I want to say clearly here in the Dáil that fishermen are the backbone of these rural, coastal economies. They are fundamentally important. If we get rid of them, if we lose them, and they are on the brink, what will become of these coastal towns? What will become of our fishermen? What will become of this wonderful intergenerational industry? What will become of the skill sets that we have built up for so many years? The Minister of State knows that this is fundamentally important. With Brexit, the Government sold the fishermen down the line. The Hague preferences came, and they were sold down the line. Now, they are teetering on the brink. I have met many fishermen in Erris, Belmullet and Achill Island. They have said to me very clearly that they do not know if they will survive. They do not know if they can wait until they get a reprieve or until their quotas are lifted. They may be gone. One gentleman asked me what there is for him to stay for. That is what is happening. If we break that link, it will be gone for generations. It is fundamentally important that the inshore fishermen are fairly represented on the Government task force. Inshore fisheries make up 90% of the vessels and the vast majority of employment in the fishing industry. Fishermen are very concerned that they will not get a fair shake in relation to the task force. There are negotiations on the Common Agricultural Policy. I believe it is unfair that fishermen are completely locked out of this. I ask the Minister of State to look into this with regard to the next CAP. He will be the Minister of State during this period. It is fundamentally important that fishermen can receive supports. It is hard to believe that farmers who have assets and are very successful business people are receiving CAP payments, while fishermen are asked to provide their bank account details in the Department's own survey. They are struggling to survive and struggling to sustain all of the costs of the fishing industry. How is that fair? The answer is that it is not fair. I ask the Minister of State to do everything he can, until we can ramp up the quotas, to protect the fishermen who still exist in Mayo and across this country.

Sentiment score: 0.07