The Government has announced it is to ban large trawlers from fishing in waters within six nautical miles of the Irish coast.
The ban will apply for vessels over 18 metres in length from January 1st 2020.
It follows a lengthy public consultation on the subject, which ran from April to June this year and received more than 900 submissions.
However, there will be a transition period of three years - until 2022 - for vessels over 18 metres targeting sprat.
In a statement, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, said he believes there's a 'compelling case' for the move.
He observed: "I am very conscious of the exclusive reliance of small scale and island fishermen on inshore waters and the benefits this change will bring for those fishermen.
"I firmly believe that this will, in the medium term, provide ecosystem and nursery stock benefits for all fishermen.”
He added: "I recognise that effective change needs time... Allowing a transition period for those vessels involved in the sprat fishery will ensure that the vessels have adequate time to transition to other fishing activities."
