This article from online investigative journalism platform Noteworthy(now The Journal Investigates) in late 2021 gives a good summary of the situation around the overfishing of Sprat in Irish waters, and why it needs to stop.
An appalling waste of marine life… we shouldn’t be catching fish to be churned up to be fed to cattle and farmed fish.
Padraig Fogarty, then with the Irish Wildlife Trust
Four years on, and Sprat are still being exploited in a completely unregulated and unsustainable manner off the Irish coast while the Irish Government drags its heels.
If we overfish sprat, what are we going to fish after that? Zooplankton? That’s the next level down. A healthy forage fish population will lead to a healthy commercial fish population. Fish from cod to hake feed on sprat.
Dr Simon Berrow, Irish Whale & Dolphin Group
Read the full article on The Journal by clicking the link below:
Irish boats landing five times recommended catch of fish important to ecosystem – 30 Dec 2021