Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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30. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has made an application to the Commission for bluefin tuna quota to enable the development of a catch and release angling business in the north west; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32188/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Ireland has received unequivocal advice from the EU Commission that a recreational angling fishery, even on a catch and release basis, in Ireland for bluefin tuna is not legally possible in the absence of a national bluefin 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 EU Member States that do have quota and for whom bluefin is an important commercial fishery.

A small bluefin by-catch quota is available to Ireland for our Northern Albacore Tuna fishery and Celtic Sea herring fishery where there is a Bluefin tuna by-catch. This bycatch quota is also available to other Member States of the European Union. It cannot be used for recreational and/or sport fisheries, even in the context of a catch and release programme, as it does not allow the direct targeting of Bluefin tuna.

However, I am glad to be able to inform the Deputy that I have recently made funds available to allow my Department and the Marine Institute, with the support of the European Commission, to actively engage in developing Ireland's involvement in the ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) Atlantic wide research programme for bluefin Tuna. Ireland is currently participating in an ICCAT sanctioned  scientific 'tag and release' research programme on bluefin tuna in the waters off the North West coast using experienced local vessel operators.

This is a scientific research project only to assess the abundance and distribution of bluefin tuna in the waters off the Irish coast.

Ireland is committed to improving the scientific knowledge base for the stock of bluefin tuna in the waters off Ireland and I would be hopeful that the gathering of sufficient information could help build a case that would allow for a future angling catch and release fishery. Any such proposal would have to based on a scientific assessment from the Marine Institute and would also need to be developed in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and Inland Fisheries Ireland who have responsibility for recreational fishing.  Any such case will require the support of the EU Commission and approval of ICCAT.