Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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794. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason his Department introduced a quota management system for the hook and line mackerel fishery with just under 180 tonnes of the 400-tonne quota being caught during the 2022 season, compared with the 1,200 tonnes landed in 2021; the way he intends to resolve this unviable system that is impacting local costal fishing communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59378/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The available quota for the Mackerel Hook and Line fishery is 400t in accordance with Ministerial policy on the management of mackerel quota. The 2020 landings were 585t. The 2021 landings for the fishery were 1,182 tonnes. Last year I had to close the fishery early (closure took effect from the 12th June 2021) as vessel landings had exceeded the available quota. Most of the landings for the fishery in 2021 were off the Northwest coast only, meaning only a small number of fishers had an opportunity to prosecute the fishery.

For that reason, earlier this year, I asked the Quota Management Advisory Committee (QMAC) to examine measures to strengthen the management arrangements for the 2022 fishery, within the existing Mackerel policy, for my consideration. A working group made up of industry representatives, SFPA staff and Department staff and was put in place and made recommendations for the management of 2022 Fishery, supported by the QMAC and approved by me.

While the measures introduced have ensured that the fishery remains open (with just over 40% uptake to-date), my understanding is that feedback on the ground is that a lack of market for line-caught Mackerel mean that the fishery is not as lucrative for inshore fishers who moved to pot fishing for other stocks instead.

Looking towards the fishery in 2023, the management of the fishery will be on the agenda for discussion at upcoming meetings of the QMAC. Furthermore, I have written to the Chair of BIM requesting that BIM work with the inshore fishers, in particular the National Inshore Fisheries Forum and the Irish Islands Marine Resource Organisation, to identify market opportunities for this fishery and to explore opportunities for a high-quality/price market with a focus on servicing restaurants and local fish shops.