New restrictions on fishing inside 6 mile zone given legal effect
From 1 October 2026, trawling activity by fishing vessels over 18 metres in length overall inside the six nautical mile zone and the baselines will be prohibited.
This news, which is very positive for Irish fishermen was first announced in July but last week it became legal.
On 30 September, Minister of State with special responsibility for Fisheries, Timmy Dooley, signed Policy Directive 1 of 2025. This gives legal effect to the measures in the announcement made by Minister Dooley and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, on 22 July, regarding restrictions on trawling activity by larger vessels inside the six nautical mile zone and the baselines.
Minister Dooley said: “I am delighted to finally sign this policy directive which gives the decision of 22 July last a solid legal footing. This policy directive marks the culmination of years of work in reviewing access to our inshore waters. This has been a matter of significant public interest, and I would like to sincerely thank all stakeholders to the public consultation for their immense engagement with this process.”
Minister Dooley continued: “I remain satisfied that this decision will help to re-establish links between local fish resources, local fleets and local economies. An inshore fleet with increased access to waters closer to the shore could mean a greater distribution of landings of all available fish stocks across our coastal regions. This could have positive knock-on effects for local businesses, including those in the hospitality and tourist sectors.”
Minister Heydon added: “I am confident that restricting access to our six nautical mile zone to smaller vessels was the right decision and helps to deliver on the promise made by this Government to support our crucial inshore fishing sector, which is the lifeblood of many coastal, and often rural communities all around the country.”
The ministers’ announcement in July also stated that a catch limit 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 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026 only. As the introduction of these new measures may affect vessels that are owned and operated in Northern Ireland, the start date for the application of this catch limit has been amended to 11 October.
A new statutory instrument has also been signed by Minister Dooley to provide for the monitoring of the sprat fishery for sea-fishing boats that are over 18 metres in length overall engaging in trawling activity within the six nautical mile zone and the baselines in the period 11 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. This statutory instrument provides that the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority will notify the minister when 2,000 tonnes of sprat has been taken by these vessels from this zone in this period.
Protest
On 14 September West Cork locals joined Save Our Sprat Bantry Bay to highlight their continuing concerns for what they believe is the overfishing of sprat. 17,000 tonnes were fished last year, eight times international recommendations.
Campaigners were joined by Jennifer Whitmore, TD and Social Democrats spokesperson for the Environment, Biodiversity and Fisheries who recently proposed a bill to amend the Wildlife Act to add sprat.
This would prohibit targeted commercial fishing of the species until we have robust scientific data. Under this bill, sprat would become a protected species for a period of time.
However the new restrictions on trawling inside the six nautical mile zone will have no impact on vessels under 18 metres which can continue to fish sprat unrestricted and which caught up to 46% of the sprat last year. The majority of the sprat is used for fishmeal rather than human consumption.
“The sprat are much more valuable in the sea than they are as fishmeal,” Jennifer Whitmore told the crowd. “We need our inshore areas thriving with sea life.”
She went on to explain why she is disappointed that the Government didn’t take a long term view and said that the measures proposed are not sufficient to support sprat and to protect the inshore fishers who might see a benefit for a couple of years but will see the collapse of the stock longer term if overfished. She believes that the Government need to task the Marine Institute to assess the stock and this needs to happen quickly.