Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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12. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if European Union quotas are decided on historical fishing track-record, how Lithuania secured a horse mackerel and mackerel quota in Irish waters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2296/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The fishing opportunities available to vessels, including within the Irish Exclusive Fishery Zone (EFZ) for 2015 are set out on a stock by stock basis in Council Regulation (EU) 104/2015 dated 19 January 2015 as amended by Council Regulation 2015/523 of 25 March 2015, Council Regulation 2015/960 of 19th June and Council Regulation 2015/1961 of 26 October.

The TAC and Quota Regulation for 2016 is currently in draft format awaiting publication.

For 2016 Lithuania has received an allocation of 140t of mackerel in ICES Zones VI, VII, VIb, XIb, these waters which include areas within the Irish Exclusive Fishery Zone. For Horse Mackerel in this area it has received a zero allocation.

For 2015 Lithuania has received an allocation of 1273 tonnes of mackerel in ICES Zones VI, VII, VIb, XIb, these waters which include areas within the Irish Exclusive Fishery Zone. For Horse Mackerel in this area it has received a 1,253 tonne allocation.

In addition to the TACs and quotas set down each year by the Fisheries Council, under the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), a Member State may also exchange quotas with other Member States in a particular year. Details of fishing opportunities available to Member States in EU waters in recent years are available on the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Directorate General website. Lithuania has availed of the swaps process to secure Mackerel and Horse mackerel in Atlantic North Western Waters.

Lithuania received a swop for 2015 in respect of Horse Mackerel in ICES area VI, VII, having received that quota from another Member State, which could be fished in ICES Areas VI and VII which includes Ireland's Exclusive Fisheries Zone. This data is provided on FIDES, the official EU Database of fishing opportunities. The FIDES database shows that Lithuania had a quota of 553 tonnes of Mackerel in ICES Zones VI, VII, VIb, XIb of which 544 tonnes has been caught. Lithuania also has a quota of 8,503 tonnes of Horse Mackerel in IIa, IVa, VI, VIIa-c, VIIe-k, VIIIa, VIIIb, VIIId, VIIIe. The FIDES database for 2016 is not yet available.