Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 June 2023
292. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will publish by-catch figures in Irish waters by fish species for each of the years 2015 to 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26882/23]
View answerThe term “by-catch” describes the unintentional catching of unwanted fish, and other marine creatures, during a commercial fishing activity targeting a different species.
It is now illegal to discard any species covered by the Landing Obligation, other than permitted exemptions, and all landings, including unwanted by-catches, must be recorded in the logbook and are counted against the national quota.
During the years specified by the Deputy (2015 to 2023), there have been a number of instances where restrictive, by-catch only TACs (Total Allowable Catches), have been set for some stocks. This prevents targeting of vulnerable stocks, while allowing for unavoidable by-catches of these stocks in mixed fisheries.
In addition, a small Bluefin Tuna by-catch quota is available to Ireland, primarily for use in our important Northern Albacore Tuna fishery and Celtic Sea Herring fishery, where there can be Bluefin Tuna by-catch.
The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) is responsible for the collection of catch and landings data and therefore I have asked the SFPA to reply directly to the Deputy with figures for these by-catch stocks.
