144. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the proportion and estimated tonnage of recreational pollack removals used in the relevant ICES assessment that were attributable to Irish waters and anglers; the Irish data and IMREC findings used and the weight afforded to them; the reason the three pollack limit was introduced before the full IMREC dataset and socioeconomic assessment were available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61176/26]

156. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if the three pollack daily recreational limit will be reviewed before the 2027 fishing negotiations; if the review will consider updated IMREC data, 2026 commercial and bait catches, socioeconomic evidence and Irish stock research; if its findings will be published; whether Ireland will seek an amendment to Article 12 of Council Regulation (EU) 2026/249 if supported by the evidence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61178/26]

157. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment further to Parliamentary Question No. 168 of 21 May 2026, the scientific evidence on recreational pollack catches used in negotiating Article 12 of Council Regulation (EU) 2026/249; the extent to which it relied on data from France, southern England or ICES Division 8a; the way in which its relevance to Irish inshore rod and line fishing, particularly off the northwest coast, was assessed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61175/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 144, 156 and 157 together.

The three-daily recreational bag limit for pollack in ICES subareas 6 and 7, including waters around Ireland, is provided for in Article 12 of Council Regulation (EU) 2026/249. As an EU Regulation it is directly applicable in Ireland and came into effect on the 1 June 2026. Ireland does not have scope to review or amend that limit on a national basis, and any change must be agreed at EU level.

I am very conscious of the concerns of the recreational angling and charter boat sectors in relation to the daily bag limit being introduced for the recreational fishing of pollack from June 2026. I also fully recognise the importance of the recreational sea angling and charter boat sectors to coastal communities, and I am conscious of the challenges that this measure presents for operators in the sector. Earlier this year, I met with representatives of the sector, to hear directly their concerns regarding the introduction of the recreational bag limit for pollack and to discuss the impact this measure will have on their businesses and on coastal communities.

This conservation measure forms part of wider EU arrangements for the management of pollack and was informed by scientific advice provided to the European Commission by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). ICES is an independent intergovernmental scientific organisation that provides scientific advice on marine ecosystems and fisheries to relevant authorities, including the European Commission. ICES advice is purely science-based and socio-economic factors are not considered as part of their assessment or advice.

The ICES advice does not provide a national breakdown of the recreational data or identify the proportion or tonnage attributable to Irish anglers or Irish waters. Table 5 of the ICES Advice (published at https://ices-library.figshare.com/ndownloader/files/59998166), sets out the input data underpinning the ICES assessment and lists multiple sources of commercial, recreational and scientific data. This includes data from the Irish Groundfish Survey, the Irish Anglerfish and Megrim Survey and an Irish commercial gillnet index, alongside information from the UK, France, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Data from the UK and France is used as pollack in ICES subareas 6 and 7 is a shared stock, extending across Irish, UK and French waters. ICES do not identify data from Division 8a (i.e. northern and central Bay of Biscay) as input data, and it would not be correct to conclude that data from Division 8a was used for the assessment of subareas 6 and 7.

My Department, along with Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), is preparing for Ireland’s engagement in the EU process for 2027. Relevant Irish scientific and fisheries data, including IMREC data, will be used to inform our position. IFI is currently progressing a socio-economic assessment of the marine recreational angling sector. While this assessment will not be completed in time to inform 2027 discussions, the Department will consider what relevant socio-economic information is available, including information on experience and economic impacts reported by charter operators and other businesses affected by the 2026 measures.