Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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233. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a reply will issue to correspondence (details supplied) regarding tuna fishing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37838/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas is an inter-governmental Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO) responsible for the conservation of tunas and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and its adjacent seas. The Bluefin Tuna stock is currently at only some 20% of its Spawning Stock Biomass. For this reason, ICCAT has implemented a strict management regime with the objective of bringing about a recovery of the stock. Within the EU, quotas were allocated over ten years ago to Member States based on track record. Ireland, which did not have the track record, does not have a quota. It has access to a by-catch quota for Bluefin tuna in the albacore tuna fishery. However, this by- catch quota is also available to other Member States, and cannot be used for recreational and/or sport fisheries.

The Department has, following recent queries, been seeking to clarify the situation regarding recreational fisheries for bluefin tuna with the European Commission. The unequivocal advice I have received from the EU Commission is that a recreational fishery was not legally possible in the absence of a national blue fin tuna quota. We do not have such a quota and it is extremely unlikely that we could obtain one as it would involve reducing the share of the Total Allowable Catch of those Member States that do have quota and for whom bluefin is an important commercial fishery. Member States vessels with quota share, which was made available based on historic track record in the fishery, are permitted to fish for bluefin tuna.

ICCAT (the international Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) is responsible for the management and conservation of tuna. Ireland is represented in ICCAT, along with all other EU Member States by the European Commission. Under ICCAT rules bluefin tuna stocks are subject to a recovery plan due the decline in the stock over the years and catches are very strictly monitored and controlled. There would be no support from any quarter for any action by Ireland that might lead to an increase in bluefin mortality.

My Department is in ongoing discussions with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, which has responsibility for angling, and the EU Commission with regard to the possibility of catch and release fishing for bluefin that would not impact mortality and would contribute to scientific knowledge via electronic tagging. However, this is a complicated area both legally and technically and there are many issues that will require examination and clarification before any strong case could be made to the EU Commission, in the first instance.