The National Inshore Fishermen’s Association (NIFA) has welcomed the Government's announcement introducing restrictions on trawling activity inside the six nautical mile zone.
“We thank the Government for recognising the importance of protecting our inshore waters and the communities that depend on them,” NIFA has said.
“While we are encouraged by this positive step and the commitment to restoring fairness and sustainability in our coastal waters, we regret that these restrictions are not being brought in with immediate effect,”it said.
“The urgency of safeguarding our marine environment and the livelihoods of Ireland’s inshore fishermen cannot be overstated,”it said, acknowledging it “marks a critical move toward long-term sustainability”.
“We look forward to working constructively with the department to ensure these measures are implemented effectively and without delay,”NIFA has said.
Five years after the Government’s first attempt, the new policy directive announced on Tuesday aims to prohibit trawling by fishing vessels over 18 metres in length overall inside the six nautical mile zone and baselines.
The directive will come into force on October 1st, 2026, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine Martin Heydon and Minister of State for Fisheries Timmy Dooley said.
Their decision has been welcomed by Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan
Under the phased procedure, a limited total allowable catch of 2,000 tonnes of sprat will be permitted for vessels over 18 metres length overall inside the six nautical mile zone and inside baselines from October 1st 2025 to September 30th 2026 only.
Over 18 metre vessels fishing for sprat during that period will require an authorisation to do so, the two ministers said.
Heydon described it as “a matter of significant public interest, and the decision has been preceded by an extensive public consultation which has been considered carefully”.
“I am satisfied that this is the right thing to do for the preservation of sustainable fisheries in our inshore waters,”he said.
A previous attempt to introduce restrictions to protect inshore fisheries by former marine minister Michael Creed was overturned in a legal challenge.
“I am mindful of the opportunity that these measures will provide for our important small-scale fishers, and I am confident that it will help to re-establish links between local fish resources, local fleets and local economies,”Dooley said.
“This Government has committed to maintaining support for our inshore sector in the Programme for Government and this decision helps to deliver on that promise. I also believe that these actions may provide wider ecosystem benefits, including for essential fish habitats,”he said.
“There is a compelling case for excluding trawling by large vessels in coastal waters inside six nautical miles and the public have spoken. All submissions received within the consultation period were analysed by my department, and 94% of those submissions wanted to see a new ban on trawling activity by vessels over 18 metres in the waters inside six nautical miles,”he said.
The ministers said that scientific and economic analysis was provided by the Marine Institute and Bord Iascaigh Mhara respectively and published alongside the public consultation paper.
Additional up-to-date analysis was compiled by these agencies more recently and will also be published on the department’s website, they said.
Dooley said that “78% of submissions chose for an introduction of measures to take place in full effect once a decision has been made, and 7% on a phased basis”.
“I am also acutely aware that fishing vessel owners will have planned their fishing activities for the rest of the year and indeed into 2026 also. For that reason, a transition period of one year for all vessels over 18 metres will be permitted from October 1st,”he said.
“This will allow a period of adjustment for all affected vessels who have planned fishing activities inside the six nautical mile zone during the period. I am asking BIM to offer affected vessel owners technical assistance to adjust their trawling activity away from the six nautical mile zone by the end of the transition process,”he said.
Welcoming the move, O’Sullivan said that it was “a step forward for Ireland’s marine environment and for the future of our marine wildlife”.
“For too long, industrial overfishing of sprat has threatened the very foundation of our marine food web, putting whales, dolphins, and our much-loved seabirds like puffins and kittiwakes at risk,”he said.
“The measures agreed today, which amount to a de facto ban on industrial trawling of sprat in our inshore waters, are the result of an extensive public consultation process and careful consideration of the best available scientific advice,”he said.
