Government
Sprat fishery closed for large trawlers as year’s quota hit in under two weeks!
It has taken large Irish-owned trawlers less than two weeks to land the interim year’s quota of 2,000 tonnes of Sprat for 2025/2026, resulting in the closure of the Sprat fishery for vessels over 18 metres in total length.
The interim quota, set to run from 11 October 2025 to 30 September 2026, was introduced to provide a period of…
Minister Dooley signs measures to ban large trawlers into law
On 30 September Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries, Timmy Dooley, TD, signed Policy Drective 1 of 2025, effectively giving legal standing to the measures announced by himself and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Haydon, on 22 July to restrict trawling by vessels larger than 18m inside six nautical miles and…
Minister O’Sullivan responds to Save Our Sprat West Cork
Earlier today (03/10/2025) we received a communication from the Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan, TD in response to the list of questions and concerns we submitted via his office on 01 August 2025.
Whilst the minister’s response has not fully addressed our questions and concerns, we welcome…
IWDG outlines the current position relating to Sprat
In this excerpt from the July edition of the Blubber Bulletin, the Irish Whale & Dolphin Group’s monthly email news roundup (republished here with permission), IWDG Sightings Officer and Save Our Sprat West Cork member Pàdraig Whooley succinctly sums up the current position in the wake of the Irish Government’s recent measures to curb industrial…
Questions for Ministers on the Protection of Sprat
The recent announcement by Government Ministers Martin Heydon TD, Timmy Dooley TD and Christopher O’Sullivan TD in relation to a ban on large industrial trawlers (longer than 18m) within the 6 nautical mile limit (and baselines) was a very welcome move.
Despite being framed in the context of Sprat…
