Inland and Marine Fisheries: Statements
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-04
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Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (FF), Labour Panel

I will start by noting how much the Chair suits you, Senator Costello. Maybe it is something you should think about in the future. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for giving up his time and for his engagement.
Fishing is of huge importance to many of our communities and it often goes under the radar because of the numbers involved in fishing compared with agriculture, for example, but to the communities involved in fishing, it is everything. It is often the main source of employment, directly and indirectly. Senator O'Donovan and I come from Cork South-West where the communities are very involved in fishing. I also know from dealing with councillors whose local electoral areas, LEAs, include fishing communities how important it is to them. Our party's commitment to fishing is evident by the re-establishment of a stand-alone Minister of State. A few weeks ago I had a coffee with a fisherman from Castletownbere who is very near retirement. His father and grandfather fished before him, as do his son and grandson. He summed it up very well when he said, "Before, we used to be afraid of drowning but now our main fears are quotas and regulations.". That just sums up how fishing communities feel.
I want to acknowledge the work the Minister of State does and did on the international stage. He held many meetings about the Hague preferences and total allowable catches. On the national stage, I would like to acknowledge his regular availability to the fishing sector. Over Christmas, when many people were nursing hangovers and kissing people under mistletoe, the Minister of State travelled to Castletownbere and Killybegs, a long distance from County Clare.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-04/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:35+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-04