Vol. 509 No. 5
62 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the severe income problems being experienced by boat owners in the Irish inshore fleet due to the encroachment into their traditional fishing grounds by larger Irish boats which previously fished much further out to sea; and if he will have the situation at Helvick, County Waterford, studied in detail and the findings reported. [20707/99]
A fishing vessel is not precluded from fishing in inshore waters unless, because of its size, its licence contains a specific condition prohibiting it from fishing within a prescribed distance from baselines. There will, therefore, be a variety of types and sizes of vessels operating on individual fishing grounds, particularly as fleet modernisation and upgrading is assisting vessels' mobility between grounds and allowing the inshore fleet to move further offshore. Accordingly there is a need for mutual understanding and co-operation between fishermen engaged in different types of fishing in shared fisheries.
The necessary co-operation and consensus can best be achieved by direct dialogue between the fishermen concerned, focused on agreeing mutually acceptable codes of conduct. I have already indicated, in the context of ongoing discussions between representatives of vessels fishing by means of beam trawls and other fishermen in the south-west, that my Department is prepared to become involved in a facilitatory role, where the relevant interests consider that this would be of assistance.
