Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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310. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department have engaged with the Marine Institute regarding a formal stock assessment of sprat and the introduction of a total allowable catch; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36042/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for her question. Sprat is a small pelagic schooling fish that occurs inshore. Sprat is a short-lived species and an important prey fish for many marine species thus vital to the ocean food chain as well as an important source of income for inshore fishermen.

The International Council of the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) considers sprat to be a data limited stock which means that more detailed data is required in order to form a full understanding of the state of the stock.

The Marine Institute has been actively involved in work on sprat through research, surveys and fisheries catch sampling. From this work they have data and information on the biology, population dynamics and stock structure of Sprat around Ireland.

Studies have not to date shown evidence of separate stocks in the Celtic seas, and ICES considers sprat in ICES divisions 6 & 7 to be a single stock. Sprat around the Irish coast are known to perform seasonal migrations between winter feeding and summer spawning grounds.

The last acoustic survey for sprat in the Celtic Sea and the south Irish Sea was conducted by the Marine Institute in October 2024 as part of their annual survey series, ongoing since the early 2000s. The survey results are available on their website. This survey showed no evidence of sprat moving northwards and no collapse in the abundance of the species over the scale of the surveyed area.

At this time, there is no proposal from the EU Commission for a Total Allowable Catch, or TAC, and quota management arrangement for fodder fish such as sprat in the waters around Ireland. Ireland will, of course, have regard for a possible TAC and quota regime or other appropriate conservation measures going forward if recommended in the scientific advice to support the sustainable management of these stocks.