The European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) has chartered an aircraft for the first time as part of surveillance of Irish waters.
A European Maritime Safety Agency drone is also being used as part of air-sea fisheries control and inspection.
Representatives of the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) met EFCA executive director Dr Susan Steele on board the EFCA chartered patrol vessel Lundy Sentinel in Cork harbour yesterday.
At a press briefing, the EFCA outlined how its air and sea assets have recently increased for the Western Waters Joint Deployment Plan.
The EFCA said the mission's objectives include participating in “control and inspection activities and contributing to compliance and the effective implementation of risk treatment measures”.
“This patrol mission in Irish waters also supports the ongoing fishery protection services work undertaken by the SFPA in collaboration with the Naval Service and Air Corps,” it said.
The agency said it would increase up to three of its chartered patrol vessels in the coming months.
“For the first time ever, an EFCA-directed aircraft will also operate in Irish waters in tandem with the patrol ship Lundy Sentinel, transmitting live aerial patrol footage to the EFCA centre in Vigo and the Fisheries Monitoring Centre (FMC) in Haulbowline, Cork,” it said.
“This is a valuable aspect to the patrol where inspectors from different member states work together to deliver harmonised fisheries control, with the support of EFCA liaison on board and the EFCA coordination centre in Vigo,”Dr Steele said.
As Afloat previously reported, the SFPA requested and received the support of the EFCA in patrolling Irish waters on four occasions between January and March in 2021.
This was considered necessary because “the Naval Service could not commit to increasing its patrol days at sea under a joint-EU initiative coordinated at EU level by EFCA”, according to an assessment from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine to the Commission on the Defence Forces
SFPA chairman Paschal Hayes said “protecting the long-term viability and health of our marine ecosystems and ensuring long-term sustainability for our fishing industries and communities is an issue of significance not only here in Ireland but across Europe”.
“Our work with the EFCA is a critical element in supporting the overall remit of the SFPA to ensure the sustainability and future viability of Ireland’s sea fisheries and marine resources, an industry that supports over 16,500 jobs in coastal communities across Ireland.”