Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 September 2021
1579. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the process by which assessment and monitoring of inshore fishing information is gathered namely razor clam fishing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42394/21]
View answerI understand the Deputy is referring to the assessment and monitoring of inshore fisheries, such as those for razor clam. I should advise the Deputy that my Department’s role in sea-fisheries is to manage fishing opportunities available to the Irish fishing fleet and to prepare and oversee implementation of relevant policies in keeping with the Common Fisheries Policy.
Scientific assessments of sea-fish stocks, including inshore stocks, are carried out by the Marine Institute (MI). The MI is the statutory body whose function is inter alia to undertake sea-fisheries research, assess and advise on the sustainable exploitation of the marine fisheries resources in the waters around Ireland and on the impacts of fisheries on the ecosystem. The MI publishes annual stock books with information relevant to species subject to EU quotas fished both offshore and inshore and, together with BIM, also publishes the annual Shellfish Stocks and Fisheries Review that focuses on non-quota species such as razor clam, lobster and crab and the activity of the shellfish fleet. The MI publications can be found online at https://oar.marine.ie/.
The monitoring and control of fishing vessels within Ireland’s Exclusive Fisheries Zone are law enforcement matters for the Irish control authorities. Under the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act, 2006, all operational issues of this nature are exclusively for the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) and the Naval Service. I am expressly precluded from getting involved in such operational matters.
