The Irish aquaculture sector has shown significant growth and sustained employment opportunities, according to the Annual Aquaculture Report for 2022 published by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM). Despite a reduction in the number of Production Units (PUs) due to consolidation within the shellfish segments, employment increased in both the finfish and shellfish sectors.
In 2022, the sector contributed €208 million to the economy, supporting 2,008 jobs and generating a full-time equivalent (FTE) of 1,177 across 292 PUs. The average individual salary for the year was €34,372 per worker.
The report highlights that 44,623 tonnes of aquaculture products were sold directly at the farmgate, generating sales of €186 million, representing a 4% increase in both volume and value compared to the previous year. The production involved 554,000 culture structures, covering over 12,250 hectares of licensed ground throughout the country.
The largest contributor to national sales value was the culture of Atlantic salmon, amounting to €104 million in 2022. This diverse segment demonstrated multiplier effects evident in turnover, employment, and gross value added. The mussel and oyster-producing segments led the sector in terms of employment, generating €76 million in 2022 and providing work for 1,693 people across 260 PUs.
However, a survey on the sector's technical challenges highlighted the struggle of shellfish segments in sourcing or retaining suitably trained staff. To address this issue, businesses are exploring technologies that have the potential to reduce or eliminate labour-intensive tasks in production.
The full report is available at bim.ie
