Fishing in surf

Marine Recreational Fishery in Ireland | IMREC

Marine recreational fishing is popular in Ireland, and it is estimated that more than 150,000 people participate in the activity each year, contributing a significant amount to our tourism and recreation economies.

Get involved with the IMREC project

Sea anglers of all experience levels please sign up to use the Imrec Diary!

Developing our understanding

Most marine recreational fishing in this country is done from the shore or from private and chartered boats. We know very little, however, about how often people go sea angling, how much they catch and how much they release.

Focusing on the most important angling species

The IMREC is designed to examine the recreational component of marine fishing for important species, including cod, pollack, bass, sharks and other highly migratory fishes.

A community of European scientists

This work is about fisheries conservation for everyone's benefit. It is required for compliance with European Union regulations whereby member states collect, manage and use data to advise fisheries management policy.

Engaging with people

To collect relevant recreational fisheries data, we are monitoring patterns in the type of fishing that people do, the species that are being targeted, the times people fish and the location where a catch occurs. We do this by meeting anglers on location and asking them about their angling habits and success, or otherwise.