Ireland has reopened its Sustainable Fisheries Scheme, inviting owners of Irish fishing vessels to apply for grant aid on onboard investments that improve catch quality, handling, traceability, hygiene and energy efficiency. The current call opened on 15 October 2026 and applications must reach Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) by 5pm on 17 December 2026.
The scheme runs under the EU’s European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) Operational Programme, co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the EU, and was announced by Minister for Fisheries Timmy Dooley.
Key highlights
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Sustainable Fisheries Scheme (administered by BIM) |
| Funding | 50% grant on approved onboard expenditure |
| Per-call cap | €125,000 per vessel |
| Lifetime cap | €250,000 per vessel over the scheme’s lifetime |
| Applications open | 15 October 2026 |
| Applications close | 5pm, 17 December 2026 |
| Budget for this call | To be confirmed |
Who can apply
The scheme is for owners of non-Small Scale Coastal Fishers (SSCF) vessels — the parallel Small-Scale Coastal Fishers Scheme covers smaller vessels separately. Applicants must:
- Own a vessel registered on the Irish Register of Fishing Boats at the time of application; and
- Have been actively fishing in the two calendar years preceding the year of application — validated by sales notes of at least €1,000 registered with the SFPA in each of the two years (vessels under 10m LOA), or log books showing at least 60 days at sea across the two years (vessels 10m LOA or more).
What the grant funds
Applications are invited for onboard investments with any of the following objectives:
- Quality improvement: innovative investments that improve the quality of fishery products or add value by allowing fishers to process catches on board.
- Catch handling: better handling systems to protect product value.
- Traceability: purchase and installation of equipment, hardware and software needed to trace fishery products.
- Hygiene, health and safety: onboard investments that go beyond existing legislative requirements to improve working conditions.
- Energy efficiency: equipment that cuts pollutant and greenhouse-gas emissions, improves fuel efficiency, plus onboard energy-efficiency audits.
Important conditions
- Do not start work early: most applications get a pre-project site visit, and any work started before the visit makes the application ineligible.
- Expenditure incurred before the assessment outcome email will not be grant-aided; after that email, spending is at the applicant’s own risk — it does not guarantee an offer.
- Installation costs must be itemised separately on quotes and invoices.
- Vessels bought from outside the EU (e.g. Scotland) qualify only if on the Irish Fleet Register at claim date.
Small-scale companion scheme
A parallel Small-Scale Coastal Fishers Scheme — a “one-stop shop” for SSCF vessel owners — opened on 14 October 2026 with the same 17 December 2026 deadline. It pays an 80% grant rate with a €30,000 per-vessel cap for this call, and unlike the Sustainable Fisheries Scheme it also covers onshore investments.
How to apply
- Read the Guidelines for Applicants on the official BIM scheme page before applying.
- Submit electronically via the BIM Grants Portal (desktop/laptop recommended for the form).
- BIM holds drop-in information sessions for applicants — check the official scheme page for dates.
- Official scheme page: bim.ie/funding/sustainable-fisheries-scheme/
Sources: BIM — Sustainable Fisheries Scheme official page (Status: Open, closing 5pm 17 December 2026); BIM — “Minister Dooley announces reopening of fisheries grant aid schemes”; The Fishing Daily, 19 October 2026. All dates, rates and caps verified against official pages on 22 October 2026; no expired windows.