Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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610. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the measures in place to protect the five species of endangered turtles that live off the west coast in view of claims that they are being actively hunted and captured as domestic pets. [26355/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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My Department is responsible for the implementation of the legislative framework around the protection and conservation of species and habitats in Ireland, including the Wildlife Acts and the EU Habitats Directive.

There are no turtle species permanently resident in the seas off the west coast of Ireland. While 5 species of endangered turtles have been recorded in Irish waters, only one of these, the leatherback turtle can survive in the cooler temperate waters around Ireland. Consequently, it is the only species of turtle which Ireland reports on under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive.

During the summer months, small numbers of leatherback turtles forage in Irish waters before returning to tropical regions to breed. This species is protected globally by a range of international instruments, including the EU Habitats Directive and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and nationally by the Wildlife Acts. While the global conservation status of leatherback turtles is critically endangered, in Ireland it is classified as a species of least concern, meaning that there is no evidence of a population decline in Irish waters.

My Department has no evidence that leatherback turtles, which can reach over 2 meters in length, are being actively hunted or captured around Ireland. Likewise, my Department has not received any reports of leatherback turtles being kept as domestic pets.

Further information on leatherback turtles is available at .