53 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for the Marine if trawlers and boats with a power of 100 horsepower or more will be prevented from fishing within Waterford Harbour from Hook Head to Dunmore East; and, if so, will the prohibition be based on horsepower rather than weight which is currently the case.

I would refer the Deputy to my answer to his question of 24 February 1993 when I confirmed that powerful trawlers are not permitted to fish in the areas referred to by the Deputy. To be specific, the use of trawl nets by vessels exceeding 10 GRT is prohibited by a by-law in that part of Waterford Harbour lying north of a line drawn from Gaultier Cottage, in Waterford to Broomhill Point in Wexford. Gaultier Cottage is an old landmark not used in modern maps but the effect of the by-law is to prohibit vessels of the horsepower mentioned by the Deputy from trawling in the inner reaches of the harbour. I can see no reason to change the parameters used from tonnage to horsepower.