Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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126. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the outcome of the tuna CHART programme in 2024; the status of the socioeconomic survey from the authorised charter trips, and if there are plans within his Department to introduce a more widespread recreational catch and release bluefin tuna sport fishery. [25106/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The Tuna CHART programme is a catch-tag-release science-based angling fishery programme for authorised recreational angling vessels. It has been in place since 2019 and supports the collection of valuable data on the migratory patterns of Bluefin Tuna in Irish waters.

This programme was developed by Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Marine Institute in partnership with the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (which has responsibility for recreational fisheries) and my Department.

In 2024, 22 skippers registered for the programme, and 234 targeted Bluefin angling trips resulted in the tagging of 294 Atlantic Bluefin Tuna. High quality spatial, temporal and size data were recorded, which will be shared with the European Commission and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). This builds upon previous datasets from Tuna CHART activity over the period 2019 to 2023, thus contributing to a detailed understanding of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna trends in Irish waters. The Tuna CHART programme also provides a small but valuable tourism benefit to peripheral coastal communities, with charter trips operating along our coasts from Dungarvan to Killybegs.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has been undertaking socio-economic surveys of anglers on board authorised Tuna CHART vessels since the programme began in 2019. I am advised that IFI intends to carry out a detailed analysis of the socio-economic impact of Bluefin Tuna angling in 2026. Such analysis will be useful in considering any future development of the Tuna CHART programme.

As the Deputy will be aware, Ireland does not have a national quota for commercial fishing for Bluefin Tuna. The case for a national quota for Bluefin is supported by the data collected in the Tuna CHART programme. Opening up the issue of quota allocation is difficult.

Other Member States are resistant to any discussion on amending relative stability for this stock as any change in the allocation would involve a loss for some other Member States. This poses particular challenges in a Qualified Majority Voting context. Nonetheless, I will continue to raise the matter at every available opportunity.