Abstract
This review presents information on the status and activity of shellfisheries in Ireland. Legislation, fisheries management and licencing regimes that impinge on the operation of shellfisheries are reviewed and data on landings, value and profitability are presented. Stock assessment data, for a selected number of species, is updated and management recommendations are presented where appropriate. The intention is to update the review annually and present stock assessment and scientific advice particularly for shellfisheries which may be subject to new management proposals or where scientific advice is required in relation to assessing the environmental impact of shellfisheries especially in conservation areas designated under European Directives. The scope of the review extends into a description of fisheries and fleet activity and presents economic data for the fleet and separately for individual fisheries where available. It also presents details of legislation, in the area of fisheries, environment, and food safety that impinges on the activity of the fleet. This coupling of information on stocks (dealing with issues of biological conservation and sustainability) and fisheries (dealing with socio-economic issues and the variability of the fleet) is seen as important in the co-management framework, the overall objective of which is to develop, in parallel, sustainable and viable fisheries for shellfish within the Irish territorial limits. Not all shellfish species are included in the 2009 review. Although an overview of legislation, landings and economic data are given, that relate to all species, stock indicators are presented for a limited number of fisheries. The inclusion of species/stocks is based on data availability and in response to developments or initiatives in management. The annual review will evolve towards informing fishery management plans as they are developed and implemented by the Shellfish Advisory Groups.Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Sea-trout and their fisheries from the Dublin Fishery DistrictFahy, E. (Department of Fisheries and Forestry, 1981)Age, length and weight data from 440 sea-run trout are described together with data from 339 parr from a small trout stream. Pre-migratory length at age was not influenced by calcium content of nursery streams. Relatively faster growth of certain year classes in particular years was observed. Mean smolt age (2.1 years) was low. Sea run fish averaged at 0.86 sea-winters, contrasting with longer lived sea-trout on the Welsh coast but early maturation was observed in both. The regression coefficient for percentage previous spawners on mean individual weight in the Irish/Celtic Seas was lower than for fish from the Atlantic. The four principal fishing centres are each supplied with sea-trout by two to four small to medium sized rivers. A proportion of the catch is likely to originate in non licensed mullet gear. The annual catch declined from a peak of four tonnes in the 1950s to stabilise at 1.5 tonnes since the 1960s. The decline coincided with an increase in the ratio of draft to drift nets.
-
Summary Report on 2015 Residue Monitoring of Irish Farmed Finfish and 2015 Border Inspection Post Fishery and Fishery Product Sample TestingResidues Monitoring Programme, Chemistry Section, Marine Environmental Food Safety Services (Marine Institute, 2017)On behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM), the Marine Institute carries out monitoring of chemical residues in finfish for aquaculture sector. This monitoring is set out in the annual National Residue Control Plan, which is approved by the European Commission, and is an important component of the DAFM food safety controls and is implemented under a service contract with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. Since 1999, the Marine Institute has implemented the National Residues Monitoring Programme for aquaculture. This is carried out on behalf of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, which is the responsible organisation for residue controls on farmed finfish. The outcome for residues levels in farmed finfish during 2015 remains one of consistently low occurrence. In 2015, in excess of 676 tests and a total of 1,845 measurements were carried out on 128 samples (i.e. 124 target samples & 4 suspect samples) of farmed finfish for a range of chemical substances, including banned and unauthorised substances, various authorised veterinary treatments and environmental contaminants.
-
The western spurdog Squalus acanthias L. fishery in 1989 and 1990, with observations on the further development of the gillnet fishery directed on the speciesFahy, E. (Department of the Marine, 1992)Between 1987 and 1990 the western fisheries of spurdog briefly harvested heavy then progressively reduced landings. These were sampled in each year. The peak and post-peak fisheries have been described and this account is of the fishery in 1989 and 1990. Although the catch per effort has declined substantially from the peak fishery, spurdog remains an important target species. The fishery is assessed from 856 individuals captured in 1989 and 688 the following year. The following criteria of sampled fish classified according to method of capture were examined: sex ratio, weight, age and a growth index. Gillnet-caught females are regarded as indicators of the broodstock which shows signs of having made some recovery from its immediate post peak condition. The Carrigaholt gill net fishery, the index fishery which has been monitored for four years, exploits a range of species by gill net, spurdog and gadoids being the principal ones to date, and it has increased its fishing capacity over the period. In 1989 and 1990 effort was directed on hake; some characteristics of these landings are given and compared with gill net caught hake from other parts of the country.