§ MR. BODKIN (Roscommon, N.)On behalf of the hon. Member for Galway, I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland what steps have been taken by the Irish Fisheries Board to carry out the recommendation of the Select Committee on Fisheries, that all trawling should be prohibited in Galway Bay inside given points?
MR. J. MORLEYThe Inspectors of Fisheries inform me that the fishermen of Galway Bay are already protected from trawlers by two bye-laws, one of 1009 which prohibits trawling in the bay when large shoals of herrings or mackerel shall have set in and while boats are engaged at such times in drift-net fishing, and the second bye-law entirely prohibits steam trawling in the bay inside of a line extending from Hag's Head in County Clare to the north-westerly point of North Aran Island, and thence to Golan Head in County Galway. I am glad to hear from the Inspectors that the past fishing season in Galway Bay has been a very good one, and that the herring season in particular has been successful. The Inspectors have carefully considered the recommendation contained in the recent Report of the Select Committee on Sea Fisheries, and are of opinion that to prohibit trawling within the points suggested by the Committee would ruin the trawling industry, which is a most important one, and supports a number of families in the Claddagh as well as in the town of Galway. To enable, however, these men to pursue the line fishing with every advantage the Inspectors will issue a bye-law reserving the upper portion of the bay for line-fishing during three months of the year, and prohibiting all trawling during these months inside of a line drawn from Barna to Kinvarra Point.