People are being urged to check where they buy lobsters and crabs, after 700 illegally caught lobsters were seized in Rosslare yesterday.
Sea-Fisheries Protection Officers from Dunmore East detained a vivier lorry in Rosslare carrying around 6,000 lobsters.
The lorry, which was travelling to Spain, had around 630 undersized lobsters and almost 60 v-notched lobsters on board.
Lobsters must be a minimum size of 87mm and maximum of 127mm when caught and any lobsters with a v-notch must be returned to the sea.
The illegally caught lobsters were returned to the sea alive
The Chair of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) said illegal lobster fishing is of huge concern and could have serious repercussions for the future of the industry.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dr Susan Steele said the vast majority of Irish fishermen are very responsible and conservation conscious.
She said if they are in any doubt they return small lobsters to the sea and also practice v-notching, where egg bearing lobsters are marked and returned to the sea to protect stocks.
Dr Steele said the SFPA recently received an anonymous tip about illegal fishing and found a recreational fisherman selling into the viver lorry (a lorry for live shellfish) destined for Spain.
Dr Steele said lobsters had been picked up from a number of locations around Ireland and put on the lorry and the SFPA is carrying out a full investigation into the matter.
A file on the matter is also being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Dr Steele urged members of the public, restaurants and hotels to be careful about where they buy crabs and lobsters from and to ensure they only purchase from a licensed seller.
