Ireland's IFI seeks charter skippers for 2026 Tuna CHART Atlantic bluefin tagging

Up to 25 charter skippers may be authorised to catch, tag and release Atlantic bluefin in Irish waters in 2026 under Inland Fisheries Ireland’s Tuna CHART programme, IFI confirmed, with expressions of interest open from 17 February until 3 March and the 2026 fishery season set from 1 July to 12 November. Applicants must complete an online application form on the IFI website and are required to be experienced angling charter vessel skippers.

IFI senior research officer Dr William Roche described the initiative as a field-led science operation: “This is an important tagging programme, which is undertaken on-site by authorised tuna angling skippers.” The programme - run by IFI in partnership with the Marine Institute, the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and the Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Environment, Climate and Communications - will collect size, distribution and seasonal-occurrence data that “is incorporated into international stock assessment models for Atlantic bluefin tuna to understand the status of this tightly managed and formerly endangered species,” IFI said.

Recreational angling for Atlantic bluefin remains technically prohibited outside the programme’s authorisations; enforcement language in coverage of the scheme notes that “unauthorised vessels are not permitted to target or catch bluefin tuna and any unauthorised person found to be targeting bluefin tuna is liable to prosecution.” IFI’s Tuna CHART provides the only legal route for charter operations to target, tag and release bluefin during the open season, with anglers on board assisting authorised skippers.

Operational standards for authorised skippers are explicit. IFI states that “skippers are required to have high specification rods, reels and lines to ensure that each bluefin tuna is brought alongside the vessel for tagging in a timely manner, prior to their subsequent release.” Catching and tagging is performed on-site by authorised skippers with the help of anglers on board, IFI added.

Last season’s programme data highlight where work will be concentrated in 2026. Afloat reported that in 2025 a total of 288 bluefin were tagged across 193 angling trips, with as many as four tagged per trip in the most successful week, and that 90 percent of all tuna tagged were caught and released off the Donegal coast. IFI noted that “while storms prevented some angling trips in 2025, high numbers of bluefin tuna were tagged and released on trips that did take place – particularly in September and October.”

Commercial operators have already publicised their involvement. Sligo Boat Charters claims that Daryl Ewing is “among only 22 licensed skippers in Ireland approved by Inland Fisheries Ireland to target these magnificent fish through the Bluefin Tuna CHART programme,” and that Ewing earned “promotion to Tier 2 Skipper status” in 2025; those statements are presented as company claims. IFI’s EOI text uses the precise phrasing that “in 2026, a maximum of 25 authorisations may be granted to qualifying angling charter vessel skippers around the Irish coast.”

Prospective applicants should complete the IFI online form between 17 February and 3 March and ensure vessels and gear meet the high-specification requirements set out by IFI. As Dr Roche put it, “Large bluefin tuna consistently visit Irish waters between summer and autumn – especially off the northwest and south coasts,” underscoring where authorised skippers are most likely to operate during the July–November season.