The Irish marine sector currently has a turnover of €3 billion and supports over 44,000 jobs, 56% of which are outside the most developed regions of the country. But the significance and potential of the marine sector is far greater.
There are major new market opportunities associated with the marine sector worldwide
World demand for seafood products is projected to increase by 60% to 2025. The aquaculture market is projected to continue growing at 4% and presents significant opportunities for Ireland particularly in high quality fish and shellfish products and in the aquaculture of new species.
The total value of finfish production is currently worth €56.7 million with salmon accounting for >90% of this market. It has been estimated that production will reach 45,000 tonnes valued at approximately €155 million by 2015. A significant proportion of this tonnage will be made up of new species to aquaculture namely gadoids (cod or other white fish species) and flatfish.
The total production in the shellfish sector is 45,950 tonnes valued at €44.8 million. It is expected by 2020 production will reach 111,500 tonnes
Asia is the centre of a large and valuable market for seaweed products, currently valued at €6 billion. Ireland’s potential in this sector is largely underdeveloped.
- Development of carrying capacity models
- Commercialisation of hatchery technology and juvenile production
- Commercialisation of aquaculture on-growing stages
- Development of aquaculture grow-out stages
- Broodstock programme development
- Selective breeding
- Development of shellfish diets
- Resource and risk assessment
- Design and implementation of monitoring programmes
- Assessment of fisheries-environment interactions
- Indicator-based environmental assessment.
- Screening organisms for use in pharmaceutical/nutraceutical and industrial chemical industries
The Facility
Currently the facility contains a fully equipped laboratory, both pump ashore and recirculation units ...
