Vol. 509 No. 5
37 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the discussions, if any, which have taken place between his Department and the Department of Defence regarding the implications of the Naval Service having responsibility for monitoring the Irish fishing fleet outside the 200 mile fisheries zone; and if his attention has been drawn to the Naval Service's concerns on this issue. [20735/99]
The North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission promotes the conservation and optimum utilisation of the fisheries resources of areas of the north-east Atlantic which lie outside the jurisdiction of its contracting parties. To that end, the commission adopted, in November 1998, recommendations on a scheme of control and enforcement for vessels of the contracting parties operating in those areas.
The effect of the commission's recommendations will be to require fishing vessels of the contracting parties fishing in the areas concerned to comply with a series of requirements on matters including recording and reporting of catches. The recommendations also establish obligations for states to carry out surveillance and inspection of their fishing vessels which fish there.
The European Commission is a contracting party to the NEAFC, and a draft Council regulation to give effect to the commission's recommendations within the EU is under consideration at present. I understand that the aim is to have this measure adopted by the end of this year. In the meantime, member states are addressing the practical implications of the NEAFC recommendations and how best to give effect to them.
