Ireland’s fisheries regulator, the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has issued a “reminder” that European lobster can only be caught and sold if it conforms to EU requirements.
It comes after the SFPA has pursued several vessels for catching hundreds of under-sized lobsters in recent years.
In the most recent case, a county Cork fisherman was fined €725 for catching ten lobsters below the minimum legal size and for four lobsters with mutilated tails.
The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) said the law upholds both conservation measures and legal requirements that apply to European lobster (Homarus gammarus).
Lobsters must be between 87mm and 127mm in length to be legally caught by Irish fishing vessels.
“It is prohibited to retain or land any European lobsters that are below the minimum size of 87mm or above the maximum size of 127mm”, the SFPA says.
It is also illegal to catch lobsters with v-notched, mutilated or damaged tails.
A v-notched lobster indicates that it is a breeding female. Protecting these lobsters is an important conservation measure supporting the future sustainability of the stock, the fisheries authority said.
The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) is the independent statutory body responsible for the regulation of the sea-fisheries and the sea-food production sectors.
Its mandate covers all fishing vessels operating within Ireland’s 200-mile limit and includes keeping watch over more than 2,000 Irish registered fishing vessels as well as Ireland’s seafood processing industry.