#Seafood - A former trawlerman has been named as Bord Iascaigh Mhara's (BIM) Young Fishmonger for 2015, as The Irish Times reports.

Gerard Collier of Fisherman's Catch in Clogherhead was selected from a shortlist of five for the accolade, which recognises excellence in product knowledge, customer service and technical skill.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the winner receives a cash prize of €1,000 as well as a study trip to France, while he and his fellow finalists will get a set of professional knives and a place on BIM's retail development workshops, on top of their masterclass with from Kinsale-based chef Martin Shanahan.

"All of our finalists were exceptional throughout every stage of the competition and they should be very proud of their achievements," said Donal Buckley, BIM's business development and innovation director.

"Congratulations to our worthy winner Gerard Collier and his colleagues at Fisherman’s Catch, I hope this experience and the competition prize fund allows you to further develop what is a very successful family business."

Meanwhile, last year's winner James Kirwan of East Coast Seafood in Naas, Co Kildare, spoke of how the prize money allowed him to install a new kitchen in the shop to produce a range of fish soups, burgers and pies, while the study trip "was a real learning curve for me in terms of understanding customers' preferences."

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.