Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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250. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the rules for inshore fishermen with vessels less than 20 metres, accessing Ireland's north-west herring quota (6A South) have been changed from an open fishery to one where they are now required to book in; and the reason the representative organisation for inshore fishermen was not consulted about these changes. [40829/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Due to the vulnerable state of the North West Herring stock, for the period 2016 to 2022 monitoring Total Allowable Catches (TACs) were set for a scientific fishery. During this time, the 2012 Herring Policy in relation to the North West Herring Fishery was set aside and under 12m vessels that were not part of the Ring-fenced group were given opportunities to collect data samples to assess the state of the stock. This was managed by issuing authorisations for these vessels in three categories (driftnet, trawler and ringnet). This system required a booking-in process and where the number of applications was greater than the number of vessels assigned to a category, the vessels were selected by lottery.

For 2023, and again in 2024, ICES advised that this stock could be managed as a commercial fishery.

The 2023 North West Herring Fishery opened on 15th November 2023. For the autumn 2023 period, the Non ring-fenced fishery operated as an open fishery (i.e. no booking in required) with a monthly catch limit of 0.5 tonnes per vessel (for vessels greater than or equal to 15m and less than 20m) and 10 tonnes per vessel (for vessels less than 15m). The available quota for the Non ring-fenced fishery was set at 300 tonnes.

On 7th December 2023, the SFPA advised my Department that the uptake of this fishery had reached approximately 310 tonnes. In light of this, I signed Fisheries Management Notice 78 of 2023 which closed the fishery with effect from 13:00 hours on 7th December 2023. The final uptake of quota for this fishery as at 31st December 2023 was 428 tonnes.

Last year, I established the North West Herring Advisory Committee (NWHAC), comprising representatives from relevant industry groups, to advise me within the policy framework, in relation to the management arrangements of the Herring 6a South quota and fishery. However, in late 2023 the National Inshore Fishermen's Association (NIFA) and the National Inshore Fisheries Forum (NIFF) informed my Department of their withdrawal from membership of the NWHAC. My Department has engaged with the relevant parties to seek solutions to facilitate the continued involvement of NIFA and NIFF with the NWHAC.

In order to put in place management arrangements for the Autumn 2024 fishery, and to prepare for the Spring 2025 fishery, I requested that my Department review recommendations received both from the remaining members of the NWHAC and NIFA and NIFF, and to provide options to allow the 2024 Autumn fishery to open in a timely manner.

The management arrangements which I approved last week (which are available on my Department's website from the following link: , are intended to facilitate the sustainable operation of the fishery while offering as many opportunities as possible to the sectors to avail of the limited quota available.

I have also asked that the industry groups make every effort to re-engage with the NWHAC in order to address issues such as optimum times for opening and closing the fishery, contingencies and minimising unwanted bycatch of herring outside of the fishery periods in order to support the sustainable operation of the fishery for future years. It would be preferable if the relevant representative groups could provide focussed advice on the fishery. However, if that does not prove possible, the provision of advice/recommendations on this fishery will have to revert to the Quota Management Advisory Committee.