Inshore Fisheries
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-29
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Timmy Dooley (FF), Clare

I assure the Deputy that it will happen as quickly as possible. Later today I will be meeting with Michael Berkery, the independent chair, to continue the discussions we have had about establishing this as quickly as possible. There is concern among the representatives of inshore fishermen and fisherwomen that the task force is a response to the large quota cut for the pelagic sector. That is true, but because we are doing this under Food Vision 2030, it is my view that we need to take into account all those who are affected. The pelagic sector has experienced a dramatic impact in terms of the fishermen and fisherwomen and the processors involved in that regard, but there is a downstream impact regarding the cost of bait, etc., in addition to the difficulties the inshore sector has already encountered, as the Deputy said, as a result of Brexit and other losses of fish. I am very conscious that the response we are putting in place as a result of the quota cut is not just concentrated on the pelagic sector. There will be an interim report to address that aspect of it, but my desire would be to see a longer term and more strategic approach to see how we can sustain that fishing effort within the inshore sector. It will be broadly based and all-encompassing.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:34+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-29