Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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755. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions he can take or is examining to ensure the sustainability of all fish stocks in waters around Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58692/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) provides the framework for the long-term conservation and sustainability of fish stocks around our shores and is designed to ensure the long-term sustainability of fishing in Ireland and throughout EU waters. The CFP specifically calls for the progressive restoration and maintenance of populations of fish stocks above biomass levels capable of producing Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). This will lead to healthy fish stocks, higher quotas for both Irish and EU fishers and to more sustainable fishing patterns. Fisheries are managed on the basis of a population of a species living in a defined geographical area with similar biological parameters (e.g. growth, size at maturity, fecundity) and a shared mortality rate. The stocks managed by the EU TAC and quota regime, which establishes outtake levels on an annual basis, are distributed across a large geographical area generally off the west, south west and often the south east of Ireland.

In 2021, 47% of the stocks of interest to Ireland were fished at or below MSY - this increased from 34% in 2013. In 2009, at EU level only 5 stocks were fished at MSY. This shows that the many years of intensive, industry-led conservation measures within the framework of the CFP are paying off.

The process of negotiating and agreeing TACs for 2022 involves EU negotiations with the UK in respect of shared stocks and covers most of the stocks of importance to Ireland other than those determined at Coastal States negotiations including mackerel and blue whiting. These negotiations commenced on 11 November and are ongoing. Ireland is inputting its position and issues into the EU’s position and is actively engaged in these negotiations to ensure that matters of importance to Ireland, such as the Celtic Sea mixed fishery, are understood and pursued.

Earlier this month, I launched a public consultation on the Commission’s proposal for 2022, along with the scientific advice on fish stocks from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), as part of my annual Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA). The SIA draws its conclusions from a consultation process with all major stakeholders, a public consultation and expert contributions from the Marine Institute (MI) and Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM). The objective of the SIA is to look at the overall impacts the proposals for quotas could have on the sustainability of the fishing sector from a biological, economic and social perspective. I will present the SIA to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine in early December.

The Programme for Government sets down an ambitious programme of actions that promote a sustainable seafood industry and we are committed to working to continue to build on the progress that has been made to secure a sustainable future for our fishing industry and the coastal communities which depend upon it.