2673. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 168 of 21 May 2026, the basis for reconciling the commercial pollack quota of approximately 2,300 tonnes with the ICES projection of 1,085 tonnes in commercial landings for 2026; whether the 2,300 tonne figure is the combined EU-UK quota and Ireland’s share thereof; how his Department concluded that recreational reductions were the only viable option; whether all commercial removals, including bait catches, were included; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61190/26]

2674. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the quantity of pollack caught by Irish registered vessels in 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026, broken down by ICES area and vessel size; the quantity retained for bait in each year from 2021 to date; whether bait catches are reported and deducted from Ireland’s quota; the method by which they are estimated when not separately recorded, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61189/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 2673 and 2674 together.

The advice on fish stocks, including Pollack, published by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) forms the basis of the scientific advice used by the European Commission in proposing Total Allowable Catches (TACs).

For 2026, ICES advised that when the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) approach is applied, total removals (i.e. both commercial and recreational catches) in 2026 should be no more than 3,310 tonnes.

ICES projections, based on historical trends, estimate that approximately 66% of removals are due to recreational catches. However, ICES does not advise on how the total should be allocated between the commercial and recreational sectors.

As Pollack is found in both EU and UK waters, both parties must agree on setting the TAC for this stock. The European Commission has sole competence to negotiate with Third Countries, including the UK, on behalf of the EU on the setting of fishing opportunities. The Commission operates under a mandate set by Council, and any agreement is formally adopted by Council. Ireland inputs into the development of this mandate and throughout the negotiation process, in order to raise our concerns and priorities.

For 2026, the EU and UK agreed to set the TAC for Pollack in Area 6 and 7 (the waters around Ireland) at 2,317t - which is 70% of the total removals amount advised by ICES. This is the combined EU and UK TAC for this stock. This resulted in a quota for Ireland of 13t for Area 6 (West of Scotland) and 154t for Area 7 (Celtic Sea).

As the ICES advice also highlighted that recreational catches account for a significant portion of the fishing mortality for this stock both parties recognised the need to introduce limits for recreational fishing to further reduce fishing mortality and support stock recovery. My Department, along with the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment and Inland Fisheries Ireland - which have responsibility for recreational fishing - worked with the Commission and other Member States on potential management measures for recreational Pollack fishing. During the bilateral consultations with the UK, it was agreed that a maximum of three specimen of Pollack could be caught and retained per fisher per day for recreational catches of Pollack in ICES areas 6 and 7.

The ICES advice for Pollack in ICES Areas 6-7 for 2024 and 2025 was for zero catch. Therefore, for these years, the EU and UK agreed on a limited, by-catch only TACs for commercial Pollack fishing in Areas 6-7 to avoid a "choke" situation which would lead to the premature closure of whitefish fisheries where Pollack is caught as a by-catch.

The bycatch-only TACs limited the commercial catches in both 2024 and 2025. ICES estimates show that while commercial catches strongly declined in these years, recreational removals remained high and strongly dominated the total removals in 2024 and 2025.

Measures to reduce recreational removals are therefore additional to, rather than a substitute for, the significant reductions already imposed on the commercial sector.

As regards the data used in the stock assessment, under the Fisheries Control Regulation, quantities of each species retained on board are required to be recorded in the logbook. These figures are included in the data used for stock assessment. For vessels under 10 metres, which are not required to keep a logbook, catch information is obtained primarily through sales notes. These landings are also included in the stock assessment.

The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) is the single legal competent authority responsible for the collection and reporting of landings data, including the operation of the sales note system. I have therefore referred the Deputy's request for information on the quantity of pollack caught by Irish registered vessels and the quantity retained for bait to the SFPA for attention and direct reply.