The Irish Sea Fisheries Board, Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), has published its latest figures on the Irish aquaculture sector at the annual Irish Shellfish Association Conference.
It showed that 2015 saw a strong recovery in fish and shellfish farming production with the industry increasing by €34m to almost €150m.
Tara McCarthy, BIM’s CEO, said: “While 2015 was a challenging year for some operators in the shellfish industry, overall, it has been a positive year for Irish aquaculture.”
She added: “The 27% 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.”
Overall production volumes recovered strongly from the previous year, increasing by over 25% to 40,140 tonnes. Employment figures stabilised at 1,840.
Ms McCarthy explained: “The European Maritime Fisheries Fund (EMFF) along with funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is providing almost €30m to further assist the sector to develop and achieve these ambitious targets.”
Salmon farming is valued at €95m and accounts for a total of 64% of aquaculture production, while shellfish farming is valued at €51m with oysters accounting for €38m of this and the mussel farming industry was valued at €13m.
It was a strong year for Irish oysters in Hong Kong and China, they are now the highest priced oysters in this region.
Over 90% of Irish oysters are exported, with the majority going to France, but 2015 saw 10% of Irish oyster exports going to Hong Kong and China.
Oyster farming employed 775 people in 2015, providing valuable employment in coastal areas that often offer little alternatives.
