Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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837. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a consultant has been appointed for the deep-water quay at Ros a Mhíl; if the timeline and key milestones for the development have been agreed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28097/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am happy to advise that my Department has procured the services of consulting engineers and the detailed design for the Deep Water Quay Project is underway.  Additionally, the consulting engineers will manage the tender process for construction works, supervise the construction works, and in due course handover completed construction works back to my Department.  Until the consultant's work has been undertaken, the timeline or key milestones for the development cannot be specified.  My Department will be advised by the consulting engineers on the schedule of the different elements of the project including the dredging and construction works.  However, my Department will be working closely with the consultant to progress the development.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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838. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the details of the agreement entered into between Ireland, France and Belgium in which responsibility for weighing and inspection of all fish landed into Irish ports by French and Belgian-registered fishing boats passed from the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority to their control agencies; if the the European Commission was involved in either initiating and or overseeing and or consenting to this special arrangement between the Irish, Belgian and French fisheries control authorities; if there is a written agreement in relation to this; and if so, if he will publish the agreement. [28098/22]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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839. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority ensures that vessels fishing under the flag of France or Belgium but which are not under French or Belgian ownership follow the requirements of the agreement of the permitted scheme for landing fish into Irish ports. [28099/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 833 and 839 together.

The monitoring and control of fishing vessels within Ireland’s Exclusive Fisheries Zone are matters for the Irish control authorities.  Under the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act, 2006, all operational issues of this nature are exclusively for the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) and the Naval Service.  As Minister, I am expressly precluded from getting involved in operational matters such as this. I have accordingly referred your queries to the SFPA for attention and direct reply.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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840. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of by catch of bluefin tuna thunnus thynnus landed by Irish registered vessels for the past five years on an annual basis in tabular form. [28141/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The data requested by the Deputy is held by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) and I have referred the query to them for direct written response to the Deputy.

As the Deputy will be aware, Ireland does not have a national quota for Bluefin tuna. A small Bluefin by-catch quota is available to Ireland, primarily for use in our important Northern Albacore Tuna fishery and Celtic Sea herring fishery where there can be Bluefin tuna by-catch.  This by-catch quota is also available to other Member States in the European Union.

A Catch-Tag-Release science-based fishery for authorised recreational angling vessels has been in place since 2019.  The project, which was developed by Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Marine Institute in partnership with the SFPA, the Department for Communications, Climate Action and Environment and my Department, will allow the Marine Institute and Inland Fisheries Ireland to collect valuable data on the migratory patterns of Bluefin tuna in Irish waters in a tightly controlled environment.