Vol. 518 No. 6
64 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the success of having observers on larger vessels, as indicated by the previous Minister at a European Commission and Fisheries Council meeting, which was intended to be a conservation measure. [12911/00]
I 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 more acute in the mackerel and horse mackerel fisheries and if it is as widespread as alleged would be detrimental to the long-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 large 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.
The priority now is to make practical progress in developing and agreeing such a programme with the member states concerned and I will be continuing to press Commissioner Fischler and my EU colleagues for early progress. In particular, I will be raising the matter with my Dutch counterpart next week during bilateral discussions.
I know the Minister had a meeting recently with Mr. Fischler. As he is aware, Mr. Fischler comes from Austria which does not have a navy or a fishing fleet. Will the Minister indicate whether he believes Mr. Fischler appreciates the marine area?
Will the Minister look at the Norwegian experience of conservation, particularly in regard to mackerel, and the approaches they adopt, particularly in regard to discards, etc? The Irish fishing industry will willingly accept conservation measures provided there is a uniform approach throughout the European Union. Will he consider that in the context of the discussions, that it will be in place in the summer and that measures are uniform throughout the European Union as they apply to people involved in the mackerel fisheries area?
I accept the last point that the Irish pelagic sector is prepared to go along with conservation measures provided there is a level playing pitch. I am satisfied with the level of responsibility among fishermen and the sector generally. At last there is a realisation that unless we have conservation, we will not have a fish stock in either the pelagic or the white fish sectors in the future.
Commissioner Fischler, above all European politicians, is very much aware of everything in his brief and not least the marine, although he comes from a country far removed from it. I was very impressed with the depth of his knowledge and his understanding of the sector. We discussed with him the review of the Common Fisheries Policy and put to him some of the proposals we believe must be central to that review. He was most interested in the proposals from the review group and was very knowledgeable about what is at stake and the progress which is needed. I am satisfied we have a friend in court in Commissioner Fischler as we face the challenge of conservation.
I refer to the report in The Irish Times of 30 March in which it is reported that Commissioner Fischler said he would consider having observers on the larger ships. In that report, the Minister stated that was a very positive reply from the Commissioner. Will that happen or is the Commissioner just considering it? Does the Minister agree there is agreement among Dutch and Irish fishermen on the question of conservation but that there is no long-term plan, that nobody knows what will happen next week, in six months or next year and that that is the main problem – that is, there is no strategic long-term plan for fisheries in the Community?
As I said in the reply, it is our priority to insist that there should be observers on board the larger pelagic vessels. There is no doubt in the minds of many fishermen but that many smaller fish are being dumped overboard and that there is a serious erosion of the stock as a result. I put it to Commissioner Fischler, as one of our main priorities, that we must get agreement at EU level on the operation of those observers. It should be possible to land people on the larger boats by helicopter. I see no reason anybody interested in conservation would not be agreeable to that. It will be one of the more significant fights I will have with my Council colleagues. There is no reason to believe the Commissioner is not serious about implementing such a policy.
I would not accept there is no policy in regard to the future. The Common Fisheries Policy operates, although it has some deficiencies about which there is no question. In the review, which is coming up, we will be better prepared, as a result of the work of the policy review group, to put forward a case which will improve our position in respect of the Common Fisheries Policy.
