15 angling vessels to receive authorisation as part of Bluefin Tuna Data Collection Pilot Programme

15 angling vessels to receive authorisation as part of
Bluefin Tuna Data Collection Pilot Programme

Thursday, 1st August 2019: While there is no sport or commercial fishery for Bluefin tuna in Ireland, authorisations will be soon be granted for 15 angling vessels to participate in Tuna CHART (Catch and Release Tagging) a pilot Bluefin Tuna Data Collection Programme. The programme will see the 15 authorised vessels catch, tag and release Atlantic Bluefin tuna for data collection purposes off the Irish coast. The authorised vessels, which are located in Cork, Clare, Galway, Sligo and Donegal will support scientific work to increase knowledge of the behaviour and abundance of Bluefin Tuna in Irish waters.

The new programme, which has been developed by Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Marine Institute in partnership with the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, will operate on a pilot basis in 2019.

Authorisations will be granted to the 15 angling vessels from mid-August until mid-October. All skippers and trained crew have participated in training with guidance provided around fish handling, welfare, tagging and data recording. Participants in the programme will catch, tag and release Bluefin tuna while adhering to strict fish safety and handling procedures at all times.

Bluefin Tuna, Donegal Bay. Photo courtesy of David Morrissey.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed TD welcomed the initiative: “My Department has been working on this project for two years at both EU and domestic levels and I am happy to announce the commencement of the project this month. This initiative will allow the Marine Institute and Inland Fisheries Ireland to collect valuable data on the migratory patterns of Bluefin tuna in Irish waters in a tightly controlled environment.  This project has been a wonderful example of cooperation between my Department, DCCAE, SFPA, IFI and the Marine Institute and I am looking forward to the continued development of this relationship.”

Sean Canney TD, Minister with responsibility for inland fisheries said: “The angling vessels which will be receiving authorisation from my Department will contribute in a very tangible way to important data collection around Bluefin tuna as they migrate past the Irish coastline.  The recreational fisheries sector is crucial in the delivery of this pilot programme and we look forward to working with all the state agencies involved and critically with the skippers and their crews who have received authorisations in providing valuable data for scientific purposes.”

The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and Inland Fisheries Ireland will undertake inspections and patrols around the coast to ensure this remains a strictly controlled fishery. Anglers wishing to engage in this fishery must only do so on a sea angling vessel specifically authorised to participate in the pilot programme.  Any person engaging in this fishery on any vessel which is not appropriately authorised will be in breach of the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction (Bluefin Tuna) Regulations 2019 (S.I. No. 265 of 2019). 

A full list of authorised skippers can be found at www.fisheriesireland.ie/bluefin .

ENDS

For further information:

Órla Sheils

Communications Manager

Inland Fisheries Ireland

E: orla.sheils@fisheriesireland.ie

T: 01 884 2673

Notes to Editors

About Inland Fisheries Ireland

Inland Fisheries Ireland is a statutory body operating under the aegis of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE) and was established under the Fisheries Act on 1st July 2010. Its principal function is the protection and conservation of the inland fisheries resource. Inland Fisheries Ireland promotes supports, facilitates and advises the Minister on the conservation, protection, management, development and improvement of inland fisheries, including sea angling. Inland Fisheries Ireland also develops policy and national strategies relating to inland fisheries and sea angling and advises the Minister on same.

Background to Tuna CHART (CatcH and Release Tagging), a pilot Bluefin Tuna Data Collection Programme

Previously, under International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) rules, Ireland could not allow targeted angling for the purpose of data collection for Bluefin tuna. The changes secured by Ireland at the ICCAT 2018 Annual Meeting now allow limited targeting of Atlantic Bluefin tuna for the purpose of collecting scientific data only by recreational anglers.

About Atlantic Bluefin tuna

 Atlantic Bluefin tuna is the largest tuna.

• It can reach a weight of over 600 kg, a length of over three metres and live for more than thirty years.
• It migrates past the Irish coastline during its journey from the Mediterranean and Central Atlantic.