that the groups, such as the North-West Cross-Border Group, would like local representation on the commission at a high level.
Everybody is fed up with paper exercises, where a piece of paper is passed along and people are asked to comment. The big example of that is that there are three elements to the Foyle Fisheries Commission review: salmon, seafish and shellfish. When we ask about seafish, for instance, this is supposed to be incorporated within or outside Lough Foyle depending on the date to which one refers.
On 12 November sea fishing was considered to be within Lough Foyle, but at some future time it might be considered to be seaward of the lough if such an extension of powers were considered necessary. I would like an assurance that the idea of expanding sea fishing outside Lough Foyle will not be considered. The activities of those involved in sea fishing are controlled by EU and national directives and more bureaucrcy is not needed. We want an assurance that the claim to sea fishing outside Lough Foyle will not be entertained. That view was expressed loudly and clearly by the people of that area.
There is an anomaly in talking about sea angling and incorporating it outside the lough. How can one boat be distinguished from another when they are coming in to shore? When working in a specific area, a boat must be boarded and searched to ascertain if it is a sea angling or a fishing boat.
Salmon fishing is the only area over which the commission has control and salmon licences are twice the price of licences under other regional fishery boards. The period during which salmon fishing is allowed is usually half that allowed under the other boards. Subsequently, the fish stocks are not high.
Everyone in the area is worried about the pollution aspect, conservation, protection and sustainability of the fishing stocks. They want what is in the common good. We are looking for a national strategy in this regard so that no one will be penalised. Foyle fishermen should not have to pay twice the amount paid by everyone else for a licence.
Regarding shell-fishing, people in the area want protection, conservation and research, but if the Foyle Fisheries Commission takes over responsibility in that area, 85 per cent of fishermen will come from the Donegal direction and only 15 per cent from the Northern countries. Management of that type of fishing must be local because locals know the spawning, nursing and high yield areas. They know their resource. Representation must be local and at a high level. Those are the reasons local knowledge is needed before legislation is introduced and when introduced management will still be required at a high level to ensure that Foyle fisheries continues to expand in the way everybody wants it to. People want only what is in the best interest of fishing and that can only be achieved through the highest level of co-operation between the relevant bodies. The problem is that we seem to get drips of information — one minute the sea fishing area is within the Foyle and the next it is outside it. I have not been able to ascertain from parliamentary questions the area in question on a map.
The fishing area outside Lough Foyle covers a large area. People want to be able to follow EU and national directives and fishermen in the Lough Foyle area want protection of the stock the pollution controls, but under the management of local representatives and, if possible, with a local input from commissioners at a high level.
