Minister defends ban on eel fishing

A FIANNA Fáil Minister of State yesterday rejected an allegation he was following Green Party policy by banning all eel fishing from the end of May.

Seán Power, Minister of State for Communications, told party colleague Senator Terry Leyden he was in full agreement with the Minister, Eamon Ryan, that eel fishing had to cease in order to protect stocks.

The exchange took place at the Committee on European Affairs which wanted a full report on the department’s Eel Management Plan which could see all eel fishing here close for 90 years.

The Minister had been invited to attend but sent his apologies; instead Mr Power was asked to outline what was being proposed.

All the members of the committee present expressed opposition to the 90-year closure of the eel fishing industry and the fact there would be no compensation for the 150-200 part-time fishermen involved.

Mr Leyden said the issue had been discussed at a Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting and the closure had been opposed by them. “You are following a Green agenda. This was never agreed by Fianna Fáil,” he said.

But Mr Power replied: “I am in full agreement with the Minister on what has to be done to ensure future generations will be able to fish eels.”

The Minister had outlined the plan being submitted to Brussels to manage eel stocks here; it provided for the recovery of stocks in the shortest possible time

“We never said we were imposing a 90-year ban. Scientific research shows that to have a full recovery of stocks would require the fisheries being closed for 90 years,” he said.

He said eel fishing would cease at the end of May and the ban would be reviewed in 2012 by the European Commission.

Deputy Mary O’Rourke said what had happened was a scandal and no other European country was placing a complete ban on eel fishing.

She said we were going far beyond any of our European partners in this issue even though we were responsible for only 2 per cent of the European stocks of eel.