Ahead of the 2024 General Election, The Skipper has compiled an analysis of all the candidate party manifestos to better inform our readers of the choices available when casting your vote

Please have a read and decide how your vote can  help secure our fishing industry and coastal communities

Fine Gael Manifesto 2024

• Establish a dedicated Minister of State for Fisheries

• Publish a five-year Fisheries Sector ⁠​​​​​​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​⁠strategy: Within 100 days of the new government taking office, we will release a dedicated strategy that includes a thorough examination of the processing sector.

• Sustainably develop the fisheries sector: We will ensure that fish stocks are protected, allowing future generations to continue their family traditions of earning a livelihood from the sea

• Conduct a review of tax allowances: We will work with the Revenue Commissioners and key stakeholders to assess tax allowances for the fishing sector, ensuring our tax system supports its continued development.

• Improve communication and engagement: We will enhance dialogue between fishers, State agencies, the Department, and Brussels to foster better collaboration.

• Examine fleet adjustment measures: We will consider the need for new measures in response to changing scientific advice regarding fish stocks.

• Activate the Seafood/Offshore Renewable Energy Working Group: We will ensure this group provides regular opportunities for input and communication between the Government, its agencies, and fishers, balancing the needs of both sectors.

• Review the Common Fisheries Policy: We will advocate for a review that best serves the interests of Irish fishers.

• Advance the interests of the Irish Fisheries sector: We will work to ensure these interests are prioritised ahead of the 2026 review of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement and in discussions on third-country access agreements.

• Support the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund: We will advocate for a strong fund to support our fisheries and marine industries.

These initiatives aim to strengthen the fisheries sector, ensuring its sustainability and prosperity for future generations.

Fianna Fail Manifesto 2024

• Re-establish a dedicated Minister of State of the Marine who will work with the Cabinet Minister.

• Promote innovation in fisheries and aquaculture.

• Explore incentives for boats to land their catch in Irish ports, stimulating the domestic processing sector.

• Advocate for Common Fisheries Policy reforms that reflect Ireland’s share of fish species caught in its waters, ensuring fairer quotas.

• Promote the uptake and development of marine education courses and degree programmes.

• Support MARA to best carry out its functions in marine planning and in the development of a robust Offshore Renewable Energy sector through rapid, rigorous and transparent procedures.

• Complete the Celtic Interconnector and continue to explore and support options for further interconnection.

• Formally assign an area off the West Coast for a floating offshore wind test project.

• Promote the diversification of coastal economies to create new opportunities beyond traditional industries.

• Ensure coastal communities directly benefit from the growth of offshore renewable energy projects.

• Review and enhance conservation measures for marine ecosystems and wildlife, including expanding Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), increasing penalties for marine pollution, and establishing wildlife sanctuaries.

• Support the continued sustainable development of our aquaculture sector.

• Strengthen the governance and involvement of fisheries communities in local development planning.

• Work with Fáilte Ireland to launch a Marine Tourism Strategy aimed at attracting domestic and international tourists to coastal villages, boosting local economies.

• Promote eco-tourism by supporting wildlife activities like whale and dolphin watching, protecting marine species while growing the tourism industry.

• Establish a Maritime Regeneration, Development and Conservation Fund, to support marinas, harbours, and tourism development and measures to address coastal erosion. 140

• Introduce initiatives to preserve maritime cultural heritage.

Green Party Manifesto 2024

• Publish the Marine Protected Areas Bill and enact it to progress Ireland’s objective of achieving 30% protected areas in the marine by 2030.

• Consider how best to protect nature around offshore wind energy developments, including examining requirements around biodiversity net gain.

• Ban trawling by vessels over 18 metres within the six nautical mile zone and stop bottom-trawling and pair-trawling by 2030.

• Support an end to the licensing of offshore salmon farming.

• Move aquaculture planning to the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority.

Sinn Féin Election Manifesto 2024

• Ensuring that a dedicated Minister of State for Fisheries and the Marine oversees a reformed and refreshed Department, that is headquartered in Dublin

• Establishing a Fish Ireland office, based in Brussels, placing the Irish fishing and seafood industry front and centre in the European Union. This would operate in parallel with the Department of Marine’s fisheries attaché and staff and would be a partnership between the Irish government and our Irish fishing and seafood industry

• Carrying out an urgent and time-limited review of the existing Department of Marine’s operation, including all the state bodies that operate under its aegis; their record in implementing agreed Action Plans; and the relationship between the department, those State bodies and the coastal communities that they serve

• In parallel, initiating an independent root and branch review of the Irish fishing and seafood industry that supports the development of a long-term rebuilding and growth strategy for the industry

• Ensuring that the Department of Marine’s permanent representative and attaché operation based in Brussels is fully resourced, staffed and skilled to deliver results that can rebuild and grow the Irish fishing industry into the future The Choice for Change –

• Engage with Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia and BIM, to establish a permanent office in Brussels that works in partnership with the Irish seafood and fishing industry, that places the promotion of the industry front and centre in Europe and that liaises with the European Commission, EU Parliament and the rest of the industry across the European Union

• Ensure that senior Department of Marine officials that are based in Brussels are available to appear before future Oireachtas Committees that have responsibility for overseeing fisheries and marine policy

• Undertake an audit of all state and local authority operated harbours to establish the financial resources required to meet the needs of the fishing and seafood industry

• Establishing an independent oversight and complaints body for the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA)

OFFSHORE SECTOR

• Engaging with European Fisheries Ministers and Irish fishing industry representatives to identify, negotiate and secure new fishing and quota opportunities for our fleet

• Ensuring that the multi-annual European Maritime Fisheries Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) – co funded by the EU and Ireland – is primarily utilised to support the Irish fishing industry and to sustainably maximise the potential wealth from Irish waters for our coastal communities

• Examining the current fisheries policing ⁠​​​​​​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​⁠approach in Irish territorial waters and the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to ensure fairness and balance towards all fishing vessels operating in those waters

• Seeking a complete ban on huge factory vessels registering and fishing within the EU and waters under the jurisdiction of the Common Fisheries Policy, that undermine species sustainability, damage marine biodiversity, and provide little economic return to Ireland as a coastal state

• Making available a fuel support scheme based on turnover that can be put in place quickly at times of high fuel prices for the entire Irish fishing fleet and can be accessed quickly 85 Agriculture and Fishing

INSHORE SECTOR

• Revisiting, relaunching and implementing the Irish Inshore Fisheries Sector Strategy 2019-2023 in full theme by theme, objective by objective and action by action

• Adequately resourcing the recently established inshore and island’s producer organisations the National Inshore Fishermen’s Association (NIFA) and the Irish Islands Marine Resource Organisation (IIMRO)

• Working with all sectors of the Irish fishing industry to ensure a fair and reasonable distribution of our mackerel and herring quota and the quota of other species as they arise

• Working with inshore fishermen and their representatives to identify new quota and nonquota fishing opportunities, build and grow new markets and identifying financial or other types of supports that can be availed of during turbulent times

• Developing a continuity grant that can be accessed by the Inshore and island’s fishing sector to promote growth and revitalise their communities

• To enact and implement the Island Fisheries Heritage Licence Bill 2017

AQUACULTURE

Sinn Féin recognises the potential of aquaculture to contribute to job creation for our coastal communities and would support the sustainable expansion of this sector in government.

• Seeking to develop and grow the aquaculture industry in Ireland, allow it to become comparable in productivity to other EU Member States and realise its full potential

• Implementing in full, the recommendations of the 2017 Report from the Independent Aquaculture Licensing Review Group to resolve the barriers to progress and allow the full potential of aquaculture and sustainable jobs for our coastal communities to be realised

MARINE BIODIVERSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

• Seeking a complete ban on huge factory vessels registering and fishing within the EU and waters under the jurisdiction of the Common Fisheries Policy, that undermine species sustainability, damage marine biodiversity, and provide little economic return to Ireland

• Ensuring that fishermen and their representatives are party to co-creating marine spaces for designation as Marine Protected Areas or spaces for Offshore Renewable Energy development that will allow them to coexist, cohabit where possible, minimise disruption and/or displacement and maximise and protect as many fishing opportunities as possible in the marine waters that they know

• Actively encouraging increased and resourced science-based collaboration between academics, NGOs, fishermen and government officials to ensure we meet our MPA and ORE requirements and also making sure that fish stocks can be sustained into the future to allow our fishing industry thrive and grow

Labour Party Manifesto 2024

» Carry out an independent review of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and ensure proper implementation of Article 17 of the European coastal states’ Common Fisheries Policy, ensuring fishing opportunities are allocated using transparent and objective criteria.

» Redistribute fishing quotas for high-value species such as mackerel and herring so that small inland fishers receive a more equitable share.

» Ensure the rights and safety of seafarers and maritime workers are upheld and protected through increased inspections.

» Protect our territorial waters by resourcing our Navel Service and deploy new technologies like marine drones to enforce our laws.

Social Democrats Manifesto 2024

➢ Ensure more equitable fish quota division.

➢ Develop a Young Fishers Scheme, similar to the Young Farmers Scheme.

➢ Work with all fleet segments to achieve the environmental, social and economic goals of the sector, and to deliver a fair transition to low-impact, low-carbon fishing, with fairer, more secure access to resources for small scale fishers.

➢ Seek to promote low impact fishing (including hook and line) over pair trawling and to restrict the negative effect of commercial fishing within Irish waters, including by large trawls and fishing for fish meal.

➢ Pursue restrictions on super-trawlers, reducing subsidies for industrial scale fishing, and ensuring oversight is adequately resourced.

➢ Increase funding for marine research. An increase in funding for basic research via the Higher Education sector is essential to build up capacity and expertise in the marine sphere.

➢ Develop a framework to assist the fishing industry in the energy transition, and ringfence funding for fuel supports for fishers and create a programme to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

➢ Increase the Fishers Tax Credit for those fishing a minimum of 80 days per year in order to allow the sector to compete for employees, and examine the possibility of creating a social welfare regime for share fishers.

➢ Reform funding for Producers Organisations to provide upfront funding to allow them to get started.

➢ Allocate local authority funding for the maintenance and development of small piers, with the allocation based on measurable need; a factor of the length of the coastline within each county, and the number of existing piers.

➢ Continue to develop Maritime Protected Areas, including a marine national park. Strategies must involve the fishing community from the design phase.

➢ Ensure that the Common Fisheries Policy is used to support the inshore sector on a proportionate basis.

➢ Acknowledge that the fragmented nature of marine governance across multiple government departments at times creates barriers to progress, and so examine the possible transfer of more marine-related activities to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, for example considering the transfer of marine-licensing from the Department of Housing.

Independent Ireland Manifesto 2024

• Introduce a specific Minister for fisheries responsible for maritime issues, and management of Ireland’s territorial waters

• Provide funding for harbour development to accommodate small and large fishing vessels, as well as tourism operators

• Fight to increase the quota for Irish fishing vessels

• Re-negotiate use of Irish territorial waters for Irish fishermen & fisherwomen

• Implement existing EU fuel rebates for fishermen/fisherwomen;

• Create fund to help farmers and fishermen/fisherwomen adopt technological advances to improve efficiency

AONTU Manifesto 2024

• Instigate a comprehensive review of fishing policy that has not addressed the unequal sharing opportunities for over 50 years.

• Spearhead an EU strategy to entice new young entrants into the industry.

• End the importation of fish products that undermine the Common Market Organisation regarding the protection of our processing sector.

• Work to end the over regulation of the industry that forces vessels to return to port for small breaches.

• Address the uneven distribution of EU funds between the member states, the European maritime fisheries aquaculture fund.

• Push for the introduction of a strategic plan to assist all sectors, prioritising the polyvalent section of our fleet starting with small scale fishermen.