A list of fish species prohibited from commercial exploitation in the Irish exclusive economic zone has been published by the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA).
Protected species include all species officially protected across a range of international conventions and legislation, it states.
These are defined as species that are legally protected, are considered vulnerable as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), or may be considered vulnerable to the effects of fishing activities due to low stocks or mortality rates.
“Legislation and policies in place for the conservation of prohibited species are deliberated at a global, national, and regional level,” the SFPA states.
“It is important that commercial fishers should minimise their effects on protected species through the appropriate measures detailed… to monitor and reduce bycatch,” it states.
The key areas covered in the fisheries information notice issued by the SFPA include:
*prohibited species recorded in the Irish EEZ.
*visual representation of prohibited species for identification.
*characteristics of each species to aid accurate identification as well as the care, return to sea and recording requirements for fishers in the event of accidental catch.
The details are on FFSU-FC-FIN-OC-06-23 Fish Species Prohibited from Commercial Exploitation in Irish EEZ waters here
