Managing Irelands Inshore Fisheries

It is a great pleasure for me to be here today to mark this, the opening of the first ever Irish Skipper – Inshore Fisheries Expo. I would like to pay tribute to Hugh Bonner and the Irish Skipper for their foresight in organising this event. I would also like to thank the sponsors Allied Irish Banks and BIM.

Coming as I do from a coastal community I am aware, in a very direct way, of the importance of the fishing sector right around our coast. I also recognise the importance that attaches to our fleet of traditional inshore vessels.

These vessels, their skippers and crews, make a unique contribution, not just in the major fishery harbour centres but also at every one of the more than 800 small harbours and piers that dot our coast line.

The publication, by Bord Iascaigh Mhara, of a report on Inshore Fisheries in May 1999 represented an important milestone in the process of bringing about a much-needed overhaul of this hugely important sector of our fishing industry.

It has long been recognised that inshore fisheries make up a significant and growing portion of the overall contribution of the industry to the economy of coastal communities.

¨More than 3,500 fishermen work on board some 1,800 inshore fishing vessels – this is almost 50% of all those working directly in the Irish fishing fleet.

¨ Their catch amounts to an income of €50 million for the coastal communities in which they are based.

¨ In addition the sector supports some 15,000 people when the dependents of the fishermen are taken into account.

Thus the socio-economic dividend that is derived from inshore fishing remains vital for many families living along our seaboard.

BIM’s report contained a series of important recommendations, the most important of which relate to 4 specific areas:

¨Development.

¨Fleet licensing & Registration.

¨Enhanced stock assessment & research.

¨Policy.

To date major advances have been made on the first 3 of these.

·Assistance, in particular grant aid directed specifically at the inshore sector, has increased. In the last 5 years alone some €10 million in Government and EU grant aid has been delivered through BIM. We have supported the modernisation and renewal of the fleet (including marine tourism and sea-angling vessels), an extensive lobster v-notching programme, and an enhanced R & D programme tailored specifically for inshore stocks.

Indeed I would also remind fishermen that safety grants remain available for all fishing vessels, including successful applicants under the special scheme for potting boats. These grants cover 40% of eligible costs of all safety equipment: I consider this support vital to the safety of our fishermen."

·The scheme for the Licensing of Traditional Pot Fishing Boats in the Irish Inshore Fleet is delivering on its objective of bringing within the regulatory framework previously unlicensed and unregistered inshore fishermen who have traditionally owned a small fishing boat.

·A huge amount of work has been undertaken to increase and improve our knowledge and understanding of inshore stock over the past 5 years. Scientists from the Marine Institute, our third level institutions and BIM have delivered a remarkable programme of work that is already proving invaluable, and will, I am confident, be vital to the success of the new management framework I will launch today.

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Each of us has a part to play in managing our natural resources more responsibly. Our joint task is to give effect to the principal of sustainable development, in a manner that draws support from both our traditional stakeholders and the broader public. With the adoption of this Framework, I am, today, initiating a new policy on the management of inshore fisheries that will see final delivery on all of the 1999 recommendations.

Our goal, Ladies and Gentlemen, must be to minimise the negative impacts of fishing and support the positive so that, over time, Irish inshore fishermen will be able to increase their outtake from the fisheries on a sustainable basis.

This will not happen unless we work together to put in place the right tools that protect vulnerable fish stocks and ensure that we do not undermine the future by fishing when it is not sustainable. Taking a strong proactive approach to managing our inshore stocks will give rewards in the future and will ensure that coastal communities will remain vibrant offering good employment within these communities.

We must work together ‘to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.

This statement reflects the challenge facing us today. It is a challenge that we will meet working together to deliver actions today that will be judged against the impact they will have on the needs of future generations.

If we are to ensure sustainable inshore fisheries for the future who better to help us find the correct balance between environmental, economic and social considerations than fishermen themselves? Therefore I have placed inshore fishermen firmly at the centre of the decision making process.

The committee structures, functions and administrative arrangements detailed herein have been agreed following intensive consultation with all those involved in inshore fishing. I congratulate and applaud your efforts. The network of Inshore Fisheries Local Advisory Committees, Species Advisory Groups and the Inshore Fisheries Review Group will now, together, play their part in setting the objectives for inshore fisheries, the development of local management plans to deliver these objectives, and the efficient and effective implementation of these plans.

I believe that the new package announced today, puts in place key pillars of a better policy.

·Firstly, the policy now provides a long-term perspective for the management of inshore fisheries. If implemented successfully this will mean larger and more stable earnings for fishermen in the future and will help to safeguard jobs in the longer term.

·Secondly, we have laid the foundations for more transparent, efficient and harmonised system.

·Thirdly, from now on, fishermen and other interest groups will be better integrated into the decision-making process.

Sound objectives and good management must always rely on solid counsel. We must move from divergence to consensus and isolation to inclusiveness so that inshore fishermen move forward together with a shared vision and shared objective to the benefit of all.

The talents and abilities available within the fishing industry, BIM, the Marine Institute, other state agencies and within my Department represent the best available to produce, on an annual basis, scientifically based management advice.

It will be on the basis of that advice, produced in true partnership with all stakeholders that we will now move forward. The framework is based on working as far as possible on a voluntary partnership basis, rather than over relying on legal instruments, in order to deliver management plans effectively. I am convinced that such a partnership provides, not only, the best opportunity for success but also the only way we will truly capture the spirit of stewardship that resides in all those who make their living from the sea.

I hope that by the time we leave this beautiful part of Ireland, we will have committed ourselves to concrete action to ensure a vigorous, appropriate and environmentally friendly approach to managing our inshore fish stocks. For my part I am committed to concrete action to ensure that the management plans you collectively devise are implemented quickly and efficiently.

This Government believes strongly that there can be a clear, profitable and bright future for our fishing industry and coastal communities and as Government we are willing to invest in the infrastructure, policies and regulatory frameworks to bring that about.

Just as we believe in the future of the industry we also believe that we will only bring that future about if we take better care of our fish stocks. In the words of the much-respected Joey Murrin, we will in future have to speak more strongly for the fish. If we can do this collectively then the future we all wish for the vibrant national fishing industry can be secured.

Ends

INVESTMENT IN NEW INSHORE VESSELS THE PAST 5 YEARS

Provided under the “fisheries, inshore diversification scmeme” of the NDP