Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 April 2023
129. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the latest negotiations with the UK and Scottish governments on reinstating access for the Irish fishing to their traditional fishing grounds at Rockall. [18286/23]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, Ireland has never made any claims to Rockall, nor has Ireland ever recognised UK sovereignty claims over Rockall and accordingly has not recognised a 12 nautical mile territorial sea around it either. This remains the position of the Government.
The Government has been in contact with the relevant Scottish and UK authorities on Rockall over recent years and intensively since the beginning of 2021.
Through this engagement, the Government is seeking to address the issues involved, reflecting the long-standing fisheries patterns in the area.
Irish vessels have traditionally fished for haddock, which is subject to a quota limit, and squid, which is not subject to a quota limit, in the waters around Rockall. Haddock may be caught both within and outside 12 nautical miles of Rockall but Squid is caught within 6 nautical miles of Rockall. Other stocks caught in the waters around Rockall, both within the 12 miles area and outside, are Monkfish and Megrim.
The squid fishery around Rockall is known to be sporadic and varies from year to year. This is consistent with squid's short life-span and erratic recruitment dynamics.
Approximately 25 Irish vessels have fished in the waters around Rockall during the spring and summer months in more recent years.
Under the EU/UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement, EU vessels must be licensed by the UK authorities. Since 1 January 2021, the licences issued by the UK to EU vessels, where granted, expressly preclude access to the 12 nautical mile zone around Rockall.
I am committed to finding a way forward on this issue that will support the important commercial fisheries around Rockall. I will continue to work closely with the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin T.D., over the coming period to address issues involved. To this end, Irish officials are in active ongoing contact with their Scottish counterparts on possible ways forward.
