May 27, 2016

Irish aquaculture posts rebound in 2015

Farmed fish and shellfish production in Ireland recovered strongly last year, as value increased from EUR134 million (US$38 million) to a first point of sale value of almost EUR150 million ($167.7 million), latest data from Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) showed. BIM is the Irish state agency responsible for developing the seafish and aquaculture industries.

In terms of volume, overall production increased 27% to 40,140 tonnes year-on-year.

Tara McCarthy, BIM chief executive officer, said, "While 2015 was a challenging year for some operators in the shellfish industry, overall, it has been a positive year for Irish aquaculture. The 27 percent increase in production volumes is a welcome step towards the targets set out in the National Strategic Plan for Aquaculture, which sets a growth target of 45,000 tonnes across all aquaculture production by 2020."

Ms McCarthy said the European Maritime Fisheries Fund (EMFF), in addition to the funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, is providing almost EUR30 million to help the aquaculture sector achieve these targets.

Salmon accounts for 64% of Ireland's total aquaculture production, valued at EUR95 million, while shellfish accounts for the rest, valued at EUR51 million.