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Commercial Fishing News from Ireland
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Marine Minister Martin Heydon and Minister of State for fisheries, Timmy Dooley are reminding owners of registered fishing and aquaculture vessels that the closing date for the Fuel Support Scheme is this Friday 12 June. “I’m delighted with the interest…
Fisheries Flex: Minister of State Timmy Dooley, EU Fisheries Commissioner Costas Kadis and Marine Institute CEO Dr Rick Officer aboard RV Tom Crean in Cork. Kadis has signalled flexibility on fisheries in any future Iceland-EU membership talks.
Iceland may be able to join the EU while securing exemptions from the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), EU Fisheries Commissioner Costas Kadis has indicated. “There is definitely room for flexibility,” Kadis said in a recent Financial Times interview, and indicated…
Inshore Future – Ireland's inshore fishing fleet faces rising costs, weather disruption and quota pressures. A revised NIFA support proposal will be discussed by the Oireachtas fisheries committee.
The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs will meet on Tuesday to examine a revised proposal aimed at supporting Ireland’s inshore fishing sector. The committee will hear from National Inshore Fishermen’s Association (NIFA) chairman Michael Desmond and vice-chairman…
Hidden Catch — An Indonesian fisher displays a squid catch aboard a distant-water vessel. The Environmental Justice Foundation says workers reported long periods at sea, poor conditions and limited oversight in global squid fisheries. Credit: Environmental Justice Foundation
A new investigation by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) says the global squid industry is characterised by widespread illegal fishing, environmental destruction and severe human rights abuses among crew. The EJF says it has drawn on five years of research,…
Slipway Scrub — Grainne Uaile Sub-Aqua Club members Michael Loftus and Frances Doherty at Kilcummin Pier, Co Mayo, where volunteers cleaned algae from the public slipway amid safety concerns.
With power hoses, shovels, and lots of elbow grease, members of Grainne Uaile Sub-Aqua Club and Search and Recovery Unit in Mayo have cleaned a public slipway that was at risk of a serious incident. Kilcummin slipway in north Mayo is…
Net Result — Discarded fishing gear and abandoned nets remain a hidden hazard for cruising sailors. Irish Sailing is encouraging crews to report entanglements and near-misses to improve safety and awareness.
Discarded and lost fishing gear remains a serious and often invisible hazard for cruising sailors in Irish and nearby waters. A recent near‑miss in the St George’s Channel, when viewed alongside a previous Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) investigation off the West Cork coast,…
Turning Tides — Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minna Epps, Global Ocean Policy Director at the International Union for Conservation of Nature, at the Fair Seas World Ocean Week Conference in Cork City Hall, where delegates discussed ocean protection, marine biodiversity and the future management of Ireland’s seas.
Ireland must move from ambition to delivery in protecting its marine environment, delegates at the Fair Seas World Ocean Week Conference in Cork have heard. The conference at Cork City Hall today (Wednesday, June 3) brought together international conservation experts,…
Middle Ground — Former Labour Relations Commission chief Kieran Mulvey has been appointed to mediate between Ireland's fishing and offshore renewable energy sectors
A Government mediator has been appointed to resolve an impasse between the commercial fishing and offshore renewable energy (ORE) sectors. As The Irish Times reports, Minister of State for Fisheries and Marine Timmy Dooley says the effort is “making progress”.…
New Course — Richard Donnelly has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of BIM after serving as interim CEO since November 2025. He brings more than 30 years of seafood industry experience.
Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) has appointed Richard Donnelly as its new chief executive officer (CEO). The appointment by the BIM board followed “an open and competitive recruitment process”, and Mr Donnelly will take up the position with immediate effect, it…
“Trust
Analysis by Tom MacSweeney Rebuilding trust is difficult to do, but that is at the core of the detailed report by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Marine Affairs into the operation of Ireland’s sea fisheries protection system. Can…
“Brussels
The Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation (IFPO) has appointed Donegal woman India Kennedy as Executive Assistant to its chief executive, with the role based primarily in Brussels. Ms Kennedy will support the Killybegs-based organisation’s engagement with EU institutions while also assisting…
Silver Shoal: A dense shoal of Atlantic herring moves through Irish waters, as a new MARA study highlights concerns over the impact of offshore survey noise on spawning fish and sensitive marine ecosystems.
A new study for Ireland’s marine regulator says that repeated geophysical and geotechnical surveys, which are also clustered and overlap with sensitive habitats, could negatively impact marine life.As Afloat has reported, the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) published a study…
Quota Compass: The Ireland Fisheries Management 2026 chart published by La Tene Maps and BIM details Irish EEZ waters, ICES zones, quotas, conservation measures and fishing effort areas.
The Irish Fisheries Management Chart for 2026 has been published by La Tene Maps with BIM. Now in its 21st annual edition, the large map (100 x 70cm) shows the 200-nautical-mile Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and surrounding fishing areas…
Research Shores – An aerial view of the Marine Institute’s Newport Research Facility at Furnace, Co Mayo, marking 70 years of fisheries, climate and biodiversity science.
The Marine Institute is marking 70 years of scientific research at its Newport Research Facility in Burrishoole, Co Mayo. Located between Lough Feeagh and Lough Furnace beneath the Nephin Beg mountains, the facility is one of Ireland’s longest-running marine and…
Market Catch: Galway fishmonger Stefan Griesbach and his son Aaron at the Gannet Fish stall in Galway market, where they promote locally sourced fish and encourage customers to try underused species.
“Everyone in Europe thinks we’re nuts”, Galway-based fishmonger Stefan Griesbach has said. In an interview with RTÉ Radio 1 Countrywide, Griesbach explained how difficult it is now to source Irish-caught fish, mainly due to quota restrictions on Irish vessels.Explaining how…
Under Review — The Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs report on sea-fisheries protection, published in May 2026, calls for major reform of the SFPA enforcement framework.
An Oireachtas committee has called for an Ombudsman to be appointed to consider complaints and to interrogate the effectiveness of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA). It also calls for an “immediate assessment” to be conducted at the various fishery…

Irish Fishing industry 

The Irish Commercial Fishing Industry employs around 11,000 people in fishing, processing and ancillary services such as sales and marketing. The industry is worth about €1.22 billion annually to the Irish economy. Irish fisheries products are exported all over the world as far as Africa, Japan and China.

FAQs

Over 16,000 people are employed directly or indirectly around the coast, working on over 2,000 registered fishing vessels, in over 160 seafood processing businesses and in 278 aquaculture production units, according to the State's sea fisheries development body Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).

All activities that are concerned with growing, catching, processing or transporting fish are part of the commercial fishing industry, the development of which is overseen by BIM. Recreational fishing, as in angling at sea or inland, is the responsibility of Inland Fisheries Ireland.

The Irish fishing industry is valued at 1.22 billion euro in gross domestic product (GDP), according to 2019 figures issued by BIM. Only 179 of Ireland's 2,000 vessels are over 18 metres in length. Where does Irish commercially caught fish come from? Irish fish and shellfish is caught or cultivated within the 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but Irish fishing grounds are part of the common EU "blue" pond. Commercial fishing is regulated under the terms of the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), initiated in 1983 and with ten-yearly reviews.

The total value of seafood landed into Irish ports was 424 million euro in 2019, according to BIM. High value landings identified in 2019 were haddock, hake, monkfish and megrim. Irish vessels also land into foreign ports, while non-Irish vessels land into Irish ports, principally Castletownbere, Co Cork, and Killybegs, Co Donegal.

There are a number of different methods for catching fish, with technological advances meaning skippers have detailed real time information at their disposal. Fisheries are classified as inshore, midwater, pelagic or deep water. Inshore targets species close to shore and in depths of up to 200 metres, and may include trawling and gillnetting and long-lining. Trawling is regarded as "active", while "passive" or less environmentally harmful fishing methods include use of gill nets, long lines, traps and pots. Pelagic fisheries focus on species which swim close to the surface and up to depths of 200 metres, including migratory mackerel, and tuna, and methods for catching include pair trawling, purse seining, trolling and longlining. Midwater fisheries target species at depths of around 200 metres, using trawling, longlining and jigging. Deepwater fisheries mainly use trawling for species which are found at depths of over 600 metres.

There are several segments for different catching methods in the registered Irish fleet – the largest segment being polyvalent or multi-purpose vessels using several types of gear which may be active and passive. The polyvalent segment ranges from small inshore vessels engaged in netting and potting to medium and larger vessels targeting whitefish, pelagic (herring, mackerel, horse mackerel and blue whiting) species and bivalve molluscs. The refrigerated seawater (RSW) pelagic segment is engaged mainly in fishing for herring, mackerel, horse mackerel and blue whiting only. The beam trawling segment focuses on flatfish such as sole and plaice. The aquaculture segment is exclusively for managing, developing and servicing fish farming areas and can collect spat from wild mussel stocks.

The top 20 species landed by value in 2019 were mackerel (78 million euro); Dublin Bay prawn (59 million euro); horse mackerel (17 million euro); monkfish (17 million euro); brown crab (16 million euro); hake (11 million euro); blue whiting (10 million euro); megrim (10 million euro); haddock (9 million euro); tuna (7 million euro); scallop (6 million euro); whelk (5 million euro); whiting (4 million euro); sprat (3 million euro); herring (3 million euro); lobster (2 million euro); turbot (2 million euro); cod (2 million euro); boarfish (2 million euro).

Ireland has approximately 220 million acres of marine territory, rich in marine biodiversity. A marine biodiversity scheme under Ireland's operational programme, which is co-funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the Government, aims to reduce the impact of fisheries and aquaculture on the marine environment, including avoidance and reduction of unwanted catch.

EU fisheries ministers hold an annual pre-Christmas council in Brussels to decide on total allowable catches and quotas for the following year. This is based on advice from scientific bodies such as the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. In Ireland's case, the State's Marine Institute publishes an annual "stock book" which provides the most up to date stock status and scientific advice on over 60 fish stocks exploited by the Irish fleet. Total allowable catches are supplemented by various technical measures to control effort, such as the size of net mesh for various species.

The west Cork harbour of Castletownbere is Ireland's biggest whitefish port. Killybegs, Co Donegal is the most important port for pelagic (herring, mackerel, blue whiting) landings. Fish are also landed into Dingle, Co Kerry, Rossaveal, Co Galway, Howth, Co Dublin and Dunmore East, Co Waterford, Union Hall, Co Cork, Greencastle, Co Donegal, and Clogherhead, Co Louth. The busiest Northern Irish ports are Portavogie, Ardglass and Kilkeel, Co Down.

Yes, EU quotas are allocated to other fleets within the Irish EEZ, and Ireland has long been a transhipment point for fish caught by the Spanish whitefish fleet in particular. Dingle, Co Kerry has seen an increase in foreign landings, as has Castletownbere. The west Cork port recorded foreign landings of 36 million euro or 48 per cent in 2019, and has long been nicknamed the "peseta" port, due to the presence of Spanish-owned transhipment plant, Eiranova, on Dinish island.

Most fish and shellfish caught or cultivated in Irish waters is for the export market, and this was hit hard from the early stages of this year's Covid-19 pandemic. The EU, Asia and Britain are the main export markets, while the middle Eastern market is also developing and the African market has seen a fall in value and volume, according to figures for 2019 issued by BIM.

Fish was once a penitential food, eaten for religious reasons every Friday. BIM has worked hard over several decades to develop its appeal. Ireland is not like Spain – our land is too good to transform us into a nation of fish eaters, but the obvious health benefits are seeing a growth in demand. Seafood retail sales rose by one per cent in 2019 to 300 million euro. Salmon and cod remain the most popular species, while BIM reports an increase in sales of haddock, trout and the pangasius or freshwater catfish which is cultivated primarily in Vietnam and Cambodia and imported by supermarkets here.

The EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), initiated in 1983, pooled marine resources – with Ireland having some of the richest grounds and one of the largest sea areas at the time, but only receiving four per cent of allocated catch by a quota system. A system known as the "Hague Preferences" did recognise the need to safeguard the particular needs of regions where local populations are especially dependent on fisheries and related activities. The State's Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, based in Clonakilty, Co Cork, works with the Naval Service on administering the EU CFP. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine and Department of Transport regulate licensing and training requirements, while the Marine Survey Office is responsible for the implementation of all national and international legislation in relation to safety of shipping and the prevention of pollution.

Yes, a range of certificates of competency are required for skippers and crew. Training is the remit of BIM, which runs two national fisheries colleges at Greencastle, Co Donegal and Castletownbere, Co Cork. There have been calls for the colleges to be incorporated into the third-level structure of education, with qualifications recognised as such.

Safety is always an issue, in spite of technological improvements, as fishing is a hazardous occupation and climate change is having its impact on the severity of storms at sea. Fishing skippers and crews are required to hold a number of certificates of competency, including safety and navigation, and wearing of personal flotation devices is a legal requirement. Accidents come under the remit of the Marine Casualty Investigation Board, and the Health and Safety Authority. The MCIB does not find fault or blame, but will make recommendations to the Minister for Transport to avoid a recurrence of incidents.

Fish are part of a marine ecosystem and an integral part of the marine food web. Changing climate is having a negative impact on the health of the oceans, and there have been more frequent reports of warmer water species being caught further and further north in Irish waters.

Brexit, Covid 19, EU policies and safety – Britain is a key market for Irish seafood, and 38 per cent of the Irish catch is taken from the waters around its coast. Ireland's top two species – mackerel and prawns - are 60 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively, dependent on British waters. Also, there are serious fears within the Irish industry about the impact of EU vessels, should they be expelled from British waters, opting to focus even more efforts on Ireland's rich marine resource. Covid-19 has forced closure of international seafood markets, with high value fish sold to restaurants taking a large hit. A temporary tie-up support scheme for whitefish vessels introduced for the summer of 2020 was condemned by industry organisations as "designed to fail".

Sources: Bord Iascaigh Mhara, Marine Institute, Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, Department of Transport © Afloat 2020