Nigeria, Egypt and China are the leading export markets for Irish seafood outside of the EU.

A report by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) states that 93.4 per cent of seafood exported last year comprised pelagic species, including blue whiting, mackerel and horse mackerel.

Nigeria accounted for 30.7 per cent, Egypt for 21.8 per cent and China for 10.5 per cent of Irish seafood exported last year, the report says.

It says a total of 3,670 consignments of seafood, totalling 78,171 tonnes and 26 species were certified by the SFPA for export from 47 food businesses to 48 countries outside the EU in 2022.

Irish seafood exports last year were valued at 530 million euros, representing a 17 million euro “value growth” in exports on the previous year.

The report says 2022 was “a challenging year for Ireland’s seafood sector with the continuing repercussions from Brexit.

“The fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the continued impact of Covid-19 in export markets, the energy crisis and the cost-of-living crisis” also created “a challenging trading environment”, it says.

“This was reflected in the decrease in third country (non-EU countries) exports from Ireland in 2022 to 78,171 tonnes (made up of 26 species from 47 food businesses to 48 countries outside the EU) from the 2021 figure of 121,395 tonnes in 2021,” it says.

Protecting seafood trade by “ensuring highly functioning levels of regulatory assurance is a critical element of SFPA’s mission as the body responsible for ensuring the international integrity of Ireland’s seafood offering”, it says.

“The information provided in the Seafood Trade 2022 report offers analysis in terms of the key trends facing the sector at this present time and highlights an important element of SFPA’s activity as a regulator,” it says.

SFPA executive chair Paschal Hayes said the State regulator is “ conscious of our role in ensuring the integrity of our seafood and strategically in terms of how Ireland’s reputation as a food exporter of choice is dependent on all links in the chain”.

He described illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU )fishing as “a significant threat” in creating an “uneven playing field” and jeopardising “the development of sustainable fisheries on which many coastal communities globally rely for their livelihoods, including in Ireland”.

“As regulators, we are committed to utilising all the controls available to us to help detect and deter IUU fishing and fishery products within our jurisdiction,” he said.

Skippers and owners of smaller Irish fishing vessels are to be given training in the use of electronic logbooks at sea.

The training is to be provided for the 12 to 15-metre category of vessel which had been exempt until now in use of electronic recording and reporting.

The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) says it will provide the training to an estimated total of 48 vessels in this category.

The Electronic Recording & Reporting System (ERS), as it is known, is a system for recording, reporting, processing, storing, and transmitting fisheries data (catch, landing, sales and transhipment) according to the EU rules.

The key element of the ERS is the electronic logbook, which is used to record and transmit details of fishing operations securely.

The information is managed by the master of the fishing vessel and is transmitted to the member states authorities where the authentic fishing operation details are kept in a secure database.

All vessels 12m or greater are required to use Electronic Recording & Reporting System (ERS) since January 2012.

To date, an exemption has been in place for some vessels that fall into the 12-15m category on the basis of either: the vessel is at sea less than 24 hours per trip, or the vessel is fishing within the 12 nautical mile limit, the SFPA says.

“This exemption is now being removed for the 12-15m category – which consists of approximately 48 registered vessels - ahead of pending regulations that will require 10m-12m vessels to also have ERS on board,” it says.

Details and dates of the training are as follows:

• Thursday 30th March – Castletownbere 09:00 – 17:00
• Tuesday 4th April - Greencastle 09:00 – 17:00
• Thursday 13th April - Dingle 09:00 – 17:00
• Tuesday 18th April - Dublin 09:00 – 17:00
• Thursday 19th April - Wexford 09:00 – 17:00
• Tuesday 25th April - Westport 09:00 – 17:00

The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has commended its officers for their work on a case which has led to a conviction for failing to record a fish catch accurately.

Following a prosecution taken by the SFPA and the Director of Public Prosecutions, Eamon Moss of Kilmore, Co Wexford was convicted and fined €500 at Wexford Circuit Court on February 14th, 2023.

The SFPA said in a statement that the defendant pleaded guilty to an offence under the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006 of failing to record approximately 1,077kgs of a catch of black sole in the fishing logbook in March 2019 as master of the Irish-registered fishing vessel, "Rony".

“The under-recording of black sole was detected following an inspection of the vessel hold and records by sea fisheries protection officers, during which the inaccurate recording of multiple species was detected,” it said.

SFPA executive chair Paschal Hayes said that the legal requirement on vessel masters to ensure accurate recording of catches is “crucial in order to obtain a reliable assessment of the extent of fish species caught, which is key to the sustainable management of stocks”.

“This conviction underscores the seriousness of inaccurate logbook data and the active measures taken by SFPA officers to inspect for compliance. The SFPA commends its officers for their diligence and hard work on this case,” he said.

Ten enforcement orders were served on seafood businesses late last year, the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) reports.

The orders were served during the final quarter of 2022 for breaches of food safety legislation under the Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act, 1998 and the European Union (Food & Feed Hygiene) Regulations 2020.

The SFPA says the enforcements were issued by sea-fisheries protection officers during risk-based official controls.

It says that “no closure orders were issued over this period”.

The SFPA’s responsibilities include enforcement of food law in the seafood sector up to the point of retail, and this involves the assessment of food safety controls across the marine and aquaculture sectors.

The SFPA says it has responsibility for the enforcement across a range of 2711 business operations nationally.

It says its officers carried out 60 inspections in land-based establishments in the last quarter of last year.

SFPA executive chairman Paschal Hayes said “the low level of non-compliance found illustrates the considerable efforts being made by seafood businesses to work within the regulations, as well as the robust inspection system in place to assure and, where necessary, to enforce compliance”.

SFPA executive chairman Paschal Hayes

The SFPA said it had also confirmed a successful food safety prosecution in the case of SFPA v. Castletownbere Fishermen’s Co-op Society Ltd.

“The defendant entered guilty pleas to food safety legislation offences, arising from an inspection conducted on 18th of October 2021, relating to the condition of parts of the food premises, failure to ensure pest control and protection against contamination, and failure to comply with procedures on traceability of raw fishery products,” the SFPA states.

“The defendant was fined €2000, and an order relating to costs was made in favour of the SFPA,” it says.

The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) says there was a "low level of non-compliance" by the Irish fishing industry last year. 

Its annual report for 2021 records how it monitored over 47,000 landings of commercially caught sea fish, valued at over €435 million.

The report records that 1,345 vessel inspections were undertaken by SFPA officers last year, while 1,115 official control samples were taken.

The State regulator also says that a “significant operational plan was successfully activated to ensure regulatory alignment” following Britain’s departure from European Union.

As a result of Brexit, import controls undertaken by the SFPA rose from an annual average of 800 (pre-Brexit) to over 3,000, it says.

This rise was driven principally by pre-existing trade with Britain being reclassified as a “third country” outside the EU, it says.

The volume of catch certificates issued for export freight by the SFPA rose from approximately 200 to over 800 (with the UK accounting for 71%), while third-country landings (the majority originating in the UK) rose to over 600, it says.

A new port office for SFPA staff was opened in Greencastle, Donegal to “respond effectively and efficiently to the increased volume of activity”, it says.

The SFPA and the Naval Service, which works with the regulator as part of a service-level agreement, initiated 66 case files following the investigation of 95 incidents.

The SFPA says that a “low level of non-compliance reflects the adherence of the overwhelming majority of industry to the regulations and the robust inspection system in place to ensure compliance and detect non-compliance, where necessary”.

“The SFPA continued to deliver on its remit to ensure the enforcement of seafood safety law up to the point of retail. This included overseeing food safety compliance across 2,711 food business operators with 2,221 food safety inspections carried out,”it says.

The annual Shellfish Classification Sampling Programme oversaw the collection and analysis of over 1,500 shellfish samples from shellfish (bivalve mollusc) production areas - detecting out-of-range results in 52 areas (3.4% of the overall sampling).

“Ireland has a strong reputation for top quality seafood and an effective regulatory control system, promoting compliance with sea-fisheries and seafood safety law, underpins this,” SFPA executive chair Paschal Hayes said.

SFPA executive chair Paschal Hayes Photo: Andy Gibson

“2021 was a hugely challenging year for all in the sea-fisheries and seafood industry, including the SFPA,” he said.

“In particular, the control and compliance measures implemented to ensure regulatory alignment following the UK’s departure from the EU and the end of the Brexit transition period had a huge bearing on our activities,” he said.

He also identified as challenges “the revocation by the European Commission of Ireland’s sea-fisheries control plan in April 2021, due to ongoing concerns regarding the under-declaration of the amounts of fish landed in Ireland by operators”.

This was followed by the SFPA’s work to secure an interim control plan for both pelagic and demersal fishers, which “consumed significant amounts of the resources within the SFPA”, he says.

“While both of these events presented enormous operational and capacity challenges for the SFPA, a substantial programme of work was progressed and completed across all units of the regulator as part of its remit to maintain vibrant marine ecosystems and safeguard Ireland’s international reputation for safe, quality seafood,” he said.

“The launch of our new corporate strategy in 2021 was an extremely positive development for the organisation providing a clear roadmap to ensure that we continue to deliver on our regulatory remit in a highly effective and efficient manner,” he said.

He recorded progress in ensuring the organisation remained “agile, responsive and able to adapt quickly in a rapidly changing environment”.

“The work completed during 2021 is testament to the dedication, commitment and professionalism of SFPA staff in port offices across the country and in our headquarters in Clonakilty, who have worked tirelessly to fulfill our responsibilities as the competent regulatory authority tasked with safeguarding the sustainability of Ireland’s marine resources,” Hayes said.

The SFPA’s annual report is here

The Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has announced the appointment of Mr Michael Finn and Mr Jonathan Hoare as Executive Members of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA). The appointments follow the recent Public Appointments Service (PAS) competitive recruitment process.

The Executive Members, working with SFPA Executive Chairperson Paschal Hayes, will lead the SFPA over the coming years through an ambitious programme of organisational change to deliver efficient and effective enforcement of sea fisheries and food safety law, promoting compliance while detecting and deterring contraventions.

Michael Finn has most recently worked as an Assistant Commissioner for the Garda Síochana. In this role, he was responsible for policing and security of the Southern Region. His previous responsibilities included being part of the Garda Senior Leadership Team, contributing to the overall organisational strategy, policing plans and the delivery of policing and security outcomes.

Jonathan Hoare has most recently worked as a Programme Manager, coordinating and managing the implementation of the South West Regional Enterprise Plan. He previously held the position of Director of Communications and Public Affairs for the Irish Local Development Network. Mr Hoare has also held various public service roles, including his work with the houses of the Oireachtas and a period as Advisor to a previous Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Announcing the appointments, the Minister stated, “I am pleased to appoint both Michael Finn and Jonathan Hoare as the new Executive Authority Members of the SFPA. I am confident that they will meet the challenges posed in leading the SFPA organisation through a period of significant change while achieving the exacting standards of public sector leadership. This complex and evolving regulatory sector promotes a sustainable and compliant industry that supports coastal communities dependent on fishing and helps secure our fish stocks for future generations of fishers.”

Both appointees took up their posts on 03rd October 2022.

The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) says it looks forward to “continued and ongoing engagement” with Irish environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs), following a meeting with representatives last week.

A range of issues related to “safeguarding and enhancing Ireland’s marine environment and resources” were discussed, the State regulatory body says.

The SFPA described the meeting as “wide-ranging and productive”, and said it outlined its own regulatory remit and “the various strands of Irish and European legislation covering the sector”.

It says it also discussed a number of “areas of focus”, including the shellfish classification programme and monthly water sampling programmes undertaken with industry.

The SFPA says it also gave details on a “number of upcoming projects utilising technology to underpin the sustainability of Ireland’s marine life”.

It says the meeting was part of “an ongoing programme of engagement being undertaken by the SFPA to share best practice, knowledge”.

SFPA chair Paschal Hayes

It also aims to share “latest developments in relation to strategic initiatives” as part of its regulatory remit to ensure compliance with the EU Common Fisheries Policy, sea-fisheries law and food safety law.

SFPA chair Paschal Hayes said the meeting was “a welcome opportunity for productive dialogue and engagement on a range of issues pertaining to the marine environment and sustainability of our marine resources”.

“Ireland’s marine industry is one that supports over 16,500 jobs, plays a significant role in our coastal communities and has created an industry that is valued at €1.26 billion,” he said.

“Beyond these economic figures, Ireland’s marine resources are of tremendous importance, sustaining a rich and wonderful array of marine life and whose very existence is dependent upon the continued health and vitality of our marine ecosystem,” Hayes said.

“To ensure the long-term viability of our marine resources for future generations, a collective approach is required with shared responsibility,” he said.

“We were pleased to have the opportunity to meet with environmental NGOs focused in the marine areas and we look forward to continued and ongoing engagement, underpinned by an unwavering focus on ensuring sustainability, and a shared agreement on the value and importance of healthy maritime environments,” Hayes said.

The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority has decided that Irish pelagic vessels involved in pair fishing must submit individual authorisation applications “with immediate effect”.

Pair trawling or fishing involves two or more vessels fishing together, dragging a single large net with small meshing between them.

Previously, one vessel applied for authorisation for, or termination of, the pairing arrangement on behalf of the group.

However, the SFPA says this week that authorisation holder(s) from all vessels requesting to be included in the pairing must now submit an application and the same for termination of pairing arrangements. It says this change takes place “with immediate effect”.

“When vessels fish in an approved pairing arrangement, catches of one vessel will be regarded as catches of the group and any and all catches of any one of these vessels within this pairing arrangement will be reckoned against the cumulative total of all the allocations of these individual vessels,”it says.

“This cumulative total will be used for the purposes of quota balancing,” it says.

The SFPA says that management policies for pelagic and demersal stocks set out that where a vessel exceeds its catch limit, the excess catch retained on board and landed will be subject to quota balancing.

“Quota balancing means that a balancing adjustment (i.e., a deduction) will be made from the catch limit of a future fishing opportunity,” it says.

“Under no circumstances will pairings be approved retrospectively,” the SFPA says.

It says that further details on the application and approval process for pair fishing are available on the SFPA website or by contacting local port offices.

The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has published its annual classification list for commercial shellfish (bivalve mollusc) production areas across Ireland.

This assesses 135 classifications in 60 production areas against strict safety requirements for human consumption.

Across Ireland, nine production areas received “upgrades” during the 2022 review of classifications, one production area received a shift in Seasonal A classification, twelve production areas received “downgrades”, one production area was de-classified for mussels, two production areas were declared as dormant, and two production areas received additional classifications, the SFPA says.

Ireland produces an estimated 28,100 tonnes of shellfish - including mussels, oysters, clams, cockles and scallops - from classified production areas annually, the SFPA says.

An additional 2,700 tonnes of scallops are landed from offshore sites, it says.

Live shellfish can only be harvested from production areas which meet strict classification requirements for human consumption, as set out under European and Irish Food laws.

The SFPA, in collaboration with the shellfish industry, conducts regular shellfish sampling in all production areas, monitoring the levels of bacterial contamination of shellfish to determine the risk and classification status. Each production area is designated a rating that determines the conditions, if any, which need to be observed before shellfish can be sold for human consumption.

The Irish aquaculture sector is worth an estimated €64 million annually (at the first point of sale) and employs around 1,984 people across the country. Around 90% of shellfish produced in Ireland is exported, principally to European and Asian markets, and Ireland is the second largest producer of oysters in Europe after France, according to Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).

SFPA executive chair Paschal Hayes said that Ireland’s shellfish monitoring programme was important for both consumers and commercial producers.

“One of the principal remits of the SFPA is to ensure that Irish and international consumers can be assured of the quality and safety of fish and seafood harvested here, and that we have sustainable stocks for generations to come,” he said.

“Shellfish production is an important industry in many coastal communities around Ireland and it is essential that the highest standards of food safety are maintained at all times,” he added.

“ The SFPA works in collaboration with industry and other state agencies to ensure that production areas are of the highest possible standard and meet rigorous assessment criteria to ensure that the safety and quality of the shellfish placed on the market is not compromised in any manner,” he said.

“ This work is an important pillar in both preserving and further enhancing Ireland’s global reputation for quality, safe and delicious seafood. It is incumbent upon all working in the industry to remain vigilant to any risks which have the potential to impact our seafood production areas and that we adopt a collective approach throughout with a focus on quality and sustainable seafood,” Hayes said.

Sinéad Keaveney, who is the Marine Institute’s shellfish microbiology team leader said that the publication of the classification list is the annual culmination of the ongoing partnership between the Marine Institute and SFPA in the microbiological monitoring of shellfish production areas in Ireland.

“As the National Reference Laboratory for monitoring E. coli contamination in bivalve shellfish, the Marine Institute oversees the national E. coli testing programme,” she said.

“ This contributes significantly to the assessment of the risk of microbiological contamination in shellfish production areas and the overall classification status of individual production areas,” she said.

The SFPA carries out its annual review of all shellfish classifications, drawing on the previous three-year dataset of microbiological results for classifications.

Escherichia coli (E.coli) is used as a proxy or faecal indicator; E.coli levels in shellfish samples are used to determine the classification status of production sites and determines the required harvesting protocols.

During the period January 2019 to January 2022, approximately 4,788 microbiological E.coli samples were taken by the SFPA and reviewed.

The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has issued a warning to the public not to gather shellfish for personal consumption in the Castlemaine harbour area of Co Kerry, due to the presence of two marine toxin groups.

The toxin groups, Paralytic Shellfish Toxins (PST) and Diarrhetic Shellfish Toxins (DST), can cause serious illness if contaminated shellfish is consumed either raw or cooked, the SFPA said.

It confirmed the toxins were detected during routine testing as part of Ireland’s shellfish monitoring programme, which is managed by the SFPA with the Marine Institute.

“ As a result of the detection, the Castlemaine production area is now closed for the harvesting of shellfish until further notice,” it said.

“Ireland has a robust and effective shellfish monitoring programme in place to ensure that the highest standards of health and safety are maintained at all times, for the benefit of consumers and to maintain Ireland’s reputation as a world-class producer,” SFPA executive chair Paschal Hayes said.

“This monitoring programme has now detected the presence of two serious toxins in the Castlemaine harbour area, and we are strongly advising members of the public not to gather shellfish for personal consumption in this area,” he said.

“We are also reminding the public to only purchase seafood, whether for personal consumption or for sale, through reputable suppliers,” he said.

“ Food businesses, including restaurants and retail outlets, should always look for the oval approval number on orders which confirms the supplier is approved to sell live bivalve molluscs,” he said.

Bivalve molluscs, such as oysters, mussels, clams, and cockles may occasionally accumulate these naturally occurring toxins which are produced by certain species of phytoplankton, the SFPA explained.

“These naturally occurring toxins do not harm the shellfish but can cause illness in humans when contaminated shellfish are subsequently consumed,” it said.

“Under seafood safety regulations, live bivalve molluscs can only be harvested from production areas which meet the classification requirements for human consumption,” it said, and these are classified by the SFPA according to the quality of the waters.

The SFPA also conducts a monthly shellfish sampling programme of all classified production areas to monitor the levels of microbiological contamination.

Shellfish production areas are sampled on a weekly basis for analysis by the Marine Institute to determine their biotoxin status to ensure any shellfish species which are harvested is safe for human consumption

Mr Hayes said that anyone with concerns regarding fishing activity that might be illegal or contrary to seafood safety regulations should contact the regulator directly via its confidential telephone line at 1800 76 76 76.

All testing results are available on the the Marine Institute’s website here