Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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580.To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the plans in place for negotiating a quota for Irish fishermen to catch tuna; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25290/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland has a national quota for Northern Albacore Tuna. Annual catch limits for the Northern Albacore Tuna stock are set by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) based on scientific advice. The Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for the Northern Albacore Tuna stock has been set by ICCAT at 47,251 tonnes for 2024. Out of this Total Allowable Catch, in 2024, the EU is allocated 35,815.90 tonnes, out of which there is an allocation of 3,967.52 tonnes for Irish fishers.

Ireland does not have a national quota for Bluefin Tuna. The available Bluefin Tuna quota is allocated each year to Member States based on relative stability as established in the late 1990s. At that time, Ireland did not have a track record of commercial fishing for Bluefin Tuna and, accordingly, did not receive a quota allocation.

A small Bluefin Tuna 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.

In 2018, Ireland was successful, for the first time, in securing an agreement that allowed Ireland to set up a catch-tag-release fishery to contribute to the collection of scientific data for the Bluefin tuna stock. This catch-tag-release science-based fishery for authorised recreational angling vessels has been in place since 2019 and supports the collection of valuable data on the migratory patterns of Bluefin Tuna in Irish waters. This fishery is most beneficial to Ireland as it increases our knowledge of the behaviour and abundance of Bluefin Tuna while also providing a small but valuable tourism benefit to peripheral coastal communities.

I have made it clear to EU Member States and the European Commission that there is a case for an allocation of the EU’s Bluefin Tuna quota to be made available to Ireland. The case is supported by the data collected in the catch-tag-release science-based fishery for authorised recreational angling vessels.

I have requested the opening of discussions at EU level to progress Ireland’s case and I have made formal statements on the matter at the Fisheries Councils in December 2022 and 2023. Opening up this issue is difficult as other Member States are resistant to any discussion on amending relative stability for this stock. Any change to relative stability would involve a loss for some other Member States and therefore poses particular challenges in a qualified majority voting context. However, the case for a national quota for Bluefin Tuna is supported by the data collected in the catch-tag-release science-based fishery for authorised recreational angling vessels and I will continue to raise this matter at every available opportunity.