Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Fisheries, Timmy Dooley, TD, attended the IFA Aquaculture’s Annual Conference in Limerick.
Following recent meetings with industry representatives from the aquaculture sector, Minister Dooley took the opportunity to acknowledge the importance of Irish aquaculture to the Irish economy; to the sustainability of our rural coastal communities; to our food security; and to Ireland’s position as a producer of world-class seafood. Minister Dooley reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to supporting and developing Ireland’s aquaculture sector.
Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector in the world, now responsible for over half of global seafood production.
Despite occupying only 0.0004% of Ireland’s 17,500 km² inshore area, Ireland’s aquaculture sector in Ireland is worth around €169 million to the Irish economy and sustains 1,833 direct jobs in remote rural areas – 80% of which are in the west of Ireland. It has been estimated that every full-time job in aquaculture creates 2.27 additional jobs locally.
Irish aquaculture offers a resource efficient method, with low inputs, of producing good quality food. It produces a large amount of food per area used, with a low carbon footprint. It is a major contributor to Ireland’s seafood production, with Ireland’s highest value seafood export being organic farmed salmon. In addition to the finfish and shellfish aquaculture sector, there is innovation in the sector with a number of new entrants to seaweed farming, and a number of early innovation projects on macro and micro algaes are currently being carried out by researchers which in time should support further development of seaweed aquaculture.
Speaking at the IFA Aquaculture Conference Minister Dooley commented: “Ireland produces seafood to a very high quality, that is in high demand in some markets. I can see that there is already innovation in the sector, with committed, hard-working, and adaptable producers. We need to continue to build on our reputation for world class seafood products, and explore all avenues to develop our production capacity, be it through the cultivation of new species, new production methods, or the expansion of aquaculture sites.”
The Minister referenced the importance of investment in aquaculture technology to support the continued sustainable development of aquaculture production, and the potential offered by the development of the blue bioeconomy. Likewise, the implementation of Ireland’s National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development 2030 will also support development of the sector.
Minister Dooley concluded: “I intend to work with the aquaculture industry, to understand and overcome as best we can the challenges the industry faces. I believe that the aquaculture industry in Ireland has a bright future, and the Government is committed to supporting the ongoing development of this important sector.”