Irish fishing sector seek EU quota access to bluefin tuna

Inshore fishermen are seeking permission to commercially catch bluefin tuna in Irish waters, noting it would "make a massive difference" in coastal communities.

The Government supports the call, but efforts to secure a national quota allocation have not yet gained sufficient backing among EU member states.

Ireland did not receive a bluefin tuna allocation when EU quota shares were first distributed in 1998 because it had no commercial track record of fishing the species.

The National Inshore Fishermen's Association (NIFA), which represents small scale fishermen has said a rod-and-line allocation would allow "diversification."

NIFA deputy chairperson, John Menarry told RTÉ News: "Our biggest challenge is not lack of fish, but access to the fish that's in our waters."

"One fish a week, one fish a fortnight would probably make a massive difference. We're not talking about huge volume. We're talking about individual fish," he added.

A spokesperson for the Department of Marine said it strongly supports the call, but the EU has not agreed to a request to open discussions on the issue.

The EU's quota is distributed under the principle of "relative stability", based on records from the late 1990s, when Ireland did not have a track record of fishing the stock.

Changing the allocation would require the support of a majority of member states and could result in a reduced share for some countries.

Minister of State for Fisheries and the Marine Timmy Dooley said: "In order to obtain quota, other member states will have to support us, by giving some of their quota to us."

Mr Dooley described it as a "vexed position," but added, he was trying to "build a consensus."

Atlantic bluefin tuna is typically found In Irish waters from July until November - the species can grow to over 4m and weigh up to 900kg.

Mr Dooley said Ireland was using data from a catch, tag and release quota allocated in 2018 to demonstrate "that there is lots of bluefin tuna in Irish waters."

The "Tuna CHART" programme, run by Inland Fisheries Ireland and other agencies, permits authorised recreational angling vessels to catch-tag and release the fish.

The Department of Marine said this fishery increases knowledge of the migratory pattern of bluefin tuna, while providing a small tourism benefit in coastal communities.

Mr Dooley said Ireland has been calling for a review of the Common Fisheries Policy and he believes that represents "the best chance of achieving success."

"I have tried time out of number to get the Commission to put forward a proposal [for a national bluefin tuna quota allocation for Ireland], but they have been unable to get the support of other member states.

"There is continued work by myself, the department and Minister Hayden to effectively give us something which we now believe we are entitled to," Mr Dooley said.

He said one bluefin tuna can reach a value of up to €5,000, which would have a very positive impact, particularly on the inshore sector and on coastal communities, who seen reductions in pelagic and the white stocks quotas in recent years.

'It would mean diversification'

Speaking aboard his boat in Killybegs harbour, Mr Menarry said "even a small" allocation, would allow fishermen to diversify from lobster and crab pot fisheries.

"It would mean diversification. That would mean instead of me having to steam 20 miles west of Killybegs, that you could literally start fishing as soon as you leave the harbour," he said.

"If the fish is too small or not suitable, you just release it again. You would have no overfishing, no bycatch and every fish could be recorded and traced.

"We've a situation where inshore boats will be fishing herring later in the year, and a lot of that herring is shipped to the Mediterranean to feed these fish (bluefin tuna) when they're caught commercially there and put into cages for further fattening," Mr Menarry added.

While Ireland does not have a national quota for Bluefin Tuna, a small by-catch quota is available, mainly in the albacore tuna and Celtic Sea herring fisheries.

Shine’s Seafood in Killybegs was the first company in Ireland to bring Albacore Tuna to the Irish market more than 10 years ago, a product stocked in 900 stores nationwide.

Managing director John Shine believes a market exists for bluefin tuna in Ireland.

"I would have no doubt in my mind, if we could introduce Irish caught bluefin tuna to the market, that the supermarkets would have that product on their shelves within weeks.

"It would be a premium offering; top of the range in terms of value and quality ... There’s a big market for that in Ireland and overseas," he said.

'Not just' and 'not fair' - IFPO

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) holds meets to manage tuna and tuna-like species across the Atlantic Ocean.

At those meetings, the European Commission negotiates on behalf of member states as a single bloc. The agreed allowable catch is then discussed by member states.

A European Commission spokesperson said the EU's overall bluefin tuna quota had increased by 17% for 2026, 2027 and 2028.

Irish Fish Producer’s Organisation chief executive Aodh O’Donnell said, "it’s not just" and "not fair" that fishermen cannot commercially fish a stock found on the west coast.

"This stock is found extensively on our west coast, it’s a major stock. The Marine Institute has carried out an eight-year research programme of tagging and release.

"This is a stock that’s growing … yet, we don’t have one tonne of commercial quota for our fishermen," Mr O’Donnell said.

A European Commission spokesperson said: "any changes in these EU internal allocation keys are a discussion to be had among Member States."