Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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362. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware that in recent days, there are approximately 70 large third country pelagic trawlers, from Norway, Iceland, Faroes, Russia, and the UK, fishing for blue whiting both inside EU waters and just outside the Irish 200-mile EEZ in international waters; if he will outline the level of monitoring and inspections of these vessels that has taken place and the landings made by these vessels both inside and outside EU waters, including bycatch. [10529/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Fishing vessels of any non-EU country may not fish in EU waters, including Irish waters, unless there is an agreement in place allowing them to do so. There is no such agreement in place between the EU and Iceland, the Faroes or Russia.

The current reciprocal access between EU and UK waters is provided for in the EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement.

The level of access for Norwegian fishing vessels is determined each year as part of the EU-Norway annual negotiations. For 2025, once again, Norwegian access to Irish waters is limited to the area north of 56°30’N and west of 12°W.

All fishing vessels operating in EU waters - whether EU vessels or permitted non-EU vessels - are required to comply with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

The monitoring and control of all fishing vessels within Ireland’s Exclusive Fisheries Zone, and all Irish fishing vessels wherever they may be, are matters for the Irish control authorities, the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) and the Naval Service. However, the control authorities do not have a control remit for third country vessels operating outside of Irish waters.

Under the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act, 2006, all operational issues concerning sea fisheries control are, as a matter of law, exclusively for the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and the Naval Service. As Minister, I am precluded from getting involved in operational matters including those in relation to law enforcement.

I have therefore passed the Deputy's query to the SFPA for direct response.