Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 April 2024
499. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the current law regarding mesh size in the brailers for use in the south Kerry region; if the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency monitor the use of brailers to ensure mesh size requirements are being adhered to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18011/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe minimum mesh size requirements for different gear types are set out in Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council (as amended) on the conservation of fisheries resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures, also known as the Technical Measures Regulation. Technical measures are rules on how, where and when fishers may fish and also include gear, catch composition and ways to deal with accidental catches. Annex VI of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 sets out the technical measures for the North Western Waters area, which includes the waters around Ireland.
The monitoring and control of fishing vessels within Ireland’s Exclusive Fisheries Zone are matters for the Irish control authorities. 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 Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) and the Naval Service.
As Minister, I am precluded from getting involved in operational matters including in relation to law enforcement. Accordingly, I have referred the Deputy’s query to the SFPA for attention and direct reply.
