Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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1090. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he would outline what stock surveys have been conducted to date; what surveys are underway at present and what further surveys are planned for pollack in box 6a before ICES make a determination for 2026 in this stock; if he will further confirm that his Department are committed to making a scientific case for reopening this fishery which is critical to the inshore sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29074/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The advice on fish stocks, including Pollack, published by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) forms the basis of the scientific advice used by the European Commission in proposing Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for the following year.

The ICES advice for Pollack in ICES Areas 6-7 (the waters around Ireland) for 2024 and 2025 was for zero catch. Therefore, the EU and UK agreed, in the negotiations on 2024 and 2025 fishing opportunities for shared stocks, to set a limited, by-catch only TAC for this stock. This was in order to avoid a "choke" situation, which would lead to the premature closure of whitefish fisheries where Pollack is caught as a by-catch.

Given the scientific advice for this stock, the need to balance socio-economic considerations with achieving good biological status for stocks, and taking into account the challenges of managing mixed fisheries, setting a by-catch only TAC is the most appropriate approach. By not targeting Pollack directly, this prevents excessive pressure on the stock and, in doing so, helps the stock recover.

It will be necessary to analyse the 2025 advice for this stock in order to determine whether or not a case can be made for a targeted fishery next year.

Ireland is actively involved with the scientific research to improve the understanding of Pollack. The Marine Institute has taken a leading role in the latest ICES assessment for the 2026 scientific advice for this stock, which is expected to be published on 27th June.

Since the last advice for Pollack was released in 2024, there have been two Irish surveys - the Irish Groundfish Survey and the Irish Anglerfish and Megrim Survey - as well as two Scottish surveys, which feed into the pollack assessment and take place in ICES Division 6a.

The recently benchmarked stock assessment now incorporates a total of 11 survey time-series (including the above surveys). Of these, nine are still running, with the most recently available data incorporated into the assessment. The nine ongoing surveys, including the four that take place in Division 6a each year, will be undertaken before the next stock assessment in Spring 2026.