Industry Overview
The industry contributes about €700 million annually to national income and employs 11,000 people, mainly in coastal counties from Donegal to Louth.
The four main activities in the Irish seafood industry are covered by:
- Fishing – The top fishing ports in Ireland are Killybegs, Castletownbere, Dingle, Dunmore East and Kilmore Quay, but fishing vessels also land into numerous small ports around the coast.
- Fish farming - Aquaculture activity includes growing finfish, such as salmon and trout and shellfish farming, including the cultivation of mussels, oysters and scallops.
- Processing - Seafood companies produce high value products from salmon, whitefish, shellfish and pelagic fish species (eg herring, mackerel and horse mackerel) all of which generate substantial export earnings to the sector.
- Marketing - Irish seafood is sold at home (€340 million) and in international markets (Europe, Africa and the Far East) where exports are valued at €375 million.
Plans for the industry
Read about how BIM is working to facilitate the development of three Deep Sea Fish Farms.
To find out more about Corporate Strategy 2010-2012 (pdf 5,083Kb) for the Irish seafood industry and reports on the sector, see:
- Delivering on the Potential of Irish Seafood (pdf 5,083Kb)
- Status of Irish Aquaculture (pdf 6,769Kb)
To find out more about development plans for the seafood industry, see:
- The Irish Seafood National Programme 2007-2013 (pdf 940Kb): details measures supported by Exchequer funding
- The Seafood Development Operational Programme 2007-2013 (pdf 3,434Kb) : details measures that are co-funded by the European Union through the European Fisheries Fund.
The fishing industry is governed by the rules and regulations of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). A new CFP will be introduced in 2012. For more information, see:
- Irelands CFP green paper response (pdf 1,305Kb)
Facts & Figures
Employment 2011
11,097 persons employed in the Irish Seafood industry, of which:
- Fishermen 4,987
- Fish Farmers 2,058
- Processing 2,867
- Ancillary 1,185
Market Value 2011
- Home Market: €315m
- Exports: €430m
Key Export Markets 2011
| Volume | €M | |
| France | 32,650T | €120.7m |
| Spain | 13,362T | €60.9m |
| Great Britain | 27,810T | €42.2m |
| Germany | 10,441T | €27.1m |
| Italy | 44,995T | €26.2m |
| Nigeria | 27,325T | €24.8m |
Top Product Categories 2011
- Salmon €54.7m
- Pelagic €149.4m
- Whitefish €46m
- Shellfish €158. 6m
