September fishing quotas set for Irish fleet in five notices

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has set the September 2026 catch, retention and landing limits for the Irish fishing fleet through five Fisheries Management Notices published in Iris Oifigiúil No. 69 of 28 August 2026. The notices, numbered FMN 2026/52 to FMN 2026/56, come into force on 1 September 2026 and cease to have effect on 1 October 2026.

Issued under section 12 of the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006, the notices govern mackerel, deep-sea and demersal stocks, setting the maximum quantities that an Irish sea-fishing boat may retain on board or land, depending on the vessel’s length and fishing method. Each notice defines its fishing areas by reference to ICES sub-areas and divisions set out in Annex III to Regulation (EC) No. 218/2009.

Mackerel quotas

FMN 2026/52 (September Mackerel Under 18 metre Fishery Quota Management Notice) caps mackerel (Scomber scombrus) at 2 tonnes for boats under 18 metres in length without a Tier 2 mackerel authorisation, fishing by means other than hooks and lines in ICES areas 6, 7, 8a, 8b, 8d and 8e, and in United Kingdom and international waters of 5b and international waters of 2a, 12 and 14.

FMN 2026/56 (September Mackerel Hook and Line Under 15 metre Fishery Quota Management Notice) sets a 3 tonnes limit for boats under 15 metres fishing for mackerel by hooks and lines in the same areas. Masters of boats of 10 metres or more but under 15 metres must hold a Mackerel Hook and Line Authorisation issued under section 13 of the 2006 Act.

Deep-sea and demersal stocks

FMN 2026/53 (September Deep-Sea Quota Management Notice) restricts the catching, retention and landing of deep-sea species listed in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2016/2336, including deep-sea sharks, for boats holding a deep-sea authorisation.

FMN 2026/54 and FMN 2026/55 set demersal catch limits for boats over and under 55 feet respectively. The covered stocks include:

Greater silver smelt (Argentina silus) — 0 tonnes in areas 3a, 4, 5, 6 and 7
Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) — 0 tonnes
Cod (Gadus morhua) — 0.05 tonnes in area 6a and 5b east of 12°00’W
Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) — 10 tonnes (over 55ft) and 5 tonnes (under 55ft) in area 7a
Ling (Molva molva) — 30 tonnes (over 55ft) and 15 tonnes (under 55ft) in areas 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 14
Pollack, plaice, saithe and whiting — limits from 0.05 to 8 tonnes depending on area

The demersal notices also set by-catch limits (Schedule 3), special provisions for boats fishing exclusively with Danish/Scottish fly seines (Schedule 4), and rules for boats targeting Nephrops in ICES areas 6 and 7 and Functional Unit 16 of ICES Subarea 7 (Schedule 5). Once a boat’s landings of a stock exceed the specified limit, it may not fish for that stock for the remainder of the period.

Compliance and reporting

Under FMN 2026/52, the master of a boat or his agent must give at least one hour’s notice of intention to enter port for quantities of mackerel over 250 kg. Notification is made to the Irish Fisheries Monitoring Centre by telephone (00 353 21 4378752) or e-mail (fmcireland@defenceforces.ie), or to the competent authorities of the Member State or third country where the landing is to take place. The notification must include the boat’s name, designated port, estimated time of arrival, intended landing time, quantities of all species retained on board, the management area and contact details.

The September limits directly govern the day-to-day operations of the Irish fishing industry, determining how much of each stock may be legally landed during the month. Vessels that exceed the caps risk losing access to the affected stocks for the remainder of the period, making the notices essential reading for skippers, producers’ organisations and seafood processors planning their September activity.

Source: Iris Oifigiúil, No. 69, 28 August 2026, Section I (official references: Fisheries Management Notices FMN 2026/52–56).