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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 11 Nov 2003

Vol. 574 No. 1

Written Answers. - Fisheries Protection.

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin

Ceist:

123 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the outcome of the EU Council of Fisheries Ministers meeting held on 12 October 2003 in regard to the Irish Box; the implications for the Irish fishing industry; the reason he voted against the proposal; his views on whether the outcome is satisfactory; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26270/03]

There are two main elements in the deal agreed on the Irish Box at the recent Fisheries Council. First, a new conservation box comprising an area of more than 100,000 square kilometres has been established and, second, specific effort limits will apply to all foreign fishing fleets operating in the waters around Ireland.

The main implication of this agreement is the guarantee that there will be no increases in fishing effort by foreign fishing fleets in waters around Ireland and sensitive waters off the south and west coasts will be given special protection. The agreement also ensures that the current balance between northern and southern waters will be maintained, thus ensuring that there can be no transfer of effort by Spain from waters off its coast, where fish stocks are over exploited, into Irish waters. I voted against this agreement because of my consistently expressed view that the Irish Box in its existing format should have been retained in full.

Even though the new Irish conservation box, which has been welcomed as a good deal by the Irish fishing industry, went a significant way towards meeting my demands to protect vital spawning and nursery areas for many key stocks, I was not prepared to depart from that position of principle when it came to a vote. I am, however, confident that this deal will provide stability going forward and greatly help to guarantee the livelihoods of fishermen around our coast dependent on these waters. At Council, I was faced with outright opposition from Spain to any special protection measures in our waters. In the new regulation, however, I secured protection for those waters around Ireland under the greatest level of pressure from Spanish vessels and ensured that strict control measures are put in place within the new Irish conservation box. To that extent, the outcome must be considered broadly satisfactory.

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