Contact TDs and Ministers

One of the key aims of this campaign is to get our government to take action to protect the dwindling sprat stocks around our coasts. That means getting our TDs and Ministers to understand the significance of the issue, and realise it’s something their constituents, the people who put them in public office, care deeply about. Only then will they take positive action to enact meaningful change.

Lobbying TDs and Ministers is a crucial step to help Save Our Sprat — and we’ve made it as easy as possible for you to play your part. You can copy and paste the email template text below directly into your email (or word processor, if you’d prefer to send a letter).

Re: Urgent Call for continued action on Sprat Fishing off the West Cork Coast

Dear [Deputy/Minister] [Last Name],

I am writing as a concerned citizen and resident of [insert townland / town / West Cork area] to urge you to support continued action to protect Sprat along the West Cork coast.

For decades, West Cork’s coastal waters have supported a vibrant and diverse marine ecosystem. This richness has long been a source of local pride, attracting visitors from across Ireland and beyond to experience our whales, dolphins, seabirds, and abundant marine life. But in recent years, we have witnessed a dramatic and deeply troubling shift. The once-thriving marine wildlife that characterised our coast is disappearing — not because of natural cycles, but due to the systematic removal of sprat, a vital forage species, by a handful of large, locally owned industrial trawlers.

Whilst the recently announced ban on trawlers over 18m withing the 6 nautical miles (and baselines) zone is a positive step, and will remove some fishing pressure on Sprat, significantly more needs to be done. The sprat fishery remains unregulated, so as things stand, smaller inshore vessels are free to take as much sprat as they like, without any form of monitoring or regulation. We need to find out how many sprat there are around our coasts — through rigorous scientific analysis — and establish science-led quotas to ensure a sustainable fishery that benefits marine wildlife, inshore fishers, local economies and coastal communities.

Sprat are small, but their ecological role is enormous. As a keystone forage fish, they are the linchpin of the inshore marine food web. Without them, everything unravels — and we are witnessing the results: collapsing biodiversity, disappearing wildlife, and increasing economic uncertainty for those dependent on marine tourism, angling, whale watching, and other sustainable coastal enterprises.

As your constituent, I respectfully urge you to:

• Support and actively call for interim regulation and monitoring of Sprat fishing by sub-18m vessels in inshore waters.
• Call for the immediate commissioning of a comprehensive scientific study of Sprat populations around the Irish coast to establish conclusively whether a sustainable sprat fishery, with appropriate quotas, monitoring and regulation, is possible moving forward. 
• Promote the adoption of an ecosystem-based fisheries management plan that recognises Sprat as a crucial forage species essential to overall marine health.
• Ensure the interests of coastal communities, marine tourism operators, responsible inshore fishers, and the broader public are placed ahead of the short-term gains of a small number of industrial fishing interests.

We still have time to act — but the window is closing. Without immediate intervention, we risk permanent damage to one of Ireland’s most precious natural assets.

For more information about this crucial issue, please visit westcorksprat.net.

I would appreciate it if you could outline your position on this issue and the steps you intend to take to help protect our marine environment and the communities that depend on it.

Sincerely,

[Your Full Name]