The Irish fish and shellfish farming industry has enjoyed a steady output of over €100 million per year for the past three years, according to the “Status of Aquaculture Report - 2005” launched today (Thursday 30th November) in Oranmore, Co. Galway.
Production last year reached 44,666 tonnes of shellfish and 15,384 tonnes of finfish, including salmon, trout and Arctic char. Other developments in recent years have been the development of the organic salmon market, producing high quality fish to strict organic guidelines which command a premium price.
The report is a joint collaboration between the three main state agencies involved in the development, monitoring and scientific support of the fish and shellfish farming industry in Ireland – An Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), the Marine Institute and Taigdhe Mara Teo. The report also describes in detail the Marine Institute’s 2005 monitoring results from biotoxins, fish health, residue testing, sea bottom surveys and sea lice inspections carried out in support of the industry, the consumer and the environment.
The report highlights the resilience of the fish farming sector over the years, in spite of below-cost selling by salmon producers in Chile and Norway, and other problems, Monitoring and food safety were key elements of the State assistance to the aquaculture industry last year.
BIM’s annual employment survey on the fish farming industry, which is quoted in the report, shows that there were over 730 fulltime jobs, 540 part time jobs and 364 casual workers, creating a Full Time Job Equivalent of over 1,000 positions and a real impact in small communities around the coast.
Regarding the development of new species, the first trial of marine fish farming for a species other than salmon and trout took place in 2005 in Galway, when juvenile cod that had been cultured from eggs to 100 grams weight at the Martin Ryan Institute Carna laboratory hatchery were successfully transferred to sea in February at a former salmon farm in Beirtragbui Bay, Connemara. In spite of an algal bloom in June, the remaining fish survived the warm summer waters and continued to feed and grow well. A second batch of smaller cod were transferred to sea in a more sheltered site in the same bay in October and November.
Copies of “Aquaculture Status Report 2005” - the third report since the series began in 2003 - are available from BIM and the Marine Institute.
For further information contact: Dr. John Joyce – Marine Institute – 087 2250871
Ian Long, Communications Executive, Bord Iascaigh Mhara Tel: +353 1 2144192 or Mobile: 087 4158354
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Sectoral Summaries
Overview
Modern Irish aquaculture began its development in the early 1970s and has become an important contributor to rural economies and the national exchequer, generating incomes in many areas where there is little other primary wealth creation opportunity. Production value had grown from €37.2 million (26,573 tonnes) in 1990 to a peak in 2002 of €125 million (60,984 tonnes). Since then, the industry experienced significant production and marketing challenges and in 2005 production was valued at €109.3 million (60,050 tonnes). Nevertheless, aquaculture represents some 30% of the total value of Irish seafood produce and in 2005 employed 1.635 people.
Comparing 2005 with the year 2004, overall production volumes in the shellfish sector increased marginally by 3.6% to 44,666 tonnes and production from the finfish farming sector remained stable at 15,384 tonnes.
Finfish
Salmon farming had undergone a significant decline in both 2003 and 2004. In 2005 salmon volumes were down 2.1% on the previous year. Disease problems (primarily Pancrease Disease (PD) and Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis (IPN)) continued to adversely affect salmon production, but this was offset by an improvement on the marketing side of the industry with the introduction of a “Minimum Import Price” in Europe. Production of sea-reared rainbow trout increased by 150% in 2005, harvests of freshwater rainbow trout remained static, but there was significant progress made on the cultivation of novel species of freshwater fish such as char and perch. Cultivation of cod commenced in sea cages, heralding a major step forward for Irish aquaculture towards supplementing harvests from the sea fishing industry.
Shellfish
During 2005 the shellfish farming sector experienced prolonged harvesting closures due to the protracted presence of toxic algal blooms such as Karenia mikimotoi, which also damaged bottom dwelling shellfish stocks. Nevertheless, overall shellfish production showed a 4% increase in volume, from 43,092 tonnes in 2004 to 44,666 tonnes in 2005. Market value also increased by almost 10% to €47.7 million.
Production volume was dominated by bottom mussels, which retained their 66% share of the market from 2004. The overall market value of dredged bottom mussels also increased by 7%, bringing it to represent 54% of the total shellfish market value. Rope-cultured mussels represented 20% of the market by volume, but suffered a decrease in price of 14%.
Pacific (or Gigas) oyster production made up 13% of the total volume of shellfish produced in 2005 and 25% by value. The remaining shellfish species produced included; native oysters, clams, scallops and other shellfish which, when combined, composed a 1.5% volume and 7% value share of the market.
Notes to Editor
Three State agencies have complementary roles in developing and monitoring the aquaculture sector:
BIM is the leading State agency responsible for the development of the Irish seafood sector. It’s mission is “to promote the sustainable development of the Irish seafood industry at sea and ashore and support its diversification in the coastal regions so as to enhance the contribution of the sector to employment, income and welfare both regionally and nationally.”
Support for the aquaculture industry is provided through three of its specialist divisions in Aquaculture Development, Market Development and Marine Services to support the industry with technical and financial assistance, marketing and quality control, training and engineering services.
The Marine Institute was created under the Marine Institute Act in 1991 to “undertake, to co-ordinate, to promote and to assist” in the development of marine research and development in Ireland and takes the lead on monitoring and research in the aquaculture industry. It has grown into an internationally respected science body with over 200 staff, two purpose-built vessels, a research facility near Newport, Co. Mayo and a brand new headquarters and laboratory at Oranmore on the shores of Galway Bay.
The Marine Institute administers the Marine Research Measure of the National Development Plan, which funded the aquaculture-related projects described in Section 7 of the report. The Marine Institute will be announcing its new Sea Change RTDI programme, containing ambitious plans for aquaculture, as a component of the next National Development Plan early in the New Year.
Taighde Mara Teo., a subsidiary of Údarás na Gaeltachta, brings an integrated approach to the development of aquaculture through a wide range of development projects in the seafood sector in the Gaeltacht areas of Donegal, Mayo, Connemara, west Kerry, Cape Clear island and Dungarvan, Co. Cork.
Support for these projects includes technical assistance, such as technology transfer, provision of technical staff while developing human resources within an enterprise as well as administration, IT, and business skill support. Financial assistance can be provided through investment by means of preference or redeemable shares, as well as grant aid for capital, training, research and development.