Vol. 518 No. 6
95 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the response he has had from the EU authorities to his call for the deployment of observers on mackerel fishing vessels throughout the EU to tighten up on illegal fishing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12920/00]
As I have already advised in my earlier reply, I have received a number of reports from the Irish industry about widespread discarding of small fish from larger pelagic vessels in the EU fleet. This problem appears to be most acute in the mackerel and horse-mackerel fisheries and, if it is as widespread as alleged, would be detrimental to the longer-term interest of the fisheries and the Irish pelagic sector.
In the light of the industry concerns which I share, I have pressed the case with Commissioner Fischler for the placing of observers on board larger vessels in the EU pelagic fleet. The Commissioner confirmed that the Commission would convene a meeting of those member states involved in the relevant pelagic fisheries before the summer with a view to progressing a pilot scheme for observers.
