Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Ireland

#Rowing: Ireland just missed out on a place in the A/B semi-finals of the junior men’s quadruple at the World Junior Championships in Racice, Czech Republic. The crew of Luke Hayes Nally, Alex Byrne, Jack Dorney and Jack Keating finished third to Denmark and Chile, with just two boats going on; the race was fast, setting a new record for this event at a World Junior Championships.

 Chile had led through most of the race, with Denmark never far away. Ireland moved into a clear third place. In the final 300 metres Denmark charged into the lead and flew away from Chile. Ireland did their best to catch Chile, but the South Americans kept their nerve well and held on to the crucial second spot by a length.  

 Ireland go to the C/D Semi-Finals. Earlier the women's junior pair of Eliza O'Reilly and Gill McGirr had qualified for the A/B Semi-Finals.

World Junior Rowing Championships, Racice, Czech Republic (Selected Results)

Men

Quadruple – Repechage Two (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to C/D Semi-Finals): 1 Denmark 5:52.45, 2 Chile 5:56.25; 3 Ireland (L Hayes Nally, A Byrne, J Dorney, J Keating) 5:58.73.

Women

Pair – Repechage (First Three to A/B Semi-Final; rest to C Final): 1 France 7:25.97, 2 Hungary 7:29.32, 3 Ireland (E O’Reilly, G McGirr) 7:31.49.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: A lightweight quadruple has been added to the Ireland team for the senior World Championships. Andrew Goff, Ryan Ballantine, Jake McCarthy and Fintan McCarthy will compete alongside the four women’s crews and three men’s crews named earlier this week.

Ireland Team for World Rowing Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, September 9th to 16th:

Men

Pair: M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll

Lightweight Quadruple: Andrew Goff, Ryan Ballantine, Fintan McCarthy, Jake McCarthy

Double Sculls: Ronan Byrne, Philip Doyle

Lightweight Double Sculls: Gary O’Donovan, Paul O’Donovan

Women

Pair: Aifric Keogh, Emily Hegarty

Double Sculls: Monika Dukarska, Aileen Crowley

Lightweight Double Sculls: Aoife Casey, Denise Walsh

Single Sculls: Sanita Puspure

 

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland’s junior men’s quadruple took fourth in their heat and the junior women’s double fifth at the World Junior Championships at Racice in the Czech Republic.

 Two boats qualified for the semi-finals from the heats of the quadruple, and Switzerland, New Zealand and Italy vied for these places in the second half of the race, with Italy missing out. Ireland were next in line.

 Greece were convincing winners of their heat of the women’s double, grabbing hold of the one semi-final place on offer. Ciara Moynihan and Ciara Browne held fifth through the race.

 Earlier, the Ireland junior men’s coxed four qualified from their heat. The junior women’s pair took fourth and face into a repechage.

 The schedule was brought forward and races run at five-minute intervals because of the forecast of very high temperatures in the middle of the day.  

World Junior Championships, Racice, Czech Republic (Irish interest)

Men

Four, coxed – Heat One (First Three to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 2 Ireland (C Mulready, J O’Donovan, F Driscoll, E Gaffney; cox: E Finnegan) 6:39.91.

Quadruple – Heat One (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 3 Ireland (L Hayes Nally, A Byrne, J Dorney, J Keating) 6:13.31.

Women

Pair – Heat Three (First Three to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 4 Ireland (G McGirr, E O’Reilly) 7:54.87

Double – Heat Two (First to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechage): 5 Ireland (C Moynihan, C Browne) 7:47.20.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland had a good start to their campaign in the World Junior Championships. The Ireland coxed four of Conor Mulready, James O’Donovan, Fintan O’Driscoll, Eoin Gaffney and cox Eoin Finnegan took a good second place in their heat, comfortably qualifying for their semi-finals as the second of three qualifiers. Canada won and Russia came through in third.  

 In the women’s junior pair, Gill McGirr and Eliza O’Reilly took fourth in their heat and will face into a repechage. The United States won – by an extraordinary margin – from Canada, while Britain came through in their own battle for third with Ireland.

World Junior Championships, Racice, Czech Republic (Irish interest)

Men

Four, coxed – Heat One (First Three to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 2 Ireland (C Mulready, J O’Donovan, F Driscoll, E Gaffney; cox: E Finnegan) 6:39.91.

Women

Pair – Heat Three (First Three to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 4 Ireland (G McGirr, E O’Reilly) 7:54.87

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Denise Walsh and Aoife Casey gave Irish fans plenty to cheer about at the European Rowing Championships in Strathclyde Park in Scotland. The Ireland lightweight double fought it out with Germany in an exciting B Final. Germany’s Leonie Pless and Katrin Thoma led at halfway, but Walsh and Casey pushed into that lead for the remaining 1,000 metres. As they crews came to the line, cheered on by the crowd, Ireland upped the rate. The Germans held out and won by one-third of a length.

European Rowing Championships, Day Four (Irish interest)

Women

Lightweight Double Sculls – B Final (Places 7 to 11): 1 Germany 7:11.14, 2 Ireland (A Casey, D Walsh) 7:11.77, 3 Austria 7:15.63.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland’s Shane O’Driscoll and Mark O’Donovan finished fourth in their heat of the pair on the opening day of the European Championships in Strathclyde, Glasgow. Just two crews go through to the A/B semi-finals, and Ireland face into a repechage.

 The race was well jugdged by Matthew Rossiter and Oliver Cook of Britain. They held a place behind leaders Belarus and the Netherlands until the final quarter, then elbowed their way into second. The Netherlands cracked and finished third.

 O’Driscoll and O’Donovan rowed well, but were not part of the final charge for qualification places and eased off with an eye on the repechage.

European Rowing Championships, Strathclyde, Scotland (Day One, Irish interest)

Men

Pair – Heat Three (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals, rest to Repechage): 1 Belarus 6:37.38, 2 Britain 6:37.76; 4 Ireland (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll) 6:48.94.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland took a bronze medal in the junior men’s pair at the Coupe de la Jeunesse at the National Rowing Centre today. The crew of Odhran Donaghy and Nathan Timoney finished behind Belgium and Italy. On Saturday, Ireland had taken a bronze medal in the men’s coxed four final and took a silver medal in the women’s double (Molly Curry and Aoibhinn Keating) and a bronze in the men’s pair (Donaghy and Timoney) on the basis of heat times as finals could not be held because of the high winds. Britain won the overall prize and topped the junior men's  rankings. They were second to France in the junior women's table. Ireland were third overall in the men's and women's rankings .

 

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ronan Byrne had to settle for fifth place in the final of the men’s single sculls at the World Under-23 Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland. The defending champion, Trevor Jones of Canada is just 20 but he managed the race superbly, taking the lead and holding out against challenges from Marc Weber of Germany and Ben Davison of the United States. Behind these, Bulgaria’s Boris Yotov and Byrne fought their own battle through the middle of the race. In the final 200 metres, Davison, in third, caught a crab and left the bronze medal open – but it was the Bulgarian who grabbed it. Davison took fourth ahead of Byrne.

World Under-23 Championships, Poznan, Poland, Day Five (Irish interest):

Men

Lightweight Double Sculls – A Final: 1 Spain 6:16.29, 2 Italy 6:16.66, 3 Germany 6:17.87; 5 Ireland (F McCarthy, J McCarthy) 6:20.42.

Single Sculls – A Final: 1 Canada 6:48.70, 2 Germany 6:50.51, 3 Bulgaria (B Yotov) 6:51.42; 5 Ireland (R Byrne) 6:59.57.

Women

Lightweight Double Sculls – B Final (places 7 to 12): 5 Ireland 7:11.0.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland’s Fintan and Jake McCarthy finished fifth in their A Final of the lightweight double sculls at the World Under-23 Championships in Poznan, Poland, today. Spain took over from Germany to lead in the middle stages of the race and they saw off an Italian challenge late in the race. Italy slotted into second, and a race developed between Germany, Chile and Ireland for the bronze medal. Ireland could not crack it, and Germany took third, with Chile fourth.

World Under-23 Championships, Poznan, Poland (Irish interest):

Men

Lightweight Double Sculls – A Final: 1 Spain 6:16.29, 2 Italy 6:16.66, 3 Germany 6:17.87; 5 Ireland (F McCarthy, J McCarthy) 6:20.42.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: The McCarthy twins, Jake and Fintan, gave Ireland its fourth A Finalist at the World Under-23 Rowing Championships in Poland today. They finished second in the semi-final of the lightweight double sculls. This was a close race: Spain led early on and eventually won from fast-finishing Ireland, who had won a battle with New Zealand, who took the third qualifying spot, and Portugal, who took fourth.

The early stages looked very promising for the women’s lightweight double of Lydia Heaphy and Margaret Cremen in their semi-final. They led to 700 metres, but then Greece and, with a more consistent challenge, Italy, moved ahead. The early part of the third quarter saw the Ireland crew fight a battle with Australia. The Australians moved into a clear third and from there Ireland slipped back. They finished fifth, behind the Netherlands, who took fourth.

World Under-23 Rowing Championships, Day Four, Poznan, Poland

Men

Lightweight Double Sculls – Semi-Finals (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final) 1 Spain 6:41.66, 2 Ireland (F McCarthy, J McCarthy) 6:42.45, 3 New Zealand 6:44.17.

Single Sculls – Semi-Final (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 United States (B Davison) 7: 14.65, 2 Ireland (R Byrne) 7:17.88, 3 Germany (M Weber) 7:24.24.

Lightweight Single Sculls – D Final (Places 19 to 24): 2 Ireland (H Sutton) 7:21.95.

Women

Lightweight Double Sculls – Semi-Finals (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Italy 7:24.69, 2 Australia 7:30.08, 3 Greece 7:31.23; 5 Ireland (L Heaphy, M Cremen) 7:47.66.

Published in Rowing
Page 11 of 76

Aquaculture Information

Aquaculture is the farming of animals in the water and has been practised for centuries, with the monks farming fish in the middle ages. More recently the technology has progressed and the aquaculture sector is now producing in the region of 50 thousand tonnes annually and provides a valuable food product as well as much needed employment in many rural areas of Ireland.

A typical fish farm involves keeping fish in pens in the water column, caring for them and supplying them with food so they grow to market size. Or for shellfish, containing them in a specialised unit and allowing them to feed on natural plants and materials in the water column until they reach harvestable size. While farming fish has a lower carbon and water footprint to those of land animals, and a very efficient food fed to weight gain ratio compared to beef, pork or chicken, farming does require protein food sources and produces organic waste which is released into the surrounding waters. Finding sustainable food sources, and reducing the environmental impacts are key challenges facing the sector as it continues to grow.

Salmon is the most popular fish bought by Irish families. In Ireland, most of our salmon is farmed, and along with mussels and oysters, are the main farmed species in the country.

Aquaculture in Ireland

  • Fish and shellfish are farmed in 14 Irish coastal counties.
  • Irish SMEs and families grow salmon, oysters, mussels and other seafood
  • The sector is worth €150m at the farm gate – 80% in export earnings.
  • The industry sustains 1,833 direct jobs in remote rural areas – 80% in the west of Ireland
  • Every full-time job in aquaculture creates 2.27 other jobs locally (Teagasc 2015)
  • Ireland’s marine farms occupy 0.0004% of Ireland’s 17,500Km2 inshore area.
  • 83% of people in coastal areas support the development of fish farming
  • Aquaculture is a strong, sustainable and popular strategic asset for development and job creation (Foodwise 2025, National Strategic Plan, Seafood
  • Operational Programme 2020, FAO, European Commission, European Investment Bank, Harvesting Our Ocean Wealth, Silicon Republic, CEDRA)
    Ireland has led the world in organically certified farmed fish for over 30 years
  • Fish farm workers include people who have spent over two decades in the business to school-leavers intent on becoming third-generation farmers on their family sites.

Irish Aquaculture FAQs

Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants, and involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions- in contrast to commercial fishing, which is the harvesting of wild fish. Mariculture refers to aquaculture practiced in marine environments and in underwater habitats. Particular kinds of aquaculture include fish farming, shrimp farming, oyster farming, mariculture, algaculture (such as seaweed farming), and the cultivation of ornamental fish. Particular methods include aquaponics and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, both of which integrate fish farming and plant farming.

About 580 aquatic species are currently farmed all over the world, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which says it is "practised by both some of the poorest farmers in developing countries and by multinational companies".

Increasing global demand for protein through seafood is driving increasing demand for aquaculture, particularly given the pressures on certain commercially caught wild stocks of fish. The FAO says that "eating fish is part of the cultural tradition of many people and in terms of health benefits, it has an excellent nutritional profile, and "is a good source of protein, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and essential micronutrients".

Aquaculture now accounts for 50 per cent of the world's fish consumed for food, and is the fastest-growing good sector.

China provides over 60 per cent of the world's farmed fish. In Europe, Norway and Scotland are leading producers of finfish, principally farmed salmon.

For farmed salmon, the feed conversion ratio, which is the measurement of how much feed it takes to produce the protein, is 1.1, as in one pound of feed producing one pound of protein, compared to rates of between 2.2 and 10 for beef, pork and chicken. However, scientists have also pointed out that certain farmed fish and shrimp requiring higher levels of protein and calories in feed compared to chickens, pigs, and cattle.

Tilapia farming which originated in the Middle East and Africa has now become the most profitable business in most countries. Tilapia has become the second most popular seafood after crab, due to which its farming is flourishing. It has entered the list of best selling species like shrimp and salmon.

There are 278 aquaculture production units in Ireland, according to Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) *, producing 38,000 tonnes of finfish and shellfish in 2019 and with a total value of €172 million

There are currently almost 2,000 people directly employed in Irish aquaculture in the Republic, according to BIM.

BIM figures for 2019 recorded farmed salmon at almost 12,000 tonnes, valued at €110 million; rock oysters reached 10,300 tonnes at a value of €44 million; rope mussels at 10,600 tonnes were valued at €7 million; seabed cultured mussels at 4,600 tonnes were valued at €7 million; "other" finfish reached 600 tonnes, valued at €2 million and "other" shellfish reached 300 tonnes, valued at €2 million

Irish aquaculture products are exported to Europe, US and Asia, with salmon exported to France, Germany, Belgium and the US. Oysters are exported to France, with developing sales to markets in Hong Kong and China. France is Ireland's largest export for mussels, while there have been increased sales in the domestic and British markets.

The value of the Irish farmed finfish sector fell by five per cent in volume and seven per cent in value in 2019, mainly due to a fall on salmon production, but this was partially offset by a seven per cent increased in farmed shellfish to a value of 60 million euro. Delays in issuing State licenses have hampered further growth of the sector, according to industry representatives.

Fish and shellfish farmers must be licensed, and must comply with regulations and inspections conducted by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and the Marine Institute. Food labelling is a function of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. There is a long backlog of license approvals in the finfish sector, while the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine says it is working to reduce the backlog in the shellfish sector.

The department says it is working through the backlog, but notes that an application for a marine finfish aquaculture licence must be accompanied by either an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR). As of October 2020, over two-thirds of applications on hand had an EIS outstanding, it said.

The EU requires member states to have marine spatial plans by 2021, and Ireland has assigned responsibility to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government for the National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF). Legislation has been drawn up to underpin this, and to provide a "one stop shop" for marine planning, ranging from fish farms to offshore energy – as in Marine Planning and Development Management Bill. However, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine confirmed last year that it intends to retain responsibility for aquaculture and sea-fisheries related development – meaning fish and shellfish farmers won't be able to avail of the "one stop shop" for marine planning.

Fish and shellfish health is a challenge, with naturally occurring blooms, jellyfish and the risk of disease. There are also issues with a perception that the sector causes environmental problems.

The industry has been on a steep learning curve, particularly in finfish farming, since it was hailed as a new future for Irish coastal communities from the 1970s – with the State's Electricity Supply Board being an early pioneer, and tobacco company Carrolls also becoming involved for a time. Nutrient build up, which occurs when there is a high density of fish in one area, waste production and its impact on depleting oxygen in water, creating algal blooms and "dead zones", and farmers' use of antibiotics to prevent disease have all been concerns, and anglers have also been worried about the impact of escaped farmed salmon on wild fish populations. Sea lice from salmon farmers were also blamed for declines in sea trout and wild salmon in Irish estuaries and rivers.

BIM says over 95% of all salmon farmed in Ireland are certified organic. Organically grown salmon are only fed a diet of sustainable organic feed. They are also raised in more spacious pens than traditional farmed salmon. The need to site locations for fish farms further out to sea, using more robust cages for weather, has been recognised by regulatory agencies. There is a move towards land-based aquaculture in Norway to reduce impact on local ecosystems. The industry says that antibiotic use is declining, and it says that "safe and effective vaccinations have since been developed for farmed fish and are now widely used". Many countries are now adopting a more sustainable approach to removing sea lice from salmon, using feeder fish such as wrasse and lumpsucker fish. Ireland's first lumpsucker hatchery was opened in 2015.

BIM says over 95% of all salmon farmed in Ireland are certified organic. Organically grown salmon are only fed a diet of sustainable organic feed. They are also raised in more spacious pens than traditional farmed salmon. The need to site locations for fish farms further out to sea, using more robust cages for weather, has been recognised by regulatory agencies. There is a move towards land-based aquaculture in Norway to reduce impact on local ecosystems. The industry says that antibiotic use is declining, and it says that "safe and effective vaccinations have since been developed for farmed fish and are now widely used". Many countries are now adopting a more sustainable approach to removing sea lice from salmon, using feeder fish such as wrasse and lumpsucker fish. Ireland's first lumpsucker hatchery was opened in 2015.

Yes, as it is considered to have better potential for controlling environmental impacts, but it is expensive. As of October 2020, the department was handling over 20 land-based aquaculture applications.

The Irish Farmers' Association has represented fish and shellfish farmers for many years, with its chief executive Richie Flynn, who died in 2018, tirelessly championing the sector. His successor, Teresa Morrissey, is an equally forceful advocate, having worked previously in the Marine Institute in providing regulatory advice on fish health matters, scientific research on emerging aquatic diseases and management of the National Reference Laboratory for crustacean diseases.

BIM provides training in the national vocational certificate in aquaculture at its National Fisheries College, Castletownbere, Co Cork. It also trains divers to work in the industry. The Institute of Technology Carlow has also developed a higher diploma in aqua business at its campus in Wexford, in collaboration with BIM and IFA Aquaculture, the representative association for fish and shellfish farming.

© Afloat 2020

At A Glance - Irish Aquaculture

  • Fish and shellfish are farmed in 14 Irish coastal counties
  • Salmon is the most popular fish bought by Irish families. 
  • In Ireland, most of our salmon is farmed, and along with mussels and oysters, are the main farmed species in the country.
  • The industry sustains 1,833 direct jobs in remote rural areas – 80% in the west of Ireland
  • Every full-time job in aquaculture creates 2.27 other jobs locally (Teagasc 2015)
  • Ireland’s marine farms occupy 0.0004% of Ireland’s 17,500Km2 inshore area.
  • 83% of people in coastal areas support the development of fish farming

Featured Sailing School

INSS sidebutton

Featured Clubs

dbsc mainbutton
Howth Yacht Club
Kinsale Yacht Club
National Yacht Club
Royal Cork Yacht Club
Royal Irish Yacht club
Royal Saint George Yacht Club

Featured Brokers

leinster sidebutton

Featured Webcams

Featured Associations

ISA sidebutton
ICRA
isora sidebutton

Featured Marinas

dlmarina sidebutton

Featured Chandleries

CHMarine Afloat logo
https://afloat.ie/resources/marine-industry-news/viking-marine

Featured Sailmakers

northsails sidebutton
uksails sidebutton
watson sidebutton

Featured Blogs

W M Nixon - Sailing on Saturday
podcast sidebutton
BSB sidebutton
wavelengths sidebutton
 

Please show your support for Afloat by donating