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Displaying items by tag: Golden Redfish

A Donegal Port has recorded landings of unusually large golden redfish which have been rarely seen in these waters.

Up to ten of the species were landed into Greencastle, Co Donegal and acquired for sale by Stefan Griesbach of Gannet Fishmongers in Galway.

Several of the fish were over 6 kg, which is the heaviest Griesbach says he has handled.

The golden redfish, or sebastes norvegicus, is prevalent in Iceland, and can be found along the North American coast, south of Greenland and along the Norwegian coast.

In July 2014, a 5.9kg specimen was caught by Aran islander Tomás Conneely of the Ocean Harvester II, while fishing for prawns on the Porcupine.

Several of the fish were over 6 kg, which is the heaviest Griesbach says he has handled Photo: Joe O'ShaughnessySeveral of the fish were over 6 kg, which is the heaviest Griesbach says he has handled Photo: Joe O'Shaughnessy

The cold-water species swims at depths of 100 to 1,000 metres and can live for 60 years and weigh up to 15kg, according to rare fish expert Dr Declan Quigley.

A specimen was reported from Isle of Man waters in the Irish Sea in 1927, and seven juveniles, which may have travelled in larvae dispersed from more northern latitudes, were authenticated between 1968 and 1978 in the Dingle Bay area.

Conneely’s catch seven years ago was served by Jess Murphy of Kai Restaurant to Galway arts festival visitors as a “ceviche” or Peruvian seafood starter, soaking it in coconut milk and lemon, along with rapeseed, soaked red onions, lime juice, avocado and coriander.

“Its flesh was so delicate and we felt everyone should have the opportunity to try it – so we went for the starter for many rather than a main course for a few,” she explained at the time.

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Coastal Notes Coastal Notes covers a broad spectrum of stories, events and developments in which some can be quirky and local in nature, while other stories are of national importance and are on-going, but whatever they are about, they need to be told.

Stories can be diverse and they can be influential, albeit some are more subtle than others in nature, while other events can be immediately felt. No more so felt, is firstly to those living along the coastal rim and rural isolated communities. Here the impact poses is increased to those directly linked with the sea, where daily lives are made from earning an income ashore and within coastal waters.

The topics in Coastal Notes can also be about the rare finding of sea-life creatures, a historic shipwreck lost to the passage of time and which has yet many a secret to tell. A trawler's net caught hauling more than fish but cannon balls dating to the Napoleonic era.

Also focusing the attention of Coastal Notes, are the maritime museums which are of national importance to maintaining access and knowledge of historical exhibits for future generations.

Equally to keep an eye on the present day, with activities of existing and planned projects in the pipeline from the wind and wave renewables sector and those of the energy exploration industry.

In addition Coastal Notes has many more angles to cover, be it the weekend boat leisure user taking a sedate cruise off a long straight beach on the coast beach and making a friend with a feathered companion along the way.

In complete contrast is to those who harvest the sea, using small boats based in harbours where infrastructure and safety poses an issue, before they set off to ply their trade at the foot of our highest sea cliffs along the rugged wild western seaboard.

It's all there, as Coastal Notes tells the stories that are arguably as varied to the environment from which they came from and indeed which shape people's interaction with the surrounding environment that is the natural world and our relationship with the sea.