It feels like déjà vu. We are back in the Chamber again discussing the ongoing crisis in our fishing industry. Somehow, it has worsened yet again. Our fisheries sector, for the nearly 17,000 people who work in it, who are just trying to do their best, make a living and support their communities, is completely swimming against the tide at this point. I will speak on two deeply connected issues affecting our coastal communities. At the end of December 2025, the new EU fishing agreement was signed off by the EU fisheries Council. It will be catastrophic for Ireland. That agreement will result in an estimated €94 million in losses for the fishing industry in Ireland in 2026 alone. The second issue is the recent announcement of a €27 million investment under the fishery harbour and coastal infrastructure development programme. Both these issues are deeply connected. Representatives from the Irish fishing industry, in the audiovisual room at the end of January, outlined how severely reduced fishing opportunities will result in utter devastation, with one saying that some vessel operators will be restricted to 20 fishing days per year, when other countries are still overfishing. The deal reduces Ireland's fishing quota by 57,000 tonnes. Over 2,300 jobs in our coastal communities face immediate danger, with a wider economic impact potentially reaching €100 million. Communities such as Killybegs, Castletownbere and Howth are not just statistics on a page. They are towns built around fishing, processing, engineering and supply chains. The consequences for them could be devastating. Representative bodies have stated that Ireland's fishing quotas will have fallen by 94,500 tonnes within two calendar years by 1 January 2026. By then, Ireland's total combined fish quotas within our exclusive economic zone will stand at just under 120,000 tonnes, valued at approximately €140 million. They have been pointing out that, by stark contrast, other EU member states, along with certain other countries, have overfished against scientific evidence or advice and that Ireland is now paying the price. Sustainability cannot be one-sided; it must be observed by all. For many coastal communities, the figure given is not abstract. It is not a negotiating position or a statistical adjustment; rather, it represents boats tied up, incomes reduced and generational fishing businesses placed under further strain. I welcome that the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, will be raising the need for the EU to take a strong position to correct our critical mackerel levels and the setting of the total allowable catch for mackerel that allows the recovery of stocks while providing a level playing field for fishing communities. The timing of subsequent announcements has been particularly difficult to reconcile, however. Shortly after the quota reductions were confirmed, the Minister of State and Minister, Deputy Heydon, announced a €27 million investment in Ireland’s publicly owned fishery harbour centres. On the surface, this investment is welcome. Our harbour infrastructure is critical. It supports fishing, aquaculture, marine tourism, tourism in general and leisure activity. It underpins local economies from Donegal and Cork to Galway and Wexford. However, when we examine the detail of the investment, we see that a serious imbalance emerges, one that repeats the same inequality we highlighted here last year. Of the total allocation of €27 million, €22.6 million is directed towards six State-owned fishery harbour centres. Only €4.3 million has been allocated for local authority piers and harbours, and that €4.3 million is provided based on a funding rate of just 75%. Local authorities must provide the remaining 25% themselves. That is not the full extent of the imbalance. Before local authorities can even provide funding in this area, they must first pay for the necessary surveys and licensing costs under the MARA regime. Meanwhile, for six fishery harbour centres, the costs associated with the same MARA process are borne by the parent Department. State-owned harbours receive an overwhelming majority of capital funds, and their regulatory and licensing costs are centrally funded. Local authorities receive a fraction of the allocation. They must co-fund projects at a rate of 25%, and they must front-load survey and MARA licensing costs before eligibility is even considered. That is not parity; that is structural imbalance. In Donegal, for example, Donegal County Council has responsibility for more than 150 small piers and harbours. These facilities may not be designated as fishery harbour centres but they are the lifeblood of smaller fishing vessels, inshore fleets, aquaculture operators, tourism providers and leisure users. They are economic multipliers in fragile coastal regions. How many local authority piers and harbours exist nationally? What is the total number across all coastal communities? How does €4.3 million nationally equate to meaningful investment, given the scale of need in our infrastructure? If we are serious about fairness, the first step must be transparency. I am therefore calling on the Department to publish the total number of local authority piers and harbours so we can quantify the true scale of the discrepancy and have an informed discussion about equitable distribution. This is not about putting one county against another; it is about the principle that all coastal infrastructure contributes to the local and national economy. At this point, the message has been heard loud and clear along our coastal communities. Quotas have been cut at European level. Supports are announced at national level but the bulk of supports flow to a small number of centrally controlled harbours while local authorities are left to stretch limited resources across an extensive network of smaller but equally vital facilities. That approach risks widening the divide between large port infrastructure and smaller community harbours. If the Department believes coastal resilience is a national priority, as I do, funding mechanisms must reflect that. Fishing communities are not asking for special treatment but for fair treatment. They are asking for it to be recognised that coastal infrastructure, whether State owned or local authority managed, forms one interconnected marine community. At a moment when confidence in the sector is shaken by quota reductions agreed at EU level, the collapse of our fishing community is looking increasingly likely, and the fishing industry hangs in the balance, the Government must ensure the domestic funding model does not compound the pressure. The investment is welcome but equity is essential for all fishing communities. I agree with my Sinn Féin colleagues that an action plan is needed to redress the imbalance from which we have suffered for the past 50 years.

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