Fishing Industry

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 m…

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 cul…

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 sche…

245. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Transport if he plans to ensure that the regulations for the number of skippers aboard a fishing vessel and the qualifications of the skippers are aligned to the designation by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine of all fishing vessels under 18 metres as “inshore”. [56602/25]

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 a…

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 f…

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]

755. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of vacant retail units in each fisheries harbour centre under the remit of his Department, and the current condition of each unit, in tabular form. [51837/25]

125. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the way in which a farmer (details supplied) can find out who owns the fishing rights on their land which bounds the River Suir; the way in which they can register their right to fish on their land; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45465/25]

1760. Deputy Holly Cairns asked 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]

1761. Deputy Holly Cairns asked 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]

1767. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures that will be in place to ensure compliance of vessels of more than 18m in length with the 2,000-tonne sprat quota limit from October 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46076/25]

1768. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide the stock assessment data that was used by his Department to inform the incoming 2,000-tonne sprat quota limit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46077/25]

1769. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how he will ensure that there will be no overfishing of sprat by vessels under 18 metres; the monitoring mechanisms that will be put in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46078/25]

1770. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the proportion of sprat landed that is currently used as fish meal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46079/25]

1771. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the sprat fishing season begins; the reason October was chosen for the sprat quota introduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46080/25]

1772. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce a sprat quota limit for vessels under 18 metres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46081/25]