Ireland catches less than 4% of the fish caught in EU waters.

Omissions

• No source found that explicitly reports Ireland's share of total EU fish catches; the 'less than 4%' figure could not be verified or refuted.
• The Dáil Éireann debate figure (Ireland receives ~6% of the fish) refers to quota allocation, a different metric from actual catches, so it neither confirms nor contradicts the 'less than 4%' catch share.
• Eurostat's Statistics Explained page and the November 2025 Eurostat news release give EU totals and top-country shares (Denmark ~22%, Spain 18%) but not Ireland's share.
• The Irish Central Statistics Office data retrieved concerns landings in Irish ports (foreign vessels landed 88,070 tonnes, 36% of total landings in Ireland in 2023), which is not the same as Irish vessels' share of EU catches.

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat — Statistics Explained: Fisheries - catches and landingsThe total EU catch in 2024 was an estimated 3.2 million tonnes live weight. This new low in catches was well beneath the estimated 4.6 million tonnes in [earlier years]. ... Denmark accounted for slightly more than one fifth (0.56 million tonnes) of the EU landings in 2024 (see Figure 6), followed by Spain with 18% (0.48 million tonnes).
• PrimaryEurostat news release — EU fish landings valued at €5.5 billion in 2024The value of fish landings was highest in Spain, accounting for 30% of the EU total. France followed with 16% and Denmark with 13%. ... 9% of the total EU catch was taken [in the area mentioned]. The EU's fish catch was estimated at 3.2 million tonnes.
• PrimaryHouses of the Oireachtas — Dáil Éireann debate, 22 October 2025Third, why does Ireland, which contributes 12% of EU waters, receive only 6% of the fish? What steps are being taken to correct this...
• PrimaryCentral Statistics Office Ireland — Key Findings, Fish Landings 2023In 2023, landings by foreign vessels in Irish ports fell by 20% to 88,070 tonnes (36% of total landings in Ireland) from 2022.