Appeal lodged against large boat activity inside six miles

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has lodged an appeal against a High Court decision to allow large vessels fish inside Ireland’s six mile zone.

In December 2018 following a public consultation in which more than 900 submissions were received, the then Minister for the marine, Michael Creed, announced that vessels over 18m would be excluded from trawling inside Ireland’s six nautical mile zone and baselines, from January 1, 2020. As the sprat fishery is concentrated inside six miles, a three-year transition period was applied to allow affected vessels to adjust.

Policy Directive

In 2019, Minister Creed issued a Policy Directive to the independent Licensing Authority for Sea Fishing Boats under Statute, intended to give effect to the measures that excluded vessels over 18 metres in length from trawling inside six nautical miles. Two fishermen, Tom Kennedy and Neil Minihane, subsequently challenged the validity of the policy through the Judicial Review process.

The State has now appealed the High Court’s ruling of the Judicial Review proceedings relating to the Policy Directive to the Court of Appeal, and a stay is being sought on the orders therein granted.

“As this matter is ‘sub judice’ I am not in a position to comment on the Policy until the matter can be resolved before the Courts,” remarked Minister McConalogue.

He added however he was “committed to sustainable fishing in Irish waters” and to implementing the commitment made in the Programme for Government “that inshore waters continue to be protected for smaller fishing vessels and pair trawling be prohibited inside the six mile limit”.