Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 March 2022
408. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the quota of mackerel from Irish waters given to France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15748/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra413. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the quota of mackerel given to Ireland in the waters of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15759/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 408 and 413 together.
The Atlantic Mackerel is a widely distributed, migratory pelagic fish that inhabits much of the north-eastern Atlantic shelf. The distribution of catches ranges from the north of the Norwegian Sea to the south coast of Portugal and Spain. Mackerel is targeted by a number of fleets throughout the year with large catches in northern waters during summer and the northern North Sea and to the west of Scotland and Ireland during the spawning migration in the winter months
The Total Allowable Catches (TAC) for the stock has been divided into a North Sea TAC (EU, UK and Norway), a Western TAC (EU, UK, Norway and Faroes), a Southern TAC (EU) and a North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission TAC (Coastal Sates, Iceland and Russia). Ireland's mackerel quota is mainly from the Western stock area.
Under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), EU Member State quotas are made available by specified stock area , and not by Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Generally most stock areas straddle more than one EEZ area. The Western mackerel TAC, where Ireland has a large quota share, covers ICES area 6, 7, 8a, 8b, 8d and 8e, United Kingdom and International waters of 5b, and international waters of 2a, 12 and 14. This covers a large area including certain Member States' and third countries' EEZs and international waters. Under the CFP, EU fishing fleets are, as a general principle, given equal access to EU waters and fishing grounds subject to allocated fish quotas. Irish fishing vessels fish across this extended area of Western waters for mackerel.
