Fishing fleet — Vessels in Ireland

Ireland: Fishing fleet — Vessels was 69,891 Gross tonnage in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
69,891 Gross tonnage
Change on year
up 4.5%
World rank
18th
of 28 countries
All-time high
87,573 Gross tonnage
in 2004
All-time low
62,877 Gross tonnage
in 2016
Years of data
28
1995–2022

Fishing fleet — Vessels in Ireland, 1995–2022

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k1995200820221995: 64.0k Gross tonnage1996: 63.4k Gross tonnage1997: 64.6k Gross tonnage1998: 65.4k Gross tonnage1999: 69.1k Gross tonnage2000: 72.1k Gross tonnage2001: 76.5k Gross tonnage2002: 86.7k Gross tonnage2003: 87.1k Gross tonnage2004: 87.6k Gross tonnage2005: 87.6k Gross tonnage2006: 84.6k Gross tonnage2007: 70.7k Gross tonnage2008: 69.8k Gross tonnage2009: 68.6k Gross tonnage2010: 69.2k Gross tonnage2011: 64.3k Gross tonnage2012: 65.2k Gross tonnage2013: 64.2k Gross tonnage2014: 63.6k Gross tonnage2015: 63.0k Gross tonnage2016: 62.9k Gross tonnage2017: 63.7k Gross tonnage2018: 64.6k Gross tonnage2019: 65.7k Gross tonnage2020: 65.1k Gross tonnage2021: 66.9k Gross tonnage2022: 69.9k Gross tonnage

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Gross tonnage.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 69,891 Gross tonnage for fishing fleet — vessels in 2022.

That represents a change of up 4.5% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fishing fleet — vessels in Ireland peaked at 87,573 Gross tonnage in 2004 and was at its lowest, 62,877 Gross tonnage, in 2016.

Ireland ranks 18th of 28 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.

Fishing fleet — Vessels in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Fishing fleet — Vessels in Ireland, 1995 to 2022.
Year Gross tonnage Change
1995 64,018 Gross tonnage
1996 63,428 Gross tonnage -0.9%
1997 64,566 Gross tonnage +1.8%
1998 65,449 Gross tonnage +1.4%
1999 69,056 Gross tonnage +5.5%
2000 72,079 Gross tonnage +4.4%
2001 76,465 Gross tonnage +6.1%
2002 86,735 Gross tonnage +13.4%
2003 87,078 Gross tonnage +0.4%
2004 87,573 Gross tonnage +0.6%
2005 87,568 Gross tonnage -0.0%
2006 84,629 Gross tonnage -3.4%
2007 70,677 Gross tonnage -16.5%
2008 69,751 Gross tonnage -1.3%
2009 68,555 Gross tonnage -1.7%
2010 69,214 Gross tonnage +1.0%
2011 64,262 Gross tonnage -7.2%
2012 65,159 Gross tonnage +1.4%
2013 64,176 Gross tonnage -1.5%
2014 63,638 Gross tonnage -0.8%
2015 63,035 Gross tonnage -0.9%
2016 62,877 Gross tonnage -0.3%
2017 63,686 Gross tonnage +1.3%
2018 64,626 Gross tonnage +1.5%
2019 65,652 Gross tonnage +1.6%
2020 65,061 Gross tonnage -0.9%
2021 66,862 Gross tonnage +2.8%
2022 69,891 Gross tonnage +4.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 65,303 Gross tonnage 63,428 Gross tonnage 69,056 Gross tonnage 5
2000s 79,111 Gross tonnage 68,555 Gross tonnage 87,573 Gross tonnage 10
2010s 64,632 Gross tonnage 62,877 Gross tonnage 69,214 Gross tonnage 10
2020s 67,271 Gross tonnage 65,061 Gross tonnage 69,891 Gross tonnage 3

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 15 New Zealand 110,454 Gross tonnage compare
  2. 16 Portugal 86,311 Gross tonnage compare
  3. 17 Denmark 71,585 Gross tonnage compare
  4. 19 Greece 65,527 Gross tonnage compare
  5. 20 Germany 55,262 Gross tonnage compare
  6. 21 Australia 41,075 Gross tonnage compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is fishing fleet — vessels in Ireland?
Fishing fleet — vessels in Ireland was 69,891 Gross tonnage in 2022, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest fishing fleet — vessels recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 87,573 Gross tonnage in 2004.
What is the lowest fishing fleet — vessels recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 62,877 Gross tonnage in 2016.
How does Ireland rank for fishing fleet — vessels?
Ireland ranks 18th out of 28 countries with data for 2022.
Is fishing fleet — vessels rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Fishing fleet — Vessels. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Fishing fleet — Vessels in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/fishing-fleet-vessels/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Fishing fleet — Vessels
Unit
Gross tonnage
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
38 places, 883 data points, 1995–2022
Last refreshed

The dataset covers the number and gross tonnage of national active fishing vessels—vessels that, at the time of reporting, are active and engaged solely in catching operations. This includes all types of vessels: industrial and artisanal, motorized and unmotorized, decked and undecked, fishing in marine and inland waters. Data are broken down by length classes, expressed in meters. The unit of measure ‘Vessels’ should be read as ‘Number of vessels’. Fishing fleet - General notes Fishing fleet - Notes on individual countries and areas