2012 BIM Annual Aquaculture Survey
83% of all employment in Irish aquaculture is along the western seaboard
Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) the Irish seafood development agency carries out an annual survey of all licensed aquaculture producers within the Republic of Ireland. Apart from a statutory obligation of producers this data provides vital information for the future development of this important industry. The following document provides a snapshot of the primary aquaculture sectors and more comprehensive data can be provided upon request. The values and employment figures from this survey only represent the primary production sector of aquaculture and do not include employment or value created by further processing of the aquaculture produce. BIM have endeavoured to collate the most accurate information possible but the material presented from this survey is provided without any guarantees, conditions or warranties as to its accuracy.
Salmon & Trout Production of Salmon and Trout 2009-2012 Salmon and Trout Production Tonnes by County 18,000 16,000 14,000 5711 Salmon Donegal 12,000 Tonnes 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 Mayo Donegal 3737 Salmon 2,000 Galway Galway Salmon Seawater Trout (SW) Freshwater Trout (FW) Kilkenny Wicklow 15 Freshwater Trout 2742 Salmon Kilkenny Did You Over 80% of all Irish salmon Know? production is certified organic Cork Cork 90 3996 Freshwater Trout Salmon 220 Freshwater Trout Wicklow 276 Freshwater Trout Mayo 180 Seawater Trout 1964 Salmon Key Points Salmon production is the key finfish species reared production was stable at c.12,000 tonnes in 2012. Donegal and Cork are the main production areas accounting for over 60% of all Irish salmon production. Freshwater trout production is concentrated in counties Kilkenny and Wicklow which account for 83% of all production. Production of sea reared and freshwater reared trout totalled c.780 tonnes. Sea reared levels were reduced. Average salmon prices maintained extremely positive prices above 6,000 in 2012. Total value of all these finfish has a first sales value of nearly 80m making it Ireland s most valuable aquaculture sector.
Salmon & Trout Average Price of Salmon and Trout 2009-2012 First Point of Sale Value of Salmon and Trout 2009-2012 80,000 70,000 60,000,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 2010 2011 2012 0 Seawater Trout (SW) Freshwater Trout (FW) Salmon Trout (SW) Trout (FW) Employment Total Full and Part Time in the Salmon and Trout Industry
Total exports of salmon, mussels and oysters amounted to 116m in 2012 an increase of 21% from the previous year
Key Points Oysters Gigas and Edulis Oyster Production in Tonnes by County Total gigas oyster production for 2012 was 7,313 tonnes and edulis production was 247 tonnes for the same period. There are approximately 130 companies producing gigas oysters in Ireland with the top 15 companies accounting for nearly 70% of production. Counties Donegal and Waterford account for 68% of gigas production by volume. Total employment in the oyster industry in 2012 was 933. Mayo Galway Clare Limerick Kerry Cork Donegal Louth Wexford Waterford Sligo 48 Clare 170 Cork 479 Donegal 1503 Galway 187 Edulis Oysters 83 Kerry 372 Edulis Oysters 160 Limerick 30 Louth 360 Mayo 415 Edulis Oysters 4 Waterford 3461 Wexford 289 France is the key destination country for Irish oysters and accounted for 86% of all Irish oyster exports by volume in 2012.
Production of Gigas and Edulis Oysters 2009-2012 Oysters First Point of Sale Value of Gigas and Edulis Oysters,000 30,000 25,000 Gigas 20,000 15,000 Tonnes 8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 Gigas Edulis 10,000 5,000 0 Employment Total Full and Part Time in the Gigas and Edulis Industry 2009 462 619 1081 2010 523 321 844 2011 622 305 927 2012 584 349 933 T T T T Gigas Edulis T Total Edulis Average Price of Gigas and Edulis Oysters 2009-2012 5,000 4,500 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0 Edulis Gigas Did You Know? EXPORTS OF IRISH OYSTERS IN 2012 WERE VALUED AT OVER 35M
5711 Salmon Kerry Mayo Galway Cork Donegal Mussels Mussel Production Tonnes by County 2012 Louth Wexford Cork 5307 Rope Mussel Donegal 740 Rope Mussel 265 Bottom Mussel Galway 1012 Rope Mussel Kerry 704 Rope Mussel 1694 Bottom Mussel Louth 1670 Bottom Mussel Mayo 941 Rope Mussel Wexford 2855 Bottom Mussel Key Points Bottom mussel production declined in 2012 with production of just over 6,000 tonnes. Rope mussel production also declined to a lesser extent with production around 9,000 tonnes. Three counties, Louth, Kerry and Wexford accounted for 96% of all bottom mussel cultivation in 2012. Rope mussel production is predominant in the south west with county Cork alone accounting for 61% of production in 2012. Total employment in the mussel industry in 2012 was 444 jobs. Total mussel exports were valued at over 20m. Fresh mussels continue to be the main format exported accounting for over 90% of all mussel exports. Over 50% of the Irish mussel industry in now certified organic production. 50% of all mussel production is certified organic
Mussels Average Price of Bottom and Rope Cultured Mussels 2009-2012 Production of Bottom and Rope Cultured Mussels 2009-2012 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 200 Tonnes 20,000 18,000 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 Bottom Rope Bottom Rope 76% of all aquaculture production is conducted along the western seaboard. With county Donegal accounting for 26% of all national production. First Point of Sale Value of Bottom and Rope Cultured Mussels Employment Total Full and Part Time in the Bottom & Rope Mussel Industry 20,000,000 15,000 10,000 2009 209 246 455 2010 175 258 433 2011 181 288 469 2012 150 294 444 5,000 T T T T Bottom Rope Bottom Rope T Total
Key Points Novel Species This sector is geared at developing new species for production in Ireland. While volumes may not be large it is crucial for the future development of aquaculture within the country. Within the novel finfish sector char remain the predominant species accounting for over 95% of all production in terms of value. But markets have been positive for Irish grown perch. Clams were the main species in the novel shellfish sector but have been hampered due to challenges related to disease issues. Scallop prices have remained strong despite the competitive market situation highlighting the high quality product produced.
Novel Species Abalone Char Clams Perch Scallop Urchin Cod Did You Know? First sale value of Irish aquaculture in 2012 was 133m an increase of 5% from 2011
Novel Species Average Price of Clams and Scallops 2009-2012 7,000 6,500 6,000 5,500 5,000 0 Clams Scallops First Point of Sale Value of Novel Finfish and Shellfish 2009-2012,000 2000 1500 1000 Finfish Production of Novel Finfish and Shellfish 2009-2012 300 250 500 0 Employment Total Full and Part Time in the Novel Species Industry 2009-2012 Shellfish Tonnes 200 150 100 50 20 169 20 172 19 92 13 78 Novel Finfish Novel Shellfish Shellfish: abalone, clam, scallop, urchin Finfish: char, cod, perch
Over 1,700 people are directly employed in the primary sector of the aquaculture industry in 2012, an increase of 5%
First sale value of Irish aquaculture produce increased by 30% in the last four years
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