15 Irish skippers participate in bluefin tuna tagging programme
1st August 2019
Fifteen skippers will participate in the first bluefin tuna tagging programme of its kind in Irish waters. As we first reported back in February , Tuna CHART (CatcH And Release Tagging) is a science-based catch, tag and release fishery for bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) which recreational anglers can legally take part it. This pilot scheme will complement the work on satellite tagging of bluefin that is currently being undertaken by the Marine Institute. The developments have been widely welcomed within the angling community across the country with many advocating that bluefin are worth infinitely more when caught and released as opposed to being targeted by commercial fisheries, especially for rural economies .
All skippers were subject to a screening process by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) and successful applicants had to undergo training on how to tag and release bluefin safely before authorisation was granted. The authorised skippers and their vessels are located in various ports in counties Cork, Clare, Galway, Sligo and Donegal. The fifteen successful applicants are as follows:
| Skipper name | Charter and vessel name | Home port |
| Adrian Molloy | Deep Blue | Killybegs, Co.Donegal |
| Brian McGilloway | Meridian | Killybegs, Co.Donegal |
| Donal McMenamin | Tór Mor | Killybegs, Co.Donegal |
| Michael Callaghan | LEAH-C | Killybegs, Co.Donegal |
| Declan Kilgannon | M/V Kiwi Girl | Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo |
| Peter Power | Prospector | Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo |
| Daryl Ewing | Sarah Marie | Rosses Point, Sligo |
| John Brittain | Bluewater | Cleggan, Co. Galway |
| Luke Aston | Clare Dragoon | Carrigaholt, Co. Clare |
| Sean Maguire | Lady Gwen II | Kilbaha, Co. Clare |
| Kieran Collins | RADIANCE | Baltimore, Co.Cork |
| Tom Collins | Loch an Iasc | Reen, Union Hall |
| Carroll O’Donoghue | HARPY | Kinsale, Co. Cork |
| David Edwards | Silver Dawn | Courtmacsherry, Co. Cork |
| Mark Gannon | Lady Louise | Courtmacsherry, Co. Cork |
All of these vessels will be monitored by Fisheries Observers who will be on board the vessels throughout the season, with authorisation valid from mid-August until mid-October 2019. This will be a strictly controlled fishery operating on a pilot basis, with both the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) and IFI undertaking inspections and patrols around the coast. Any unauthorised skippers found targeting bluefin tuna will be prosecuted and any authorised people acting outside the conditions of the authorisation or the fisheries acts will also have the authorisation revoked and be subject to legal action.
The main purpose of the programme is to collect valuable data on bluefin in Irish waters, which will be used to inform future management. Fish will be targeted and brought alongside the boat quickly for tagging, (remaining in the water at all times), to ensure healthy fish are released. Detailed data collection is required for each angling trip targeting bluefin and for each tuna encountered or missed. Skippers will be responsible for managing the angling, tagging, recording and submitting detailed data for each trip (including blank days). Participating anglers will also be asked to take part in a socio-economic survey.
Anglers may participate in the fishery by booking places on one of the above-listed authorised vessels (links included).