The next level
The Irish Government has a plan to grow the country’s aquaculture sector sustainably.
Aquaculture in Ireland has grown significantly since the 1980s and today the sector produces nearly 43,000 tonnes of high value finfish and shellfish, while directly employing around 2,000 people, mainly in rural locations.
There is a fear, however, that Ireland may still be punching below its weight as an aquaculture nation. Last year the Irish Government came out with a plan aimed at growing the sector in a way that is compatible with sustainability and care for the environment.
National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development 2030
The National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development (NSPSA) 2030 sets out a vision for a sector that maintains its competitive edge through low-impact production, while building commercial resilience through technical innovation and diversification.
This in turn, the document says, supports a more diverse consumer and market base aligned to increased recognition of Irish aquaculture’s growing status as a key provider of sustainable, low carbon and healthy food.
Charlie McConalogue
Introducing the NSPSA, Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, said: “With the publication of the NSPSA I am putting in place the necessary building blocks for the continued development of a sustainable, profitable, competitive and market-focused aquaculture sector in Ireland, positioning it to make the maximum long-term economic and social contribution to our coastal communities and Ireland as a whole, while optimising environmental performance and supporting the natural capital upon which it depends.”
The NSPSA, the successor to the 2014-2020 plan, will be rolled out over a 10-year period to 2030. As a member of the European Union, the Irish Government has drafted the plan to be compatible with the EU’s new “Strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021 to 2030”, as well as the programming period (2021 to 2027) of the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).
This is Ireland’s second strategic plan for aquaculture. The first covered 2014-2020, and this time round some lessons have been learned, including: the need for more regular and systematic monitoring and evaluation of the progress and achievements of the plan; better engagement with stakeholders; and the need to build in resilience to deal with unexpected shocks such as Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Stout and oyster
The plan’s four core objectives are also those of the EU strategic guidelines:
• Building resilience and competitiveness;
• Participating in the “green transition”;
• Ensuring social acceptance and consumer information; and
• Increasing innovation and knowledge.
Technology will play a key role in taking the plan forward. For example, in terms of disseminating information about the aquaculture sector, the Irish Government launched AQUAMIS (Aquaculture Application and Monitoring System) which provides information about finfish and shellfish farming sites and licences in Irish waters.
Phase I created a platform to allow members of the public and the industry to view the information, and now Phase II, which will involve the creation of an online licensing process, is being developed.
AQUAMIS screenshot
The NSPSA also commits to the development of a monitoring system for norovirus in farmed oysters, and to the development of a formal reporting protocol for farmed fish escapes.
Animal welfare is high on the agenda, and the plan pledges to bring in an industry-wide code of practice for animal welfare in Irish aquaculture, and a system for near real-time animal health reporting.
There is a commitment to investigate the establishment of an Aquaculture Innovation Centre for Ireland and to review and address fragmentation in the industry, which is a particular issue for the shellfish farming sector.
The plan acknowledges the frustration producers face with the slow pace of the licensing process, with a commitment to tackle the licence application backlog.
Overall, the plan’s vision is to move towards organic production where possible, a theme for which Ireland’s salmon production is already.
Irish salmon farm worker
Production in Ireland
Central to making the plan happen is Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), the state agency responsible for developing the Irish seafood sector.
BIM publishes an annual report on the aquaculture sector, with the latest figures (released earlier this year) relating to 2022.
The latest report finds that despite a reduced number of businesses due to consolidation within the shellfish segments, employment increased in both the finfish and shellfish sectors. In 2022, the sector contributed €208m (£176m) to the economy, supporting 2,008 jobs, with a full-time equivalent (FTE) of 1,177 across the 292 PUs. The average individual salary for the year was €34,372 (£29,101) per worker.
A total of 44,623 tonnes of aquaculture products were sold directly at the farmgate, generating sales of €186m (£157m). This represents a 4% increase in both volume and value compared to the previous year.
Atlantic salmon remained the largest contributor to national sales value, amounting to €104m (£88m) in 2022. With significant economic impacts locally and nationally, this diverse segment demonstrated multiplier effects evident in turnover, employment, and gross value added, the report says.
The mussel and oyster producing segments led the sector in terms of employment, with 1,693 people working across 260 production units. These segments generated €76m (£64m) in 2022, with shellfish operations dispersed across all maritime regions of the country. A survey conducted on the sector’s technical challenges highlighted the struggle of shellfish segments in sourcing or retaining suitably trained staff. To address this issue, businesses are exploring technologies that have the potential to reduce or eliminate labour-intensive tasks in production.
While the aquaculture sector in Ireland experienced overall positive growth, BIM said, it is important to note that achievements were not uniform across all segments. The shellfish sector displayed robust output volume during the period, up 10% to 31,796 tonnes, and maintained a healthy average unit sales value, with total revenue up 13% to €76.1m (£64.4m).
Conversely, the finfish sector faced challenges, witnessing a decline in output volume, despite a rise in average unit sales values. Finfish output was down 7% to 12,295 tonnes, while revenue held more or less steady, dropping 1% to €110m (£93.1m).
Margaret Rae, Konree Innovation
Supporting innovation
One key role for BIM involves funding investment and innovation in the seafood sector, either through direct grants or through support for initiatives such as the BIM Aquatech Innovation Studio, delivered by aquaculture accelerator Hatch Blue.
One of the companies taking part in the latter is award-winning aquatech start-up, Konree Innovation, which is developing a technology-based solution to the long-running problem of sea lice in salmon farming.
The new process being developed by Konree will be able to detect sea lice in the salmon pen. According to Margaret Rae, the company’s co-founder, this costs the global salmon production industry between €3bn and €4bn annually.
Talking last year to BIM, she said: “Everything is going in the right direction, and we are very excited about what the rest of the year will bring. This will be a game changer in the salmon production industry. The solution we are developing to control sea lice is a drop-in solution, designed from the start to be a sustainable non-polluting technology. The salmon farmer does not have to invest in any special infrastructure to support it.”
She said the Aquatech Innovation Studio had been a very worthwhile experience: “I would recommend any young aquatech company to apply. We had two weeks of really intense work every day from nine to five. It was a great litmus test for the business.”
Kian Louët Feisser, Carlingford Oysters
The world is their oyster
In April this year, the Carlingford Oyster Company described the impact of a grant from BIM which enabled it to invest more than half a million euros in new machinery and production facilities.
The County Louth business, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, is producing 250 tonnes – the equivalent of 2.5m oysters – a year, and has its eyes set on increasing exports to Europe.
The business invested €535,000 (£453,000) in upgrading its facilities with the support of a €142,000 (£120.2m) grant under the Brexit Sustainable Aquaculture Growth Scheme recommended by the Irish Government’s Seafood Taskforce.
The scheme is funded by the European Union under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve.
Carlingford Oyster Company was founded by Dutchman Peter Louët Feisser. Peter is now officially retired and the farm is run by his son Kian, with Kian’s wife, Mary.
According to Kian Feisser the investment has seen significant improvements and efficiencies at the company.
“Oyster farming is very labour intensive and the investment was designed to make the company more competitive, and to secure the livelihoods of our team and my family,” says Kian. “The premises were built in 1992 and it was a big open space and we really needed to upgrade.
“The work included extending our production facility, adding equipment to help us segregate and grade oysters and improvements in the dispatch areas. Modernising our working environment has supported us meeting the evolving requirements of food safety inspectors, and the expectations of our customers when visiting our premises.”
In addition, the company added new depuration tanks with cutting edge water skimming technology to mitigate the risk of norovirus, a forklift, a pallet truck, a new water grader and floating oyster growing bags.
Said Kian: “All of these machines have helped us not only improve efficiency and working conditions, but they have also helped improve the quality of our oysters and therefore our customer satisfaction.”
At its peak last summer, the business employed 30 local people, something which Kian is very proud about. Sales to the UK represent about 60% of total sales with approximately 20% of sales in Ireland. He is currently focusing on sales in mainland Europe with support from BIM and Bord Bia.
Carlingford Oyster Company was one of the first farms to grow gigas oysters, the frilly Pacific variety that is now well-loved across Ireland but was rather novel at the time.
“Without the support of BIM and the Brexit funding we would not have been able to achieve all we have under this investment, and we are very grateful. The future is certainly looking bright,” said Kian Feisser.
More help for aquaculture
At the start of this month, two new schemes were announced under the €258m (£218.4m) Seafood Development Programme, co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the EU under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund 2021-2027 (EMFAF).
The Aquaculture Capital Investment Scheme will provide grant aid to support capital investment in the aquaculture sector. These investments will enable the sustainable growth of aquaculture operators; will encourage the entry into the sector of new aquaculture operators; and will support the evolution of smaller operators, allowing them to scale-up, and boost their competitiveness.
The Seafood Training Scheme will provide assistance to those working in the sector who wish to develop their skills and knowledge through attendance at recognised training and education courses. It assists with costs associated with the training, such as exam fees.
Both schemes are currently open for applications.
Launching the schemes, the Minister, Charlie McConalogue, said: “These two new schemes… clearly demonstrate the breadth of supports provided under our EMFAF Seafood Development Programme. They provide the investment needed to support the resilience and sustainability of the seafood sector, both commercial and environmental. They will help to ensure that in the face of challenges such as climate change and ever-changing market conditions, the Irish seafood sector will continue to provide a high quality product and remain competitive in a global market.”
