I am glad to get the opportunity to speak on this very serious and important topic. Every one of us knows that Ireland is surrounded by water. We should and do own our waters and I cannot understand for the life of me how the UK is entitled to fish in the coastal waters that obtain to the 26 Counties. All up the west belongs to Southern Ireland up as far as the tip of Donegal. We should be entitled to fish it. How have they a say on us having to shed 23,000 jobs? What are these fellas going to live in? Will they live in the wind or the sea air? God almighty, people are so hard at it, and people cannot keep a roof over their head even if they are in work every day and night as well. This is hurting the whole community. It is hurting the shops, the service men, the garages and every sector of the coastal community. There was something serious wrong before this cut in the quotas at all. For the last three years, 2025, 2024 and 2023, no mackerel came into the villages of Kilgarvan or Kenmare. They are not to be seen and not to be had. Who is taking them? Where are they going? Why is it being allowed? Have we anyone who can shout "stop"? We hear now that because of the EU Presidency, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade is going to bulk up our Army or whatever it is. I do not know what that is for. These people are down on their knees. They went out bad days and good days to try to bring home a bit of a living and to keep food on the table, all the way from Castletownbere, in to Kenmare and out to the Iveragh Peninsula, all the way along the Dingle Peninsula and up to the mouth of the Shannon Estuary. The Minister of State spoke about a task force. I do not know what good this task force is going to do but I ask the Minister of State to do something, please. This is his time. He is the Minister of State with responsibility for the fisheries. I am calling him out now because we had fellas there before who did not do their job. He is there this time and he has a chance to do something about it. I ask him to seriously get down to work.

Sentiment score: 0.00