Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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627. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the request from some inshore fishermen in Ireland that they would cooperate with the Marine Institute and other relevant authorities in conducting surveys on the abundance of spurdog or piked dogfish squalus acanthias around the coast (details supplied). [37637/21]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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628. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the efforts his Department and the relevant authorities are making to minimise either the illegal catch or bycatch of spurdog or piked dogfish squalus acanthias in Irish waters and the EEZ; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37639/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 627 and 628 together.

Under EU Regulation, 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 species is a long-lived, slow growing and late maturing species and is, therefore, particularly vulnerable to over-fishing. Conservation measures in recent years have reduced mortality significantly and stabilised the decline. The biomass (a measures of the quantity of the stock) of the species has started to increase slowly, however, the biomass remains extremely low and is below the biomass limit reference point established by ICES.

The latest scientific advice issued by ICES on 2nd October 2020 is that there should be no targeted fisheries for dogfish in 2021 and 2022. On the basis of this advice, and as the EU manages fish stocks having regard for this advice, there appears currently no liklihood of re-introducing a targeted fishery in the period covered by this advice.

While there is a very limited quota available for use only in pilot schemes designed to reduce by-catches, any such schemes are subject to European Commission approval and must relate to reducing by-catches 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.

In relation to the proposal for cooperation between the Marine Institute and industry in conducting surveys on the abundance of spurdog around the coast, I will refer this request to the Marine Institute for consideration within its Irish Fisheries Science Research Partnership, involving industry representatives, Marine Institute and BIM, where research projects assessments and priorities are actively discussed.

The monitoring and control of fishing vessels, including illegal catches of spurdog, within Ireland's Exclusive Fisheries Zone are matters for the Irish control authorities, the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and the Naval Service.