Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 February 2026
895. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide details on the level of monitoring and inspections of the large EU registered pelagic freezer trawlers Dutch owned operating off the Irish coast before Christmas 2025, and targeting horse mackerel, which has taken place; and the landings made by these vessels including bycatches of boarfish. [10189/26]
View answerThe monitoring and control of fishing vessels within Ireland’s Exclusive Fisheries Zone are law enforcement matters for the Irish control authorities. Under the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006, all operational matters are exclusively the responsibility of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) and the Naval Service. Under the Act, I am expressly precluded from getting involved in operational matters in relation to sea fisheries control.
Furthermore, the SFPA is the single legal competent authority responsible for the collection and reporting of fish landings into Ireland.
Accordingly, I have referred the Deputy's requests to the SFPA for attention and direct reply.
