Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 November 2023
387. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will work to ensure that any future agreements between the EU and Third (non-EU) Countries about access to Irish waters under the jurisdiction of the Common Fisheries Policy include a stipulation that they face the same stringent control and conservation regime as the Irish fleet, particularly with regard to mixed species catch. [49652/23]
View answerFishing vessels of any non-EU country may not fish in EU waters, including Irish waters, unless there is an agreement in place allowing them to do so.
All fishing vessels operating in EU waters - whether EU vessels or non-EU vessels - are required to comply with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
Ireland's control authorities, the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) and the Naval Service, are responsible for the monitoring and control of fishing vessels in our Exclusive Fisheries Zone to ensure compliance with the rules of the CFP. Under the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006, all operational issues of this nature concerning sea-fisheries control are, as a matter of law, exclusively for the SFPA and the Naval Service and I am expressly precluded from getting involved in operational matters.
