Vol. 535 No. 4
111 Mr. Sheehan asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the measures of success which have been achieved by him to get fishermen to engage in fishing for deepwater species; the names of the species involved; and the approximate total tonnage of deepwater fish landed by Irish fishing trawlers in 2000. [12903/01]
Irish fishermen are showing an increasing interest in deepwater species and, in the year 2000, the deepwater fisheries programme undertaken by BIM involved ten vessels, including six of the new vessels introduced under the whitefish renewal scheme. The main species include black scabbard, grenadier, sika shark, greenland halibut, redfish, forkbeard, blue ling and tusk with smaller quantities of orange roughy, red scorpion fish, rabbitfish, cardinal fish and argentines. Approximately 700 tonnes of non-quota deepwater species were landed during the BIM deepwater fisheries programme. Additional landings of demersal deepwater species were made outside the BIM programme. A total of 2,000 tonnes, including ling, were landed by demersal Irish Sea fishing vessels during 2000.
Question No. 112 answered with Question No. 84.
