Bord Iascaigh Mhara welcomes Draft National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development

Bord Iascaigh Mhara welcomes the publication today, for public consultation, of the Draft National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development by the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine. In particular BIM welcomes the draft report’s primary objective, to sustainably grow the annual production of the aquaculture industry from the current level of approximately 37,000 tonnes by a further 45,000 tonnes by 2023. The Report outlines twenty-four specific actions in total which represent positive initiatives for the development and growth of the sector.

Bord Iascaigh Mhara welcomes the publication today, for public consultation, of the Draft National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development by the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine. In particular BIM welcomes the draft report’s primary objective, to sustainably grow the annual production of the aquaculture industry from the current level of approximately 37,000 tonnes by a further 45,000 tonnes by 2023. The Report outlines twenty-four specific actions in total which represent positive initiatives for the development and growth of the sector.

BIM notes with interest the new scaling guidelines for offshore salmon farms provided by the Marine Institute in the report. These new guidelines may offer a route to achieving greater consensus among all marine stakeholders in regard to the planned growth of the aquaculture sector in Ireland. As the state agency responsible for the development of Ireland’s aquaculture industry, BIM will reflect these guidelines in any future aquaculture licence application or development initiatives it is involved in.

With regard to the long standing application for a salmon farming licence in Galway Bay, BIM awaits communication and guidance from the licensing authority as to whether or not the new scaling guidelines will be applicable to that application.