The number of registered sea-fishing boats in the Irish fleet was only slightly reduced in 2020 as the industry was hit by COVID-related restrictions both here and abroad.
According to the Licensing Authority for Sea-fishing Boats’ Annual Report for 2020, the total of registered sea-fishing vessels was 1,998 — representing a 0.3% decrease the 2019 figure.
Of these, 179 were newly licensed and registered from a total of 220 applications. Licences for 1,721 vessels were renewed, 10 fewer than the previous year.
Meanwhile, total on-register capacity of the Irish fleet (including aquaculture vessels) — expressed in gross tonnes, a measure of volume, and kilowatts, a measure of engine power — was 64,912 GT and 189,169 kW. Respectively, these figures were decreases of 0.9% and 1% respectively on 2019.
At the end of 2020, a total of 14,122 GT and 12,022 kW was off-register, in other words held in the owner’s account and available for use as replacement capacity but not assigned to a vessel. Under current licensing policy, capacity that is off-register for two years or more is no longer available for use as replacement capacity.
The Licensing Authority for Sea-fishing Boats’s Annual Report for 2020 is available as a PDF to read or download HERE.