Brendan Griffin
Ceist:297. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will increase mackerel quotas in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47793/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 16 December 2014
Ceisteanna (297)
Freagraí scríofa
Mackerel quotas, as with all other quotas under the Common Fisheries Policy, cannot be set unilaterally by any Member State. The EU mackerel quota is dependent on the outcome of annual Coastal State negotiations between the EU, Norway and Faeroes as it is a stock that is widespread in the North East Atlantic. Account must also be taken of the interests of Iceland (not been party to recent agreements, although a Coastal State) as well as Russia and Greenland. Ireland is the second largest mackerel quota holder within the EU (after the UK) and, as a result of this year’s negotiations, in which we played an active part, the mackerel quota for Irish fishermen for 2015 will be 89,222 tonnes. With the exception of the 2014 quota the quota agreed for 2015 is the highest mackerel quota available to Irish fishermen for very many years.
The 2014 quota was set at an artificially high level, above scientific advice, due to the extraordinary circumstances of the March 2014 agreement which lead to a partial resolution of the international mackerel sharing dispute which had been ongoing for some years.
Mackerel is of course our single most valuable fishery and the agreement provides a high quota, stability and certainty for the Irish pelagic fishing Industry.
However, I remain unhappy with the overall sharing arrangement agreed in March and I do not agree with the amount set aside for other parties such as Iceland. This sharing arrangement remains fixed until 2018 but at that stage I would expect that the relevant arrangement can and should be revised. I have of course worked closely with the Federation of Irish Fishermen throughout the negotiation process.