Pair Trawling in Kenmare Bay: Why Local Voices Are Speaking Out for Marine Life
What is pair trawling, and why is it happening?
Pair trawling involves two large boats dragging a fine-meshed net between them through the water column. It's highly effective — and that’s part of the problem. While the practice is legal in Irish waters, it’s largely unregulated inside sensitive inshore areas, including bays like Kenmare.
Trawlers from outside the region arrive during the late autumn months, particularly between October and December, targeting vast schools of sprat — a small, silvery fish that plays a vital role in the marine food web. Sprat are not high-value fish in their own right but are often used as feed in fish farms or for fishmeal production.
Why is this a problem?
Sprat may be small, but they’re essential to the diets of many marine animals: dolphins, whales, porpoises, seabirds, and larger fish species all rely on them. When these fish are taken out of the ecosystem at industrial scales, the impact ripples outward, affecting predator species and the ecological balance of the bay.
The nets used in pair trawling are also extremely fine, which means they can trap unintended species — bycatch that includes juvenile fish and other marine organisms. This level of pressure on a local ecosystem, especially one as ecologically sensitive as Kenmare Bay, is unsustainable.
What’s the local response?
Local concerns have grown steadily — not just from conservation groups, but from fishing communities, local politicians, and young environmentalists. One of the most inspiring responses came from Transition Year students at Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine, who researched the effects of pair trawling on Kenmare Bay and created a campaign called “Impacts of Unsustainable Pair Trawling.”
Kenmare Bay Conservation and a Facebook group highlight the issue and advocate for a ban on pair trawling within the bay's six-nautical mile zone.
Their work drew national attention, winning them first place in the overall Senior Marine Category and the Overall Senior Winners Award at the recent ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards. The students spoke directly to the heart of the issue: the need for long-term thinking in how we manage our marine resources.
Their campaign highlighted not only the biological consequences but also the disconnect between local stewardship and national regulation. In short: those who live by the bay and know its rhythms best are seeing its health decline — and calling for urgent change.
What’s being asked for?
The community, including Kerry County Councillors, are pushing for stronger controls, such as:
A ban on pair trawling within 6 nautical miles of the coast — similar to protections already in place elsewhere in Europe.
Greater emphasis on sustainable fishing practices that support local livelihoods without depleting vital food stocks.
Recognition of Kenmare Bay as a sensitive, biodiversity-rich area that requires protection and long-term ecological planning.
Why it matters
Protecting Kenmare Bay is about more than one species of fish — it’s about ecosystem health, biodiversity, and the future of Ireland’s marine heritage. Inshore waters like these are nursery grounds, feeding areas, and migration routes. Losing sprat and other forage fish to unsustainable practices risks damaging the entire web of life that depends on them.
And as climate pressures increase and marine ecosystems face new challenges, it’s vital that our responses are community-informed, science-led, and sustainability-focused.