Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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259. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if small quotas of dogfish will be made available to inshore fishermen for a three-month period annually; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29013/20]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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It is prohibited to target, retain on board, tranship or land picked dogfish, also known as spurdog, in North Western Waters. The stock was subject to high harvest rates for more than four decades, and fisheries were not managed during this time.

The spawning biomass of this species is at an extremely low level, although conservation measures in recent years have had an impact in terms of stabilising the decline. However, the recent period of stability is short compared to the longevity of the species. The species is a long-lived, slow growing and late maturing species and is, therefore, particularly vulnerable to over-fishing.

For 2020, there is a very limited quota available (53 tonnes for Ireland) for use only in pilot schemes designed to reduce bycatches. Any such schemes are subject to European Commission approval and must relate to reducing bycatches of dogfish in other fisheries, i.e. the targeting of dogfish would remain prohibited. A scheme for dogfish avoidance was explored by the Marine Institute but, following consultation with the Commission's Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), it was decided not to proceed further with a scheme taking into account how such a scheme would operate.

The latest advice issued by ICES on 2 October 2020 is that there should be no targeted fisheries for dogfish in 2021 and 2022. On the basis of the available scientific advice on the current state of the stock, there is currently no possibility of re-introducing a targeted fishery in the near future.