AN COMHFHOCHOISTE UM IASCACH Tuarascáil ar Phobail Thuaithe Inmharthana ar an gCósta agus ar na hOileáin a Chur chun Cinn ____________________________________________ JOINT SUB-COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities No. JsCF 001 January 2014 Joint sub-Committee on Fisheries AN COMHFHOCHOISTE UM IASCACH Tuarascáil ar Phobail thuaithe Inmharthana ar an gCósta agus ar na hOileáin a Chur chun Cinn ________________________________________________ JOINT SUB-COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities No. JsCF 001 January 2014 Joint sub-Committee on Fisheries Contents List of tables ........................................................................................................................ i List of Figures .................................................................................................................... ii Acronyms .......................................................................................................................... iii Chairman’s Foreword ........................................................................................................ 1 Membership of the Joint* sub-Committee on Fisheries .................................................. 3 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 5 Executive summary ........................................................................................................... 8 Recommendations ........................................................................................................... 10 Section 1: Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) ........................................... 15 1. Rural coastal and island communities: a socio-economic profile ........................... 16 1.1 Background ............................................................................................................ 16 1.1.1. Ireland – overall quota situation ........................................................................ 16 1.1.2 Ireland – inshore fisheries .................................................................................. 17 1.1.3 The market for Seafood ...................................................................................... 17 1.2 A case in point - County Donegal ........................................................................... 18 1.3 The challenges ....................................................................................................... 21 1.3.1 The 2011 Pobal HP Deprivation Index for Small Areas – Overview .................... 21 1.4 Socio-linguistic and Geographical boundaries of the communities.......................... 28 1.5 Data – difficulties .................................................................................................... 28 1.6 SEMRU data on rural v urban statistics .................................................................. 30 Joint sub-Committee on Fisheries 1.7 Summary ................................................................................................................ 31 Section 2: Existing Policy and Licencing Regimes ....................................................... 34 2.1 Governance arrangements in the Marine sector ..................................................... 34 2.1.1 Ireland ................................................................................................................ 34 2.1.2 Scotland ............................................................................................................. 37 2.1.3 United Kingdom.................................................................................................. 37 2.2 Key policy documents ............................................................................................. 40 2.3 Policy and social impacts on communities .............................................................. 42 2.3.1 Education and training........................................................................................ 43 2.4 Aquaculture ............................................................................................................ 44 2.4.1 Government policy towards aquaculture in Ireland ............................................. 44 2.4.2 Aquaculture in a global context .......................................................................... 45 2.4.3 Aquaculture in an EU context ........................................................................ 49 2.4.4 Status of Aquaculture in Ireland ......................................................................... 51 2.4.5 Government policy towards Aquaculture development and licensing ............ 54 2.4.6 Overview of the sector ....................................................................................... 61 2.4.7 Species diversification ........................................................................................ 66 2.4.8 The commercial success of Salmon farming in Scotland .................................... 67 2.4.9 Location of fish farms ......................................................................................... 67 2.4.10 Sustainability .................................................................................................... 69 2.5.1The Quota management system ......................................................................... 70 2.5.2 Licensing and Compliance ................................................................................. 83 Joint sub-Committee on Fisheries 2.5.3 Policy developments and recommendations since 1999 .................................... 87 2.5.4 Salmon Fisheries management .......................................................................... 97 2.5.5 Developments at EU level ................................................................................ 103 2.5.6 Inshore fishery – overall management .............................................................. 114 2.6 Sea and Coastal Angling ...................................................................................... 125 2.6.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 125 2.6.2 Current status................................................................................................... 126 2.7 Tourism ................................................................................................................ 133 2.7.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 133 2.8 The Seaweed industry .......................................................................................... 135 2.8.1 The international scope of the industry ............................................................. 135 2.8.2 The current scope of the Irish industry ............................................................. 135 2.8.3 Techniques employed ...................................................................................... 139 2.8.4 Outcomes: farms developed to commercial scale ............................................ 141 2.8.5 BIM‘s future plans ............................................................................................ 142 2.8.6 Regulation of supply ......................................................................................... 142 2.8.7 Policy in relation to the foreshore ..................................................................... 143 Section 3: Developing Strategies for Rural and Island Communities ....................... 145 3.1 Aquaculture .......................................................................................................... 145 3.1.1 Licensing .......................................................................................................... 145 3.1.2 Regulation ........................................................................................................ 150 3.1.3 Promotion of commercial aquaculture .............................................................. 151 Joint sub-Committee on Fisheries 3.1.4 Linguistic impact of large scale developments .................................................. 152 3.2 Island and coastal (within the 12 mile zone) fisheries ........................................... 154 3.2.1 Wild Salmon Fisheries management ................................................................ 155 3.2.2 Inshore fishery – overall management requirements ........................................ 160 3.2.3 Marketing ......................................................................................................... 165 3.2.4 Fish processing ................................................................................................ 167 3.3 Sea angling .......................................................................................................... 169 3.3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 169 3.3.2 Legislative reform ............................................................................................. 171 3.3.3 Sea Angling – an integrated product ................................................................ 172 3.3.4 Facilitating diversification into Sea Angling ....................................................... 172 3.4 Tourism ...............................................................................................................