SFPA PUBLISHES FISHERIES INFORMATION NOTICE ON CLOSED AREAS IN THE SOUTH EAST

SFPA Publishes Fisheries Information Notice on closed areas in the South East. The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) recently published a Fisheries Information Notice (FIN) entitled ‘South East Closed Areas.’ The purpose of this document is to provide information to members of the fishing industry on areas off the South eastern coast of Ireland which are permanently closed to fishing; where certain gear types are prohibited and what areas are closed at certain times of the year.

The Celtic Sea conservation area is found off the south east coast of Ireland. This area is closed to protect spawning cod stocks between the 1st of February to the 31st of March each year. The Hake restricted area is the area to the South and West of Ireland. Within this area it is prohibited to use any towed gear with a codend between 55 to 99mm other than beam trawls, at all times.  Within the Hake restricted area there is a further sub area which is closed for beam trawling. This prohibition is from the 1st of January to the 31st of March and again from the 1st of November to the 31st of December each year. The Fisheries Monitoring Centre monitors vessels in closed areas. These controls are detailed in the FIN.

The SFPA are committed to supporting compliance with both new and existing legislation and are available to provide guidance. For assistance or further details on the FIN, please contact: sfpafood&fisheriessupport@sfpa.ie

The FIN can be accessed here:

FFSU-FC-FIN-OC-14-24 South East Closed Area

Fisheries Monitoring Centre

The Fisheries Monitoring Centre (FMC) is a specialised unit within the Irish Naval Service responsible for sea-fisheries protection and surveillance of all fishing vessels equipped with a Vessel Monitoring System. All Irish vessels operating inside and outside of the Irish EEZ are monitored by the FMC, as are all internationally registered vessels operating inside the Irish EEZ.

About the SFPA 

The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) is the independent statutory body responsible for the regulation of the sea-fisheries and the sea-food production sectors. It promotes compliance with the EU Common Fisheries Policy, sea-fisheries law and food safety law relating to fish and fish products, verifies compliance and, where necessary, enforces it. Its mandate covers all fishing vessels operating within Ireland’s 200-mile limit, over 2,000 Irish registered fishing vessels wherever they operate, and all seafood produced in Ireland’s seafood processing companies. The SFPA operates through a network of regional port offices situated at Ireland’s main fishery harbours. For further information visit: www.sfpa.ie

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