Pat the Cope is back in his element at Marine

When Mayo Fine Gael TD Michael Ring recently spurned his party leader's offer of the shadow marine portfolio, few fellow politicians could have been more amused than Donegal South-West's Pat the Cope Gallagher - former MEP and new Minister of State for the Marine

And bemused, perhaps, for at least Fine Gael still recognises it as a full Cabinet post. If there was any "demotion" - the word Mr Ring used to justify his anger - it was at the hands of Fianna Fáil. Almost two decades after the party separated fisheries from agriculture to create a dedicated marine department, the portfolio has now been reduced to junior status again.

Curiously, this arrangement has attracted barely a whimper of criticism from Mr Ring, his party, or from a sector that was united in its opposition to the Taoiseach's attempt to downgrade it back in 2002. The reason for this can only be the selection of the west Donegal man for the job. Not since the Fine Gael/ Democratic Left "dream marine team" of the late Hugh Coveney and Eamon Gilmore has there been such an enthusiastic, well-informed and popular appointee.

His younger constituency colleague, Mary Coughlan, may have secured the more expensive wellington boots in the high-spending agricultural brief, but "The Cope" couldn't be happier than where he is now on the shoreline and beyond.

The grandson of Paddy The Cope, a pioneer of the Irish co-operative movement, Pat was born with salt in his veins. He hails from Burtonport, Co Donegal, and attended primary school in Glenties and Dungloe. Even when he was sent away in his teens to St Enda's College in Salthill, the Atlantic was on his doorstep as he looked out over Galway Bay. He remained in Galway to take a commerce degree, where Dr Jim McDaid, Eamon Gilmore and Séamus Brennan were among his contemporaries, and Labour Party president Michael D Higgins was lecturer.

After graduation, Mr Gallagher turned his new-found business acumen to fish processing and exporting - wild salmon being the staple of the Burtonport fleet at the time. He made his first foray into politics when he was elected to Donegal County Council in 1979, and ran successfully for the Dáil in 1981. When the new marine department was created by former taoiseach Charles J Haughey, he became the first junior minister under Brendan Daly from 1987 to 1989.

As several industry representatives remarked a fortnight ago on his return to Leeson Lane, he "knows where the bodies are buried". However, he brings with him all the attributes of a good constituency politician, in that he is personable, efficient, hard-working, with an extraordinary memory for detail.

He "speaks the language" and has never lost touch with the marine sector, both through his constituency work and also as an active member of the European Parliament's fisheries committee during his time as MEP from 1994 to 2002.

Married to Ann, one of the Gillespie sisters imprisoned in Britain for 15 years, Mr Gallagher has the antennae of a Border politician when it comes to steering clear of controversy - although he did make headlines last year when it emerged that he had lobbied to have Mr Eddie Gallagher, one of the Herrema kidnappers, appointed to a prison visiting committee. Barely a wet week in his new post, he took swift and decisive command of the Irish response to last month's Canadian submarine emergency over 100 miles off the north-west coast. At his first council in Luxembourg, he also secured the release of €13.5 million in EU funds for the whitefish fleet.

However, it was his senior colleague, Noel Dempsey, who initiated the Garda investigation into allegations of fraud and Departmental collusion with fish landings in Killybegs. Although Mr Gallagher says it is "inappropriate" for him to comment, he hopes that the investigation can be brought to a speedy conclusion. His Department's suspension of the Killybegs harbourmaster last month is an entirely separate and "internal" Departmental issue, he says.

Under the carve-up between him and senior minister Mr Dempsey, Mr Gallagher has delegated functions and responsibility for sea fisheries, inland fisheries, marine safety, ports and all of the legislation pertaining to the old Department of the Marine. The Minister will be "fully briefed", but it may also be possible to report directly to Cabinet, Mr Gallagher says, while he will attend all fishery council meetings - including the marathon pre-Christmas quota distribution in Brussels.

He says that he wants to work on a partnership basis with the various industry representatives, and has already embarked on a series of meetings. One of the most strategic elements in his brief is responsibility for ports and the €130 billion worth of trade passing through them annually. A policy statement has been circulated within the Cabinet and is due to be published shortly.

The document is expected to make recommendations relating to a projected deficit in seaport capacity, and issues such as competition, regulation and privatisation. Shareholders' support for privatisation and/or for possible merger with other ports will be addressed - including the possible merger of Dublin Port and Dun Laoghaire. The Minister of State emphasises that there will be "further consultation" on that one before any decision is taken.

"In relation to fisheries, the resource is renewable, sustainability, and conservation is extremely important - and I know that the Irish fishing industry realises, and pushed for innovative technical conservation measures during the recent CFP (common fisheries policy) review," Mr Gallagher says.

He stresses that he will be somewhat confined by CFP constraints. He intends meeting the incoming EU fisheries commissioner, Joe Borg, as soon as his appointment is confirmed; interestingly, the new Commission includes a dedicated fisheries post, separate from agriculture.

EU regional advisory councils have been hailed as a move towards more democratic input in fishery management decisions, but he acknowledges that the councils will be advisory, rather than managerial. "I don't go along with the view that they will be merely talking shops, but I suppose that's something that can only be judged in five years' time."

A new EU fisheries monitoring and control centre is also to be established in Vigo, north-west Spain - a move that has been condemned as a "poacher turned gamekeeper" scenario by Labour's marine spokesman, Tommy Broughan. "That was a decision taken by the EU council, but the fact is that national control is still in the hands of member-states, along with visits by EU inspectors," Mr Gallagher says.

He is well aware of the air of depression that lingers over ports such as Dingle, Co Kerry, where over half of landings are now by non-Irish boats, and Killybegs, closer to home.

The Donegal port has its spanking new €50 million deepwater harbour - but at a time of escalating fuel prices, a greater level of catch enforcement and a restriction on night-landings which was introduced by his predecessor, Dermot Ahern.

The landings issue is "close to resolution", he says, and the Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation confirms that it is also "hopeful". On fuel prices, the EU has already rejected a bid by France to introduce measures aimed at alleviating the impact on its fleet. "We realise that it does add to the costs, but any help will be deemed to be State aid and disallowed," he says.

"There have been suggestions for years that the fishing industry is in crisis, but all we have to do is to look at the investment in it - some of it with very little State aid, some of it with State support under the whitefish fleet renewal initiative - and that shows that there is still every confidence in its future. And the Killybegs development is not for fish-related development only," he points out. He hopes that the Corrib gas field will be served by it, and that traffic in cruise ships can be developed. His Department is currently considering the appointment of a consultant to market the harbour.

The future doesn't look too bright also for the alternative to commercial fishing - aquaculture. Fish farmers still believe that spoil dumped during the Killybegs harbour development was linked to the major kills on three south Donegal fish farms in 2003, with the loss of over 100 jobs in Mr Gallagher's constituency.

Increased mortalities on other farms have resulted in a drop in Irish farmed salmon output from 24,000 to 16,000 tonnes annually, while Norway, the market leader, continues to try and flood the market.

With so much State emphasis now on quality rather than quantity production, fish farmers will also be hoping that he enforces existing regulations to protect the industry.