Holly Cairns (Cork South-West, Social Democrats)
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1760. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his attention has been drawn to the recent closure of the sole quota; the measures his department is taking to assist inshore fishers that will be financially impacted by the early closure of sole. [45785/25]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Consultation on the management of quotas within National policy is carried out each month at the Quota Management Advisory Committee (QMAC) meeting involving fishing industry representatives from the catching and processing sectors, my Department and the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA).  The QMAC examines in detail the operation of each fishery, available quota and uptake patterns for the different metiers of fishing vessels.  The purpose of these meetings is to make recommendations on regimes for particular stocks and, as far as possible, I follow their recommendations, subject to the proper management and rational exploitation of our fisheries.

Whitefish Quotas are generally managed on a monthly basis, with catch limits being set monthly.

At the QMAC meeting on 14th May 2025, given the high projected catch for May for the Sole stock in Area 7 f, g (Celtic Sea Sole), my Department contacted the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) to establish the uptake for the stock.

The SFPA advised on 14th May 2025 the total uptake for Sole in Area 7 f and g was 36.99t, therefore the quota of 36t for 2025 was exceeded.

My Department therefore requested, as a matter of urgency, that Industry Representatives engage with counterparts in other Member States to secure quota swaps to allow the fishery to remain open. As swaps could not be secured, it was necessary to close the fishery.

At the QMAC meeting on 20th August 2025, the SFPA indicated that by the end of August the projected uptake for Sole in Area 7 h, j, k (Southwest of Ireland Sole) would exceed the 2025 quota of 78t. The QMAC recommended I close the fishery with effect from 1st September.

My Department continues to work with Industry Representatives to secure quota swaps to address the landings in excess of available quota.

Celtic Sea Sole and Southwest of Ireland Sole would not be among the main stocks targeted by the Inshore sector, but small amounts may be caught as a by-catch. A range of supports are provided to inshore fishers under Ireland’s Seafood Development Programme. The attached document details supports available to the Inshore sector and the sector overall.

A range of supports are provided to inshore fishers under Ireland’s Seafood Development Programme. This programme is co-funded by the Irish government and EU Commission, providing €258M in supports to the Irish commercial seafood sector over the period 2021-2027.

Under the programme training, technical and advisory supports from Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) are in place for inshore fishers. In the past year my Department has significantly improved the funding available inshore fishers, with specific schemes put in place for this sector. These include the Small-scale Coastal Fisheries Scheme which provides unprecedented enhanced grant rates of up to 80% to inshore fishers for both on-board and on-shore investment; grant rates of 100% are now in place for inshore fishers participating in the Lobster V-notching scheme and an innovative scheme to support the economic development of the inshore fishing fleet was put in place in 2024 - the Inshore Fleet Economic Assessment Scheme. All of these schemes are administered by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) on behalf of the Department, and further details can be found on BIM - Fisheries.

Other schemes available to Irish Fishers include the following:

The Sustainable Fisheries Scheme provides support to all registered fishing vessels (other than the small scale coastal fishing vessels) for on-board investment. Both the Inshore Fisheries Scheme and the Sustainable Fisheries Scheme support investment by fishing vessels in more selective gear that reduces catches of juvenile and/or over quota species, with the ultimate aim of improving the sustainability of fisheries.

The Seafood Training Scheme supports the development of skills and knowledge across the Fisheries, Aquaculture and Seafood Processing sectors

The Young Fishers Scheme provides support to persons under 40, who have 5 years+ experience and/or relevant training, to assist them in purchasing their first vessel. Grant aid up to 40% of the cost of the vessel can be accessed under this scheme, subject to a maximum payment of €250,000. There are some restrictions regarding the age and length of vessels which may be purchased under this scheme.

Holly Cairns (Cork South-West, Social Democrats)
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1761. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a breakdown of the allocation of all fish quotas by boat size, in tabular form. [45786/25]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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In Ireland, quotas are a public resource and are managed to ensure that property rights are not granted to individual operators. The result of this long standing policy is that the Irish fishing fleet involves a balanced spread of sizes and types of fishing vessels, which have retained a strong economic link with our coastal communities and have delivered economic activity including vital employment in these communities, where there are very limited alternative economic activities.

Ireland's fish quota management system is designed to ensure the best possible spread, both between fishing vessel operators and in terms of take up of quota throughout the year, having regard to fishing patterns and market conditions.

Quotas are generally managed on a monthly basis, with catch limits being set for each month. Consultation is carried out each month at the Quota Management Advisory Committee (QMAC) meeting involving fishing industry representatives from the catching and processing sectors, the Department and the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, which provides up-to-date catch data for stocks. The  Committee makes recommendations to me on regimes for particular stocks and, where appropriate, I follow these recommendations subject to the proper management and rational exploitation of our fisheries.

In regards to the allocation of quota by vessel size; for Whitefish (Demersal) quotas, monthly catch limits are set for vessels over and under 55 feet in length.  Pelagic stocks (such as Mackerel, Blue Whiting, Herring etc.) are managed in line with the policies for those fisheries, which specify how the quota is allocated to the various sectors of the fleet operating in the individual fisheries. These sectors are often defined by the types of gear used. For example, in the Mackerel Hook & Line Fishery, there is a specific allocation for vessels fishing by means of hooks and lines. The specific allocation for each fishery is provided in the monthly Fishery Management Notices, which are available on my Department's website at the following link: Fisheries Management Notices 2025

The attached document provides a breakdown of Ireland's quota for 2025 by species, as set out in the annual Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and Quota Regulation.  The figures in the table do not include quota carried over from 2024 or quota swapped to or from other Member States or the UK.