Ireland’s seafood sector had a “challenging year” in 2023, the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has said in a new report.
The “Protecting Seafood Trade Report 2023” records a decrease in third country exports from Ireland to 49,782 tonnes from 78,171 tonnes in 2022.
Some 23 species were exported from 44 food businesses to 41 countries outside the EU in 2023, it says.
The SFPA says the report highlights the important work it carries out to protect and enable the import and export of seafood.
Irish seafood exports in 2023 were valued at €550 million, the report says.
Paschal Hayes,SFPA executive chairperson, said that “Ireland as a food exporting nation places significant emphasis on our position as a supplier of safe, traceable, sustainably produced high-quality food”.
He said that the SFPA “plays an important role in ensuring the integrity of our valuable seafood offering”.
“Fish is highly traded in international markets. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a significant threat to the future of fishing,”Hayes said.
“ IUU fishing jeopardises the development of sustainable fisheries on which many coastal communities globally rely for their livelihoods, including in Ireland,”he said.
“ As regulators, we are committed to utilising all the controls available to us to help detect and deter IUU fishing and IUU derived fishery products within our jurisdiction,”he said.
“Regulation, including health certification, also underpins confidence in the safety of Irish seafood products, providing vital reassurance to retailers, hospitality businesses and consumers at home and abroad,”he said.
“Retaining Ireland’s growing reputation for producing superior seafood is essential, and the integrity of the supply chain is vital in this regard,”Hayes added.
The "Protecting Seafood Trade Report 2023 can be accessed here
