Vol. 577 No. 4
100 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the extent of the commercial fisheries for sprat, sandeels and other small fish within Irish waters; the extent to which such a catch is used for the production of fishmeal; and the main food source for cod in the Irish Sea. [31385/03]
To date in 2003 there has been 1,710 tonnes of sprat caught within Irish waters by commercial Irish fishermen. These catches have been landed primarily into the ports of Dunmore East and Killybegs. There has been no commercial fishery for sandeels. There are specific minimum sizes that prohibit the keeping onboard and landing of undersized fish. There has been no sprat used for the production of fishmeal this year, all the catches of sprat were sold to lucrative markets for human consumption.
