Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs to discuss Sustainable Management of Crayfishing

The Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs will meet tomorrow, Tuesday, 24 February, to discuss Sustainable Management of Crayfishing with stakeholders.

The meeting at 11am in Committee Room 2 of Leinster Housewill hear from officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and representatives from the Marine Institute, the National Inshore Fisherman's Association and the National Inshore Fisheries Forum.

Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Conor McGuinness said: "Crayfish is mostly caught off the southwest coast and is the highest value per kilo species caught by the Irish fishing fleet at up to €50 per kilo, twice the price of lobster and 15 times that of crab. The size and value of crayfish landed has increased from 10 tonnes in 2017 to 83 tonnes in 2024.

"The practice of fishing with tangle nets, which has replaced barrel pots as the main method of catching crayfish since the 1970s, has impacts on protected and endangered marine species which are caught in the nets as bycatch alongside crayfish. A three-year study published last year by the Marine Institute recommended switching from tangle nets to pots for landing crayfish as the optimum solution to eliminate bycatch and provide for viable, sustainable and low-impact crayfishing.

"However, the Institute also said the viability of making that transition from nets to pots needs further consideration in collaboration with the inshore fishing sector. Crayfishers want to see the transition managed in a manner that avoids the abrupt impacts previously imposed on other fisheries like salmon and pollock, while marine conservationists and environmental groups wish to see a faster timescale to protect endangered species.

"The Committee welcomes this engagement with all our stakeholders on either side of the debate and looks forward to discussing all options for the transition from tangle nets to barrel pots and the sustainable management of Irish crayfishing, and related matters."

The Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

The meeting in Committee Room 2 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.