Atlas: Commercial fisheries for shellfish around Ireland

Abstract

Fishing is the longest standing and most prevalent marine activity in the territorial and coastal waters of Ireland. Today over 2,000 vessels are registered as commercial fishing vessels and over 80% of these are under 12m in length and depend largely or completely on the territorial waters of the state. The increased level and diversity of activity in the maritime space has highlighted the need for efficient and co-ordinated management of its use to avoid conflict and to identify, where possible, synergies both within and between sectors. These objectives are reflected in the Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) Directive which came into force in 2014 and which requires EU Member States to establish and implement maritime spatial planning (EU/89/2014). There is a need to manage and plan industrial activity, including fishing, in a spatial context. These spatial data have already been used in Ireland to assess the interaction between fisheries and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) (www.fishingnet.ie/fishinginnaturaareas, Marine Institute 2015). The new data are presented here but the scope is restricted to Shellfish fisheries and with an emphasis on the distribution of these fisheries in internal and territorial waters.