News & Updates
Sprat Roundup: where are we now?
On Thursday 23 October 2025, less than a fortnight after an interim quota for the 2025/2026 Sprat Fishery came into force, large Irish pair trawlers had already landed their allocated 2,000 tonnes of Sprat and Minister for State Timmy Dooley signed a policy directive closing the Sprat Fishery.
That was just over four months ago — so what…
Taoiseach can make good on promise to prioritise marine protection by saving Sprat!
A post by Ireland’s Wildlife founder and West Cork based Wildlife and Birding Guide Calvin Jones highlighting the huge gulf between our Government’s positive international rhetoric on ocean conservation, the patent lack of action at home, and how the simple act of protecting Sprat would be a great start in redressing the balance.
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The importance of forage fish
Originally published by Colin Barnes on his Cork Whale Watch “Skippers Log” in October 2019 — this post gives a skippers-eye view of the fate of forage fish off the West Cork coast, from someone who’s been at the business end of the issue for decades, both as a long-time commercial fisherman and one…
Sprat- The Damage Done, May 2018
Originally published by Colin Barnes on his Cork Whale Watch “Skippers Log” in May 2018 — used here with permission from the original author.
For anyone following the discussion regarding the Irish government’s proposal to exclude large trawlers over 12 mts length fishing within 6 nautical miles of the coast, we hope that…
Update on sprat conservation issue in West Cork, Nov. 2014
Originally posted by Whale Watch Skipper and former commercial fisherman Colin Barnes on the Skippers Log section of his Cork Whale Watch website in November 2014
It is now mid-November, and true to the time of year, we have plenty of stormy, wet and disturbed Atlantic weather, making poor conditions for searching for…
Decimation of Irish Sprat Stocks
This article was originally posted to the Cork Whale Watch Skippers Log by Colin Barnes, a long time commercial fisherman and one of Ireland’s most experienced and well respected whale watching operators in January 2014
Last January I wrote to Minister for Agriculture, Marine and Food, Simon Coveney, TD highlighting the problem of…
