Almost 46,000 fishing vessel landings were recorded at Irish harbours last year by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA).

The total of 45,943 landings amounted to 267,200 tonnes, valued at €448,692,973, it says.

It says that 2,080 non-Irish vessels landed into Irish ports in 2022.

The data is derived from landing declarations and sales notes for all vessels landing into Ireland, plus Irish vessels landing outside Ireland provided to the SFPA by the sector, it says.

“Collecting and reporting data in relation to sea fisheries, as required under community law, is an important part of the SFPA’s mandate,” SFPA executive chair Paschal Hayes has said.

“ The SFPA uses the available data to help us monitor trends in fishing vessel landings, locations and species being caught. This information is also beneficial to key stakeholders as well as supporting our service delivery and workforce management,”he said.

Annual and quarterly statistics, including landings and inspections, are published on the SFPA website.

The statistics pages on the SFPA website provides fishers and members of the public with a “one stop shop” to access a range of useful data on fishing activity, including Quota Uptake which is available on a weekly basis, the SFPA says.

Seafood exporters to Britain have been warned of a delay in implementing export health certification.

The British government has confirmed that implementation of export health certification for goods, including fish and fishery products, from the EU to Britain will be delayed until January 31st, 2024.

The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) says this means that “all of the proposed sanitary and phytosanitary controls changes for fish and fishery products consignments from Ireland to Britain, including export health certification and pre-notification requirements” will not go ahead on the scheduled date of October 31st, 2023.

“They are now scheduled to be implemented from January 31st, 2024 instead”, the SFPA says.

It says the British government has also published an updated version of their “Border Target Operating Model” which contains their plans for a new approach to importing goods that will “be progressively introduced from the end of January 2024”.

“The SFPA will continue to communicate further updates as and when required in this ever-evolving third country regulatory environment,”it says.

It says queries may be emailed to [email protected]

Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) officers confiscated 48 live undersize crawfish off the southwest coast late last month.

The SFPA says that the crawfish were “returned safely to sea” after the discovery during a routine patrol.

It says that a file is currently being prepared for consideration by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Crawfish, also known as European spiny lobster or crayfish, are one of Ireland’s “most at risk” species and are listed as vulnerable and decreasing by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

They are also the highest-value crustacean species caught in Irish waters, achieving prices of €30 - €40 per kilo on landing, the SFPA says.

Crawfish are primarily caught in inshore waters around the south and southwest coast and are an important source of revenue for the inshore fleet during the summer months.

Protection of these valuable stocks depends on a range of legal measures enforced by the SFPA, just one of which is the “minimum conservation reference size”, it says, which stipulates a carapace size of 110mm.

It is prohibited for the master or person in charge of an Irish sea-fishing boat to cause or permit the boat or any person to have onboard, land, or tranship crawfish that fall below this minimum size.

Displaying or selling below the minimum size is also illegal.

Illegally removing immature animals from an already vulnerable stock is likely to result in further stock depletion, the SFPA says.

“Trade in undersized fish not only damages the stocks, but it also impacts the communities who depend on them,” the SFPA said.

“ Illegal fishing is unfair to the majority of inshore fishermen who fish sustainably and within regulations. The inshore patrols undertaken by the SFPA are a vital tool in our work to protect stocks,” it said.

“We encourage buyers at all stages of the food chain, restaurateurs, processors and consumers to be aware of the minimum size and please let us know if you are offered undersized fish for sale,” it said.

The SFPA confidential telephone line is on 1800 76 76 76, or it can be emailed at [email protected].

Information on European logbook requirements for commercial fishing vessels has been published by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA).

A new fisheries information notice summarises key requirements for vessel masters and owners for vessels of ten metres overall length or more under two regulations - Council Regulation (EC) 1224/2009 and the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 404/2011.

This includes the mandatory information to be reported in the logbook and the requirements for the completion and submission of fishing logbooks, the SFPA says.

Logbooks must be updated every day, no later than midnight, immediately after the last fishing operation has been completed, before entering port, and at the time of any inspection at sea, it says.

Fishing vessels that are 10 metres overall in length and above, up to 12 metres overall length, are required to complete a paper logbook, while vessels of 12 metres in length overall and above must keep an electronic logbook, the SFPA says.

During autumn 2022, training was provided by the SFPA to owners and masters using electronic logbooks on the new version of ieCatch.

This involved an eight-week series of engagements with fishers, rolling out enhancements to the electronic recording and reporting systems (ERS) required for fishing vessels, and the provision of training on the use of the new system.

Training events were held during September, October, and November 2022 at various locations across counties Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Meath, Waterford, and Wexford.

In addition, the SFPA ran training for masters new to electronic logbooks in April 2023 at various locations across counties Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Mayo, and Wexford.

The SFPA says that further details on the fisheries information notice can be obtained by emailing: sfpafood&[email protected]

Ten enforcement actions were served on seafood businesses during the second quarter of this year, the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) says.

The enforcement actions were issued by sea fisheries protection officers as a result of risk-based official controls of approved food business establishments, it says.

“No closure orders were issued over this period,” it says.

The SFPA has responsibility for food safety law enforcement across a range of 2,323 food business operators nationally.

It also confirmed that convictions were recorded against a food business operator for offences under the European Union (Food and Feed Hygiene) Regulations 2020.

Ó Catháin Iasc Teo of Dingle Co Kerry was fined a total of €4,500 at the district court at An Daingean in April 2023.

The SFPA says the defendant company pleaded guilty to charges for breaches of food safety law, including "the placing of unsafe bluefin tuna product on the market, failure to comply with food hygiene requirements and failures to ensure temperature control of bluefin tuna products".

“The case arose following an unannounced inspection of the premises in March 2021, which also resulted in the prevention of the bluefin tuna product being placed for retail,” it says.

A guidance map for the Dundalk Bay Natura area off the Louth coast where certain types of fishing are prohibited has been published by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA).

The map delineates a specific zone within Dundalk Bay where use of certain fishing gears is prohibited, including any types of dredges, beam trawls or bottom otter trawls.

The orders for two Natura declarations were signed by Minister for Marine Charlie McConalogue in June. They relate to a specific area in Dundalk Bay where bird and animal species are protected.

The declaration came into effect on July 1st of this year, prescribing measures for managing the risks posed by specific sea-fishing activities.

The map for the Dundalk Bay Natura area can be viewed here

The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) says it has concluded a case brought against the master of a fishing vessel for breaches of bass conservation laws two years ago.

The master of the fishing vessel Atlantic Jem, Sean Roche, pleaded guilty at Midleton District Court, Co Cork, on June 15th to two charges of contravening the Bass (Conservation of Stocks) Regulations 2006 in 2021.

The case arose from an SFPA inspection of the landing from the Atlantic Jem in December 2021, at Ballycotton, Co. Cork, where nine bass were discovered by its officers within boxed catch of other fish species.

The SFPA says the court heard evidence that the master admitted to knowledge of the prohibition on retention of bass by Irish vessels.

The case was adjourned to June 22nd to allow the master to make a charitable donation of €1,000.

The donation was subsequently made, and the Probation Act was applied to finalise the matter, the SFPA said.

Ireland introduced particular restrictions and controls to protect bass, as a conservation measure, due to the depletion of stocks in Irish waters.

The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) says the master of a fishing vessel has pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to offences relating to failure to use acoustic deterrent devices on gear.

The French-registered vessel was detained earlier this week by the SFPA, after an inspection from the European Fisheries Control Agency’s (EFCA) offshore patrol vessel off the Irish south-west coast.

The master of the detained vessel was brought before Bandon District Court on the evening of June 21st.

“The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) directed that the charges be dealt with in the Circuit Criminal Court on indictment,” the SFPA states. T

“The master pleaded guilty to four alleged breaches of failing to have the requisite acoustic deterrent devices (ADDs) on two sets of bottom-set gillnets. This is in contravention of EU legislation on the signal and implementation characteristics of ADDs,” it says.

“Gillnets are made of monofilament nylon mesh that is invisible underwater and therefore acts as a hazard to cetaceans and other marine mammals,” the SFPA says.

“ By utilising ADDs or “pingers” to emit a certain frequency at regular intervals, pingers warn cetaceans such as dolphins of the presence of the obstacle and enable them to avoid the nets and deter them from swimming into nets, becoming entangled and drowning,” the SFPA states.

Cetaceans are part of the prohibited species list, and catching and landing this species represent a threat to the conservation status of the species which includes all species of dolphins, porpoises, and whales.

The SFPA says it has been using enhanced technologies both at sea and ashore to verify compliance.

After the master of the vessel confirmed his guilty pleas in the Circuit Criminal Court in Cork on June 22nd,2023, the court set a bond of €107,000, which, if lodged, will allow the release of the vessel.

The case has been adjourned to Cork Circuit Criminal Court for sentencing on October 24th, 2023.

“The vessel and catch remain detained at Castletownbere port,” the SFPA states.

Inshore fishermen say that new EU regulations on spurdog make the re-opened fishery less worthwhile.

The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has published regulations for the commercial fishery of spurdog in north-western waters, noting that it had been a prohibited species for five years.

Ireland has been allocated a quota of 1,871 tonnes across a number of sea areas for this year.

“Spurdog is judged to have recovered sufficiently to support commercial landings again this year and next year,” the SFPA says.

EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki outlawed the catching of sharks, including spurdogs

The fishery had been closed by former EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki when she outlawed the catching of sharks, including spurdogs.

The SFPA cites advice by the International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) that spurdog can “support a sustainable fishery”.

The SFPA states that the maximum conservation reference size for spurdog is 100cm, and this is “to protect stocks of mature females and the breeding stock, which are vital for the species' recovery and future sustainability”.

It says spurdog caught over 100cm in size must be “promptly returned to the sea in a way that does not harm the individual”, and must be recorded in logbooks.

The SFPA says that the landing obligation applies to spurdog of 100cm or less in length, and these fish must be “retained, recorded and landed”.

NIFA director John Mennary pointed out that gillnetters can only select larger fish, which means most spurdog caught by this method may have to be discarded.

“We were always told to let the young fish grow, and we don’t want to be landing the small fish,” he said.

“So this is going to be an issue for what was once a good fishery for inshore boats,” he said. Markets are also an issue, he said.

The main market for Irish-caught spurdog had been for processors supplying the fish and chipper trade in Britain, before the fishery closed for conservation reasons.

“These factories are closed now, and markets are more challenging,” Menary said.

“We have asked Bord Bia if it can help to develop new markets,” he said. “There may be potential for exporting to Germany for smoked products.”

The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) today, 19th May 2023, launched their guide, Skates and Rays of Ireland 2023.

16 species of skates and rays are regularly caught in Irish waters, some of which can be fished commercially under quota restrictions while others are partially or totally prohibited. Skates and rays are required to be fished in accordance with Irish and EU regulations and this ensures the long-term sustainability of these stocks. The guide details how to identify these species, and what three-letter codes to use to record all these species.

The key features to help identify each skate or ray are shown in red, including key characteristics of a particular species. The guide is currently being distributed to fishers who may encounter skates and/or rays, and fish buyers who may handle skates or rays. These waterproof guides can be used for reference by fishers and fish buyers’ onboard vessels or in the processing/receiving areas of fish buyers’ premises.

Commenting on the launch of the guide, SFPA Chairperson Paschal Hayes said; “Since January 2009, it has been a legal requirement that catches of various species of ray including cuckoo ray, thornback ray, blonde ray, spotted ray, sandy and shagreen ray are reported separately. Some fishers are logging all skates or rays, irrespective of what species they are, as one species, such as blonde rays. Additionally, some fish buyers are recording all their catches as another species, such as thornback rays. Such discrepancies result in errors in SFPA’s automated cross-check system VALID, which requires follow-up by Sea-Fisheries Protection Officers (SFPOs). All species over 50kg, whether they are a quota species or not, must be logged, recorded, or reported using the correct species-specific code. Failure to record species correctly can result in inaccurate stock assessments and may result in reduced quotas. For this reason, the guide will endeavour to help improve the accuracy of the identification of species and their subsequent correct recording.

‘We are pleased that John Lynch, CEO, Irish South and East Fish Producers Organisation and current Chair of the joint North Western Waters Advisory Council and North Sea Advisory Council focus group on skates and rays which have been advising that identification guides of this type are in place to ensure the correct identification of the different species of skates and rays in the logbook data.

“This is an easy-to-use guide to help identify the various species common to Irish waters, to ensure the long-term sustainability of these skate and ray stocks within the wider healthy marine ecosystems. It is essential that they are fished in strict accordance with Irish and EU regulations. Accurately recording the species of skates and rays that are caught enables more accurate stock assessments which provide clear scientific advice. By working together, we can phase out the use of the catch-all species codes and ensure that everyone across the country is using the correct codes to record all species of skates and rays.”

Fishers and fish buyers that require help in identifying any of the species of skates and rays are encouraged to contact their local SFPO and/or SFPA office and they will assist in identifying the species, as well as how to use the guide. Photographs of species caught by fishers will also assist in identifying species and these can be sent to the local SFPOs, or SFPA Port Office.