The control and enforcement of fisheries in the Republic of Ireland

The report finds that Ireland has largely failed to implement the EU Control Regulation, specifically regarding the penalty point system for fishing licence holders and masters, and the establishment of a national register of infringements. Enforcement relies almost exclusively on criminal proceedings, which the study argues are too infrequent and the resulting fines too low to serve as an effective deterrent. The document highlights a lack of transparency in public reporting and a lack of guidance on defining 'serious infringements,' which undermines the ability to apply proportionate and dissuasive sanctions.

• Ireland has not fully implemented the EU Control Regulation, specifically lacking a penalty point system for masters of fishing vessels and failing to establish a formal national register of infringements.
• The penalty point system for fishing licence holders is currently ineffective due to legal challenges in the Irish High Court and a lack of published guidance on what constitutes a 'serious infringement'.
• Fisheries enforcement in Ireland relies almost entirely on criminal sanctions, as there is no administrative sanctioning system, such as fixed penalty notices, in place.
• The rate of prosecution is very low and sanctions are not considered a sufficient deterrent; in 2014, there was only a 1% likelihood that an inspection would lead to a sanction.
• There is a significant disparity in the fines imposed on foreign-flagged vessels compared to Irish vessels, with 2015 data showing an average fine of 26,375 Euros for foreign vessels versus 1,900 Euros for Irish vessels.
• Ireland faces a high risk of EU infringement proceedings due to its failure to implement the points system for masters, with a 'pilot infringement case' already initiated by the European Commission.
• Public transparency regarding fisheries enforcement is lacking, as the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) had not made its 2016 annual report available by September 2017.

APA

ClientEarth (2017). The control and enforcement of fisheries in the Republic of Ireland. https://www.clientearth.org/media/wjin1xnn/the-control-and-enforcement-of-fisheries-in-the-republic-of-ireland-ce-en1.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. The control and enforcement of fisheries in the Republic of Ireland. 2017. https://www.clientearth.org/media/wjin1xnn/the-control-and-enforcement-of-fisheries-in-the-republic-of-ireland-ce-en1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=ClientEarth |title=The control and enforcement of fisheries in the Republic of Ireland |date=September 2017 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/wjin1xnn/the-control-and-enforcement-of-fisheries-in-the-republic-of-ireland-ce-en1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clientearth2017control, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{The control and enforcement of fisheries in the Republic of Ireland}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2017}, month = sep, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/wjin1xnn/the-control-and-enforcement-of-fisheries-in-the-republic-of-ireland-ce-en1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }