Q6. How are the fish caught or harvested? And, how is this controlled?
Sustainable seafood comes from a resource that is managed to ensure the long term continuation of stocks, whilst also respecting all other aspects of the marine environment and biodiversity.
Responsibly produced seafood also ensures that care has been taken to avoid wastage and to maintain the quality of the product to the point of landing or harvesting, and on to the fish retailer or restaurateur. This supply chain approach helps catchers, processors and retailers to maximise use of the resource and avoid wastage, which in turn contributes to the sustainability of the fish and shellfish in our oceans.
Responsible fishing and aquaculture encompass these important factors and BIM, as the State Agency charged with responsibility of developing the Irish sea fisheries sector, promotes responsibly sourced seafood and operates a range of certified environmental and quality schemes, which ensure that seafood is caught or farmed, processed and handled in a sustainable and responsible manner.
Of interest to consumers is that responsibly fished, sustainable seafood:
- is fished with respect to the environment
- supports the viability of coastal communities
- is safe to eat, healthy and nutritious
- is fished within the natural limits of the biological resource
- respects high standards of animal welfare
- is produced in response to market demand.
Buying locally caught and farmed seafood ensures it reaches the consumer in the freshest condition, that transport, pollution and waste are kept to a minimum, and that local communities are being supported.
Read about BIM labelling and certification schemes.
Back to Questions
In 2007, Irish sales of seafood (including exports) reached an estimated €803 million, with the retail and catering sectors accounting for €382 million.
In 2007 seafood valued at €194 million was imported into the country, illustrating the growing demand for seafood here. Seafood is imported into Ireland from a number of countries in Europe, Asia and South America. Whitefish in particular is sourced from well-managed fisheries in Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. Another popular imported product are tropical prawns brought in from Asia and South America.
However, almost 85% of Irish farmed and captured seafood is exported to the European and the Far Eastern markets annually. In 2007, the Irish export market was valued at 361 million, similar to the 2006 value.
The key finfish and shellfish farming areas and landing ports for 2006 are detailed on the map - Irish Aquaculture Landings by Home County in 2006. (Adapted from the Cawley Report.)
The sea fish landings by home port for 2005 are detailed on the map - Irish Sea Fish Landings by Home Port in 2005.
Back to Questions
When purchasing seafood, there are a number of issues to keep in mind
- Environmental Assurance
- Quality Assurance
- Origin and Traceability
- Food Miles and Carbon Footprint
- Responsible Practices.
Environmental Assurance
Environmental Assurance for Seafood is a relatively new area and comes under a number of guises; eco-labels, sustainability marks, organic labels, guidance documents, checklists, sustainable seafood guides, buyer specifications and codes of practice.
Such assurances can be confusing and conflicting. Therefore it is important to look out for independently accredited schemes such as Irish Quality Eco-Standard.
Where there is no independently accredited assurance available other issues to consider include Quality Assurance, Traceability, Food Miles & Carbon Footprint and responsible practices. Read about BIMs current eco-labels.
Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance (QA) provides evidence that a product meets the needs, expectations, and other requirements of customers. This can be provided by independently audited certification schemes such as those put in place by BIM.
QA is part of effective quality management and is designed to ensure consumer confidence. BIM has developed Irish Quality Fish Programmes to assist buyers and consumers in selecting the best Irish fish products. For example, BIM has produced a quality programme and label for farmed salmon, mussels and trout, which meet international standards for product certification. Each programme has detailed product specifications and harvesting standards, and helps producers to demonstrate that best practice has been used at all times. Programmes for other species, both farmed and captured are under development. Read about these accreditation schemes.
To assist fishermen to maximise the quality of wild seafood, BIM has developed user-friendly quality guides for the main pelagic and whitefish species. These give information on handling and hygiene as well as guidelines on the correct procedures for gutting, washing and packing procedures to ensure that the fish is landed in the freshest possible condition. These guides are available on the BIM website and although are aimed primarily at fishermen, they are a valuable resource for discerning buyers as the guides provide the information required to clearly differentiate between excellent, good and poor quality fish. To view the BIM quality guides.
BIM has also published a Seafood Handbook, which is a comprehensive document that covers species identification, selection, storage, display, and general seafood product knowledge. It is primarily intended for retail use but would also be an invaluable guide for restaurateurs.
Traceability
Since January 2005, it has been a legal requirement in Ireland that all fresh and frozen seafood products must be traceable from the point of origin to the consumer. This means that anyone who handles the seafood must have in place a recall/traceability system capable of product recall that enables the tracking of seafood back to its source and onwards to the next point in the chain* .
As both imported and local seafood are subject to these regulations, this regulation is particularly significant with popular species of imported seafood, such as farmed tropical prawns and sea bass. Insisting on traceability information from your supplier will help reassure you that the product is produced in a controlled and regulated environment and which does not contribute to the depletion of the natural resource.
However, buying locally caught or farmed seafood often ensures that it reaches the consumer in the freshest condition; that transport, pollution and waste are kept to a minimum; and that local communities are being supported.
This regulation also requires that all seafood covered by it, be labelled with the catch area and production method (i.e. wild or farmed). This regulation does not include processed fish. See www.fsai.ie for more details.
Food miles is a term used to relate the distance a food travels from the place it is caught or produced until it reaches the consumer. It is closely tied to the carbon footprint of the product, which is an assessment of the amount of "greenhouse" gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), emitted through the combustion of fossil fuels, generated during the entire process of delivering the product from the source to the consumer. Many environmental groups attach great importance to food being produced close to the point of sale.
The carbon footprint of seafood will depend on how much fuel is used to catch or harvest it, the type of processing the fish undergoes, and the number of food miles undertaken to reach the consumer. It is worth noting that as shellfish are comprised largely of calcium carbonate, they actually absorb carbon.
Considering the amount of seafood imported into and exported from Ireland on an annual basis, and the projected increases in "carbon taxes" for big emitters of greenhouse gases, the issues relating to food miles and individual carbon footprints are gaining momentum and will soon become quite pertinent for the Irish seafood consumer. The Government is currently running a major initiative to curb the carbon emissions by 2020. Details can be viewed at http://www.change.ie/
Responsible Practices
When sourcing fish responsibly, origin, quality and traceability are all hugely important factors, alongside the use of environmentally friendly capture and harvesting practices. Buying fresh and buying local is perhaps the best choice that can be made.
Where this is not possible, however; if for example you are sourcing your seafood from abroad, you should look for Environmental and Quality assurance labels that can demonstrate that the product has come from a well-managed and sustainable source.
The variety of schemes available and the practices that need to be considered when purchasing seafood, reflect the complexity of the seafood sourcing issue. There are many national and international schemes in place to assure the quality and safety of seafood. For example, BIM's own accredited aquaculture Eco-Standards for mussels and salmon, and internationally recognised, independent eco-labels, for instance the Marine Stewardship Council label, Seafish Responsible Fishing Scheme and the Dolphin-friendly tuna logo, among others. These standards illustrate how a fishery or farm may be managed and operated in an environmentally responsible manner. However it is important to understand what the standard in particular is assessing and we would encourage consumers to ask their suppliers what exactly what the standard represents.
In summary, there are a number of issues to consider when buying seafood but in particular we would advise you to consider the following:
- Ensure your fish is fresh and of the highest quality, look for recognised quality assurance, eco or organic labels or logos or evidence that the product has been caught responsibly. Ask BIM to verify this if you are unsure
- If you are buying a whole fish ensure that it meets any minimum size requirements
- Don't forget to ask your seafood producer where the product you are buying was farmed, or the region from which it was caught. They are obliged to inform you
- Consider the issues associated with buying imported seafood when planning your menu and sales offerings.
* This regulation was implemented by S.I. 320 of 2003 and more information on the issue of traceability can be read in Guidance Note 7: The labelling of fish and aquaculture products according to the European Communities Regulations 2003, Revision 1, which was produced by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
Back to Questions
The term ghost fishing refers to nets lost or illegally discarded at sea that continue to catch fish and sharks. As the nets are not hauled in, the catch dies and adds to the problem of decreasing fish stocks. While the practice of leaving nets to fish over a couple of weeks is not illegal, it is contrary to the principle of responsible fishing, and the EU is proposing emergency measures to stop this practice. Already, vessels are required to account for all their nets on landing and it is hoped that this will considerably reduce the number that are discarded at sea.
Back to Questions
Cod is perhaps one of the most popular fish, however over-fishing of cod has resulted in a noticeable increase in price and less availability of cod in the market.
As part of EU funded "Recovery Plans' the amount of cod that can be taken by a fishery in the Irish Sea and many European waters is currently strictly limited. The aim is to reduce the pressure on cod stocks in the hope of allowing recovery to levels where cod can be sustainably fished in the near future.
Until such time, much of the cod available at fish counters and on menus, throughout Ireland and elsewhere, is sourced from the well managed fisheries of Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. In these fisheries cod is found in healthy quantities and only fished to a sustainable level. In Iceland alone, the substantial 2006 EU quota for cod was almost 200 thousand tons!
There is no directed cod fishery in Irish seas; the cod caught in these waters is a by-catch fishery, where fishermen are given small quotas for cod. This is usual in prawn fisheries, where the cod accidentally caught does not have to be returned to the sea as unwanted by-catch.
The use of TCM's such as release doors and modified nets reduces the level of cod by-catch in these fisheries. These efforts help cod fishery become a more sustainable fishery in Ireland and supports the work of the EU recovery plans.
Back to Questions
There are many different strategies for fishing or harvesting depending on the type of fish being caught or cultivated. Some common methods include, seining and intertidal cultures for farmed fish and wild fish.
How is the harvesting of wild fish controlled?
As fish stocks don’t recognise territorial boundaries, and many stocks are migratory, fisheries management is conducted at both national and international levels. Most European fish stocks, including those in Community waters around Ireland are managed under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Under this policy a number of different measures are in place to manage fish stocks and depending on the stock can be used in isolation or in tandem. Such measures include legal limitations on:
- the amount of fish that can be caught by each member state (Total Allowable Catches and quotas)
- the amount of days that a vessel can fish
- the types and construction of fishing gear that can be used
- the areas that can be fished
- the size of the fish that can be landed.
The most widely known management measure is the TACs and quota system. It is in place for some of our most common fish species and controls the amount of fish that is landed by a fisherman. The body which determines the science behind these TACs is called ICES (International Convention on the Exploration of the Sea) and is made up of fisheries scientists from all over the world. The EU uses advice from the ICES scientists to help decide on TAC’s within EU waters on an annual basis. The final TAC is agreed each year by the Council of Ministers in Brussels in December.
In addition to the management of European fish stocks, fisheries for shellfish stock, which are caught inshore and operate within Ireland’s territorial waters, are managed nationally through local management plans. Such fisheries include shellfish stocks such as lobsters and crabs.
The minimum landing size of a fish is designed so that it is illegal to bring ashore young fish. These fish are needed to contribute to the next generation stocks and if caught must be immediately returned to the sea as it is illegal to retain, ship, land, sell or sort them on board. The minimum landings sizes currently enforce were originally set out in Annex XII of Regulation 850/98.
View the Irish TACs and Quotas for some of the main species in 2007 and 2008 and the Council Regulation setting out the EU TAC and Quotas for 2008 (pdf 4.5mb).
How are fish farming operations managed?
Fish Farming or Aquaculture operations take place under a very strict regulatory regime. All operators are required to hold an aquaculture licence from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The application process requires various environmental assessments prior to issue, and the licence itself stipulates the species, licensed area, production volume and various other conditions including monitoring requirements, the nature of which is dependent on the species cultured. Shellfish license monitoring broadly comprises micro-biological and biotoxin testing. All marine finfish licenses are subject to monitoring of the water column, seabed, sealice and site fallowing. In addition to mandatory activities, the Irish Fish farming sector has embraced many important voluntary initiatives to maximise product quality, manage the environment and ensure sustainable production.
Back to Questions