Thousands of protected and critically endangered sea animals were killed after being caught in nets used by crayfishing vessels in Ireland’s only marine national park, new research shows.
Casualties recorded over a four-year period included 1,161 grey seals, 81 angel sharks, 532 tope, 1,712 flapper skate and various ray and dolphins.
Angel sharks, tope and flapper skate are critically endangered worldwide with angel shark in particular on the brink of wipeout.
The report says Ireland is one of their “last refuges” on Earth and warns: “This level of by-catch increases the risk of extinction of the species.”
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Nick Payne, assistant professor of natural sciences at Trinity College Dublin, described the ongoing deaths as “shameful”.
“That the Irish Government still allows this form of destructive fishing throughout Irish coastal waters is an absolute disgrace,” he said.
“Tangle nets are wiping out thousands of critically endangered and protected animals in Irish waters every year, literally in some of the last remaining strongholds for the entire species.”
The protected and endangered species were among tens of thousands of fish and animals unintentionally but predictably caught in tangle nets in waters off Tralee and Dingle in Co Kerry that were studied for a report for the Marine Institute.
These waters form only a small proportion of the overall areas around the Irish coast where crayfishing takes place in an industry that has undergone huge growth, increasing its catch eight-fold in just seven years.
But the study areas included the country’s first national marine park, Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, which was designated in 2024.
“It would be awful anyway for this level of destruction to be happening in unprotected waters but this is meant to be a national park,” Payne said.
“What is a national park if it offers no protection? This is so frustrating.”
Grey seals are not regarded as endangered but the colony on the Blasket Islands which lie within the study areas forms part of a protected Special Area of Conservation.
The report warns that the high number of seal deaths from by-catch jeopardised the colony.
It “could not sustain this level of mortality” except for the fact that seals from other parts of the country and elsewhere join the local population.
The report makes recommendations including establishing an exclusion zone around the Blasket Islands, designating a closed period for crayfishing each year and prohibiting the use of tangle nets.
“Transitioning from tangle nets to alternative fishing gears such as pots, which eliminate by-catch, is a potential solution for the crayfish fishery,” the report said.
“Trials with different pot designs have been ongoing in the study area since 2022. Development of a viable pot fishery for crayfish remains a key objective in securing a sustainable future for the fishery.”
Pots were the traditional method of catching crayfish and lobster for many decades and sustained smaller fisheries but a growth in demand for crayfish internationally saw larger operations enter the industry.
Payne said the returns to the industry did not justify the destruction.
“These tangle nets are left at sea for a week so it’s really a part-time activity,” he said.
“That’s not to belittle the income it provides but on a national scale, the economic returns are very small and fishers could be compensated at relatively little cost for any reduction in catch from using pots.
“We don’t need another doom and gloom story and this doesn’t have to be one. There is a pathway to fixing this.”
The Department of Heritage, which has responsibility for national parks, referred questions to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
The department has been asked for comment.
