Michael Healy-Rae
Question:479. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a compromise will be made for cray fishing (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22554/24]
View answerTuesday, 21 May 2024
Questions (479)
Written answers
I am informed that crayfish (also known as crawfish) is a specifically protected species under Irish legislation and is listed as vulnerable and decreasing by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The crawfish fishery in Ireland is currently regulated by the following Statutory Instruments:
S.I. No. 289 of 2019 - Crawfish (Conservation of stocks) Regulations;
S.I. No. 232 of 2006 - Crawfish (Conservation of stocks) Regulations;
S.I. No. 233 of 2006 - Crawfish (Fisheries Management and Conservation) Regulations.
I am advised that crawfish are primarily caught in inshore waters around the south and southwest coast and are an important source of revenue for the inshore fleet during the summer months. I understand that crawfish are also one of the highest value crustacean species caught in Irish waters. The protection of these valuable stocks depends on a range of legal measures, one of which is the ‘Minimum Conservation Reference Size’ (MCRS).
The MCRS for crawfish taken from International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) sub-areas VI and VII has been established as a carapace size of 110mm. The following measures are thereby enforced by the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority:
It is prohibited for the master or person in charge of an Irish sea-fishing boat to cause or permit the boat or any person to have onboard, land, or tranship crawfish that fall below the MCRS;No person shall display, sell, offer for sale or store for the purposes of selling any crawfish that fall below the MCRS;
Crawfish below the MCRS must be handled with care and promptly released back into the sea alive without delay.
The basis for the MCRS and prohibitions set out is to allow the crawfish to attain full maturity and have a reasonable opportunity to reproduce before being harvested and consumed. Potential adjustments to the MCRS are therefore not being considered at present for this already vulnerable stock.
However, I continue to encourage inshore operators to bring suggestions they may have for the management of crawfish and other inshore fish stocks to the attention of their local Regional Inshore Fisheries Forum (RIFF). There is a network of six RIFFs around the coast supporting the National Inshore Fisheries Forum (NIFF). The Forums are consultative bodies, established to foster the industry-led development of proposals for the management of non-quota stocks within six nautical miles of the Irish shore. A dedicated website provides contact details and information on the work of the Forums: www.inshoreforums.ie