The Government has imposed new restrictions on large fishing vessels operating close to shore, in a move aimed at protecting local fleets and supporting coastal communities.

Minister of State for Fisheries, Timmy Dooley, signed Policy Directive 1 of 2025 on Tuesday, giving legal effect to the measures first announced in July alongside Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon.

From 1 October 2026, vessels over 18 metres in length will be banned from using trawl or seine nets inside the six nautical mile zone and baselines.

A temporary catch limit of 2,000 tonnes of sprat will apply to these vessels from 11 October 2025 until 30 September 2026. The later start date allows time to notify the United Kingdom under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

A new Statutory Instrument will monitor the sprat fishery, with the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority reporting to the Minister once the catch limit is reached.

Minister Dooley said the measures “will help re-establish links between local fish resources, local fleets and local economies” and could boost landings across coastal regions. Minister Heydon said the restrictions “support our crucial inshore fishing sector, the lifeblood of many coastal and rural communities.”