Aquaculture

We carry out regular inspection of sea lice levels on all fish farms in Ireland in accordance with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s sea lice Monitoring Protocol (2000) and Strategy (2008).

Sea Lice Inspection Data - Finfish Farms Ireland dashboard.

CLAMS provides a concise description of the bay in terms of physical characteristics, history, aquaculture operations, future potential, problems, etc. It also allows various Codes of Practice to be customised and integrated into the aquaculture industry operating in the bay.

We monitor phytoplankton under a national programme which has been in place since the 1980s. Local SFPA Sea fishery officers or other assigned personnel take samples from designated sampling areas. These are sent to our labs (either Bantry or Galway) where analysis is carried out.

The Benthos, being the flora and fauna found on (or in) the bottom sediments of a sea or lake, are excellent indicators of environmental quality, and monitoring of these is a useful tool to assess the influences of human activities, to inform licensing and regulation of activities.

We are the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for marine Biotoxins. We carry out a monitoring programme to protect consumer health by ensuring that toxic shellfish are not harvested and placed on the market.

We monitor farmed fish for veterinary drug residues used in treating live animals, in line with the EU Residues Directive.

We are the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) in Ireland for monitoring the bacteriological and viral contamination of bivalve shellfish. We work closely with the competent authorities and the shellfish industry to ensure that Irish shellfish are produced to the highest microbial standards.

The Marine Institute is a key advisor on environmental issues to the relevant government Departments on licensing applications and monitoring. Aquaculture licensing is administered by DAFM (Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine).

We monitor contaminants and residues in seafood including farmed fish to ensure they are below levels safe for human consumption.

Our Fish Health Unit is the Competent Authority for the implementation of aquatic animal health legislation and the Irish National Reference Laboratory for finfish, mollusc and crustacean diseases.