Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 13 Feb 2002

Vol. 548 No. 3

Adjournment Debate. - Salmon Stocks.

Mr. Ring:

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter on the Adjournment. The Minister will be aware that we were all called to a meeting recently in Killala. He met that group in Ballina and there were further meetings which took place in Connemara.

Commercial fishermen are concerned because they feel that their livelihood is being attacked. It is not for the first time; this has happened over the past 20 years. They seem to be paying the biggest price of the reduction in salmon fishing.

These people are working in a very difficult and dangerous industry. They have been restricted in the past and if something is not done now, they feel that the industry will be wiped out. It is difficult enough to get fathers to pass on this way of life to their sons or daughters and they are finding it even more difficult now.

At the meeting in Killala they outlined a number of reasons for the Minister's actions. They are concerned that there are others interests involved which are being protected more than the interests of these fishermen. They have asked that a three-point plan be put in place and I want to put that to the Minister. I am glad that he took a reasonable approach to the case made by Deputy Dukes and I hope he will do the same for the fishermen in the west. They are talking about a three-point plan. First, they are looking for compensation, in other words, to be bought out. They are asking that those in this industry be given a bit of dignity and be bought out at a reasonable price. There was never as much money in the coffers. I heard tonight that the Minister for Finance is able to provide tax relief to sports persons who are making plenty of money. Here is an industry which is dying on its feet and these are people who are finding it very hard to make a living, and I cannot see why the Government cannot buy out the people who want to get out at a reasonable price.

The second measure in the plan is a reasonable fish quota on which they would be able to make a living. At present that is not the case simply because they are not getting the price they want. They are certainly finding it very difficult with the current quota.

The third measure they want is set-aside. That would put them out for a number of years, but they want reasonable compensation from the Minister. The Minister's proposal is that the Department would pay a certain amount of money, about £1,500, and that the angling clubs would pay the remaining £1,500. He knows the angling clubs will not pay that kind of money.

They also are concerned that they have obeyed the laws of the land. They were asked to tag the salmon and to bring their books to the Department, and all these people did so. That did not happen in the case of the anglers who were asked to tag and do their share, but did not do so.

As a Deputy from the west, I ask the Minister, who is from the west, to recognise that this is a problem of the west. It is certainly a problem for rural areas. We are finding it difficult enough to keep people in rural areas. These people feel that the Department is more concerned about the preservation of salmon than the preservation of their livelihoods and they feel they are not being looked after. They feel that they and their families are being attacked, that they just will not be allowed to fish in the future.

I ask the Minister to take the three-point plan on board and to do something for these people. Their lives are difficult enough. When these boats leave the shores at night their families never know whether they will come back. They work under difficult circumstances. It is not an easy life and they do not make a fortune. It is a way of life and an industry for them and it is not as if we have many alternative sources of employment for them. I ask the Minister to go back to his Department and return with a proposal that will solve this problem, that will compensate the people who want to get out, that will give a quota to the people who want to stay and, if he is going to produce the set-aside, that will give them reasonable compensation. It is a reasonable request and I hope Deputy Fahey, as a Minister from the west, can see fit to do that.

Mr. Fahey:

I certainly have taken a reasonable approach with respect to the commercial netsmen in the west and around the coast. In fact, I am particularly concerned about the livelihoods of commercial fishermen. I am also concerned about the conservation of wild salmon. My main concern is to ensure that we conserve and manage the stock of wild salmon in a significant way. The commercial net fishermen will benefit from that most of all. The first priority for the Department is to introduce a programme of conservation and management of wild salmon. If we do not do that, then the stock which has been declining in a serious way – and the commercial net men of north Mayo would be the first to tell me that – will continue to decline and before very long there will not be a livelihood in it for anybody. It is important to note that it is in everybody's interests that we conserve wild salmon, manage it properly and grow the stock again.

I am the first Minister to have tackled this problem. Many people have talked about it, but I have taken action. I have looked at ways of conserving wild salmon while not seriously affecting those who benefit from it. The best way forward is the introduction of a quota system, the control of fishing for salmon orders, reviewing the introduction of safety days – as requested by the sector – and I have requested the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Island, Deputy De Valera, to initiate comprehensive seal management measures including appropriate population control. I have received recommendations from various interests to standardise the lengths of net from 732 m and 1,372 m to a standard to 1,000 m in all districts. The north-west is the only part of the country where 1,372 m nets are used. I am prepared to look at that issue in my discussions with commercial salmon fishermen.

A buy out will not provide the answer. The only people interested in selling their licences are those who fish very little. Consequently, buying out licences will not do anything to conserve salmon. As that is our first priority, we have decided there is no benefit in buy outs. Even if we were to contemplate that, the very small amount of money that we would offer people would be an insult to them – they have told me that. A second option is set aside schemes. We have successfully introduced this in a number of coastal locations where there is local agreement between the fishing clubs, river owners and the net men. I have told the fishermen in Mayo that if that kind of agreement can be reached, I would be happy to add to the amount of money which would be agreed between them. Those are localised schemes with which the Department would only get involved if there is local agreement.

In each case one cannot do one thing, attempt to introduce a three point plan to do another, while at the same time introducing quotas. There is a misunderstanding on the part of the Deputy in that respect. Unless there were to be a full group of people in a catchment prepared to sell their licences and we were prepared to buy them, it would not make any sense. Buying out some of them would only leave extra salmon for the others, it is the same for set aside.

To protect the livelihoods of salmon fishermen, it is best to introduce a quota so that we can have a reduction in the amount of salmon caught this year. That would make a significant contribution to starting the conservation programme. We have asked anglers to do the same, whereby there is a limit of one fish per rod per day. They are not allowed to sell rod caught fish. I hope to assist the wild salmon commercial fishermen in the proper sale and marketing of their product. They are selling their salmon at a much lower price than they should be, it is as low as €1.50 per pound. Through a producer group we will establish with them, we intend to help increase the value of wild salmon through a promotional and marketing programme.

I have been very reasonable in my approach. I am most anxious to ensure that we protect the traditional rights of inshore fishermen. My overriding concern is that they will not have a future if we do not put conservation measures in place. That is what we are doing and I am confident we will begin to save and expand the stock of wild salmon so that tourist anglers, local leisure anglers and commercial net men will benefit in the long run.

The Dáil adjourned at 10.35 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 14 February 2002.