Questions

460. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to request an emergency meeting with his EU counterparts to address the cuts to Ireland's fishing quotas, especially the proposed cut of 70% to Ireland's mackerel quota in 2026, following on from previous cuts of 26% in 2024 as a result of Brexit, 22% in 2025; his views on whether these cuts will have a devastating impact on the Irish …

729. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to ensure that onboard electronical monitoring is implemented on all factory ships and any and all other large foreign trawlers that enter Irish waters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65536/25]

730. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will take into consideration the importance of reopening a fishery (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65546/25]

732. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether Ireland intends to apply for port listing for our pelagic sector under the newly agreed EU Commission; if, in light of comments made by the executive chairperson of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority at an Oireachtas committee meeting on 18 November 2025, there has been a failure on the part of his Department to tak…

736. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he would consider directly contacting all EU member states’ ambassadors, including all non-coastal states, to convey to them the crises within the Irish fishing and processing sectors; if he would further outline the damage that third country coastal states are doing by fishing above their agreed shares; if he would underlin…

739. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if Ireland intends to apply for port listing for our pelagic sector under the newly agreed EU Commission similar to listings already achieved by Denmark and Latvia; if there has been a failure on the part of his Department to take any action to date (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66153/25]

742. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports his Department is providing, and will provide, to the fishing industry in light of recommended quota reductions for 2026. [66283/25]

743. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps his Department is taking to ensure the viability of Ireland’s sea fishing sector. [66284/25]

744. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps his Department is taking to ensure that fish caught in Irish waters are processed in Ireland. [66285/25]

875. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to ensure that Ireland’s mackerel quota is not reduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63705/25]

1393. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the legal questions regarding the future licensing of salmonid hatcheries within the jurisdiction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58962/25]

1426. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will commit to establishing a dedicated funding for on-island fisheries infrastructure in line with recommendations (details supplied) to ensure that island communities have access to modern facilities and infrastructure necessary for the sustainability of small-scale island fisheries; and if he will make a statement on t…

1433. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the Brown Crab Working Group will resume with definite quarterly meetings. [58707/25]

1434. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will engage with an organisation (details supplied) and the inshore fishing sector to examine the introduction of a financial assistance scheme or basic income scheme similar to that available to farmers and artists, considering the financial challenges they face and their immense importance to the cultural heritage and t…

1449. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the east coast mussel seed fishery can be opened as a matter of urgency, given that weather conditions are now deteriorating; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59614/25]

128. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given the existential warnings from the Irish fishing sector, if he will publish the Government’s sectoral impact assessments of the 2026 quota cuts; outline the legal and trade measures being pursued at EU and bilateral levels to counter unfair overfishing by third-party fleets; and outline a transitional support scheme (income, retraini…

672. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 736 of 14 October 2025, if he will clarify the statement “As these operators have access to alternative sources of mussel, it is difficult at present to fully assess the degree to which the incomes of those who fish mussel seed have been affected” given mussel fishermen are reporting that th…

88. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on his plan to save the fishing and seafood industry from the impact of the proposed devastating cuts to the mackerel, blue whiting and boarfish quotas; and the financial aid that will be provided to the affected businesses and workers. [54988/25]

96. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason no quota was introduced for boats under 18-metres fishing for sprat; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55040/25]

97. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the planned financial supports for pelagic fishers and processors following the proposed 70% cut to mackerel quotas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54999/25]

112. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on his negotiation with the UK Government to reinstate access for the Irish fishing fleet to their traditional fishing grounds at Rockall. [54995/25]

124. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on his negotiation with the European Commission to secure a bluefin tuna quota for the Irish fishing fleet. [54996/25]

135. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the latest restrictions on sprat fishing were undertaken without consideration of the ICES advice; if he will reconsider it given the recent statement by the Marine Institute stating that, in the absence of any stock data, the ICES advice the precautionary principle should dictate the management of a fishery; and if he wi…

730. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider the importance of the east coast mussel seed fishery by reopening it as a matter of priority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54743/25]

736. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there are any plans to devise a financial hardship scheme that can assist mussel fishermen who have been without an income since 2022, as no seed mussel settlements have been found large enough to fish in 2023, 2024 and in 2025 to date. [54954/25]