Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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498. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what research has been carried out on the link between the decline in the sea trout population and sprat fishing in south Kerry; what the allowable by-catch is as a percentage of the total sprat catch in south Kerry; the volume of the total sprat for each of the years since 2007 in south Kerry, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18010/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The responsibility for sea trout conservation comes within the remit of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.

Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council (as amended) on the conservation of fisheries resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures (the Technical Measures Regulation) sets out the rules on how, where and when fishers may fish and also includes rules on gear, catch composition and ways to deal with accidental catches.

Under the Technical Measures Regulation, it is prohibited to fish for, retain on board, tranship, land, store, sell, display or offer for sale sea trout when fishing with any towed net within the waters outside the six-mile limit measured from Member States’ baselines in ICES sub-areas 1, 2 and 4-10 (Union waters). This would include the waters around South Kerry that are outside the six nautical mile limit as measured from the baselines.

The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) is the single legal competent authority responsible for the collection and reporting of fish landings into Ireland. I have therefore forwarded the Deputy's question on the total volume of landings of sprat in South Kerry for each of the years since 2007 in tabular form to the SFPA and have asked them to revert directly to the Deputy with the figures requested.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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499. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the current law regarding mesh size in the brailers for use in the south Kerry region; if the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency monitor the use of brailers to ensure mesh size requirements are being adhered to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18011/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The minimum mesh size requirements for different gear types are set out in Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council (as amended) on the conservation of fisheries resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures, also known as the Technical Measures Regulation. Technical measures are rules on how, where and when fishers may fish and also include gear, catch composition and ways to deal with accidental catches. Annex VI of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 sets out the technical measures for the North Western Waters area, which includes the waters around Ireland.

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 concerning sea fisheries control are, as a matter of law, exclusively for the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) and the Naval Service.

As Minister, I am precluded from getting involved in operational matters including in relation to law enforcement. Accordingly, I have referred the Deputy’s query to the SFPA for attention and direct reply.