Public Consultation on effort management measures in respect of Brown Crab and Spider crab in the Biologically Sensitive Area (BSA) for vessels over 10 metres.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Timmy Dooley, T.D., (‘the Minister’) has launched a consultation process on effort management measures in respect of Brown Crab and Spider crab in the Biologically Sensitive Area (BSA) for vessels over 10m. Please note that the Minister intends that this will be the only opportunity for interested parties to contribute to this consultation.

• The review will comprise the below Consultation Paper prepared to assist consideration by Industry/stakeholders.
• A period of four weeks is being allowed for the Public Consultation.
• Industry/stakeholders are invited to submit their views on the options presented in the Consultation Paper or alternative proposals.
• Those making submissions are advised that submissions will be available under the Freedom of Information Act and published on the Department's website.
• The Minister will consider all the issues involved including the views of industry/stakeholders and make a decision on whether an amendment to the current measures is justified, and any new arrangements that may be introduced on an interim or longer-term basis.

The consultation period will run until Wednesday 5th August 2026. Any submissions received after this period may not be considered.

Interested parties may submit comments in writing by email to:

FisheriesConsultation@agriculture.gov.ie by 5.00pm on Wednesday 5th August 2026.

Or by post to:

Public Consultation on effort management measures in respect of Brown Crab and Spider crab in the Biologically Sensitive Area (BSA) for vessels over 10 metres

Sea Fisheries Policy and Management Division,

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine,

National Seafood Centre,

Clogheen,

Clonakilty,

Co Cork,

P85 TX47

Please include contact details in your response.

You should receive a confirmation receipt from the Department within 5 working days. If you do not receive a confirmation, please send an email to FisheriesConsultation@agriculture.gov.ie or phone us on (023) 885 9500 and request the Quota Management Team.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is requesting submissions to inform the Public Consultation on effort management measures in respect of Brown Crab and Spider crab in the Biologically Sensitive Area (BSA) for vessels over 10 metres.

All submissions, including the name of the person or organisation making the submission, will be published on the Department’s website. However, if any of the detail you have provided is sensitive on the basis that it is personal, confidential or commercially confidential, please identify it and give clear reasons why you think it should not be released. The Department will, where possible, consult with you about any information which you have identified as sensitive information before making a decision in response to a request for release under the Freedom of Information Acts.

All submissions and comments submitted to the Department for this purpose are subject to release under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2014 and the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007- 2014. Submissions are also subject to Data Protection legislation. Personal, confidential or commercially sensitive information should not be included in your submission and it will be presumed that all information contained in your submission is releasable under the Freedom of Information Act 2014.

The information received by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will be processed in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR EU 2016/679), the Data Protection Acts 1988-2018, the Freedom of Information Act 2014 and the DPER Consultation Principles and Guidance. Further information on Data Protection can be found on our website.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy and employs appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information from unauthorised access. The Department will not process your personal data for any purpose other than that for which they were collected. Personal data may be exchanged with other Government Departments, local authorities, agencies under the aegis of the Department, or other public bodies, in certain circumstances where this is provided for by law.

The Department will only retain your personal data for as long as it is necessary for the purposes for which they were collected and subsequently processed. When the business need to retain this information has expired, it will be examined with a view to destroying the personal data as soon as possible, and in line with Department policy.