REFORM OF the laws covering the State’s commercial fishermen was urged by Fine Gael TD Jim O’Keeffe. He said Ireland was now the only maritime jurisdiction in the EU without a system of administrative sanctions for some fishery offences.

“I want to make it clear that neither I, nor Fine Gael, has any interest in introducing a pirates’ charter relating to serious quota and environmental breachers. These are, and will continue to be, dealt with by the courts.’’

Mr O’Keeffe, who represents Cork South West, moved the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction (Fixed Penalty Notice) (Amendment) Bill 2009, which was debated on Tuesday and yesterday in Private Members’ time.

The Bill, he said, would still allow the Naval Service to issue warning notices for suspect behaviour while retaining the jurisdiction of the courts. It introduced sanctions in the form of fixed penalty notices, up to a maximum of €1,000, for any one offence. The system would complement rather than replace existing legislation.

Party colleague Tom Sheahan, who represents Kerry South, said that implementing the Bill would do a great service to the fishing community. “The boats would not be tied up, gear and catch would not be confiscated, and we would not be clogging up the court system.’’

Rejecting the Bill, Minister of State for Fisheries Sean Connick said he was not convinced it would contribute positively to the rebuilding of fish stocks. It could result in more illegal fishing and further drive down the biomass of stocks.

“The Bill does not provide the necessary measures to appropriately regulate fishing activity, and would not give a reasonable level of confidence that illegal fishing would not be rewarded.”