The arrangements in relation to the management of the mackerel quota have been in place for many years. These arrangements set individual catch limits for the 23 vessels in the dedicated pelagic segment of the Irish fleet. No specific catch limits have applied to whitefish vessels in the Irish fleet which are licensed to catch mackerel and traditionally have caught comparatively small amounts of the stock.
The Killybegs based pelagic fleet, which comprises the 23 vessels concerned, has developed the lucrative Irish mackerel fishery over a number of decades. While a varying proportion of the mackerel catch by these vessels each year is landed into high value markets in Norway, the UK and elsewhere, mackerel landings into Killybegs represent the backbone of the north west fish processing sector and related direct and downstream employment in the region.