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#Rowing: Ireland’s crew of Aaron Johnston, Ross Corrigan, Barry Connolly and Nathan Timoney finished fifth in the A Final of the men’s four at the Coupe de la Jeunesse in Hazewinkel today. Britain, Switzerland and the Czech Republic took the gold, silver and bronze, with hosts Belgium fourth and Italy sixth.

 Ireland have three other crews in A Finals this afternoon.

Coupe de la Jeunesse, Hazewinkel, Day One (Irish interest)

Junior Men

Four – Heat One (First Three to A Final): 3 Ireland (A Johnston, R Corrigan, B Connolly, N Timoney) 6:23.78. A Final: 5 Ireland 6:27.89.

Quadruple – Heat One: 1 Ireland (B O’Flynn, M Dundon, J Keating, J Quinlan) 6:12.81

Junior Women

Single Sculls – Heat Two (First Three to A Final): 1 Ireland (G O’Brien) 8:10.17.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: The Ireland lightweight double of Sinéad Jennings and Claire Lambe finished fourth in their repechage and are bound for a C Final of the World Cup in Varese in Italy. Italy One and Italy Two battled it out at the head of the field, while Ireland lost a battle for the third qualification spot to Sweden.  

 The Ireland men’s lightweight four finished fifth in their repechage, rowed as conditions became tougher. The Ireland women’s pair of Leonora Kennedy and Barbara O’Brien also finished fifth in their repechage and also go to a C Final.

World Cup Regatta, Varese (Selected Results, Irish interest)

Men

Lightweight Four – Heat Three (First Two to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechages): 1 Italy Two 6:00.40, 2 United States 6:00.95; 4 Ireland (L Seaman, M O’Donovan, L Keane, S O’Driscoll) 6:18.75. Repechage One (First Three to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to C Final): Poland One 6:01.07, 2 Japan One 6:02.92, 3 Poland Two 6:03.41; 5 Ireland 6:14.13.

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Three (First Two to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechages): 1 Ireland (P O’Donovan, G O’Donovan) 6:27.07, 2 Britain 6:33.38; 3 Netherlands Two 6:48.24.  

Women

Pair – Heat One (First Two to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechages): 1 Germany 7:23.08, 2 Russia One 7:24.46; 5 Ireland (L Kennedy, B O’Brien) 7:46.38. Repechage Two (First Three to Repechages; rest to C Final): 5 Ireland 7:24.68.

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Two (First Two to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechages): 1 Switzerland 7:03.98, 2 Canada 7:04.45; 3 Ireland (C Lambe, S Jennings) 7:05.0. Repechage One (First Three to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to C Final): 1 Italy One 6:57.42, 2 Italy Two 6:59.61, 3 Sweden One 7:01.20; 4 Ireland 7:05.60.

Single Sculls – Heat One (Winner to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechages): 1 Ireland (S Puspure) 7:34.32; 2 Czech Republic (M Knapkova) 7:36.13. 

Lightweight Single Sculls – Heat One (First Two to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechages): 1 Netherlands Two 7:40.25, 2 Italy 7:45.99; 4 Ireland Two (S McCrohan) 8:02.38.

Heat Two (First Two to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechages): 1 Canada 7:42.41, 2 Netherlands One 7:45.30; 5 Ireland One (D Walsh) 8:11.91.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Ireland’s men’s lightweight pair finished fourth in their B Final, 10th overall, at the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam today. China won in a fast time in tailwind conditions, with Bulgaria and the Netherlands battling each other and finishing second and third. Ireland’s Niall Kenny and Mark O’Donovan were fifth through the middle stages but won their own battle with Austria to take a clear fourth.

The women’s four of Marie O'Neill, Emily Tormey, Aifric Keogh and Barbara O'Brien were fourth in their B Final, behind the Netherlands, who won impressively from Italy, with Germany third.

World Rowing Championships, Amsterdam, Day Six (Irish interest, selected results)

Men

Lightweight Pair – B Final (Places 7 to 12): 1 China (Zhenwei Hou, Fangbing Zhang) 6:28.29, 2 Bulgaria 6:30.40, 3 Netherlands 6:31.01, 4 Ireland (M O’Donovan, N Kenny) 6:34.06, 5 Austria 6:37.65, 6 Chile 6:43.01.

Women

Four – B Final (Places 7 to 10): 1 Netherlands 6:28.95, 2 Italy 6:35.51, 3 Germany 6:37.90, 4 Ireland (M O’Neill, E Tormey, A Keogh, B O’Brien) 6:43.62.

Lightweight Double Sculls – C Final (Places 13 to 18): 1 Russia (D Stepochkina, O Arkadova) 6:58.21, 2 Ireland (C Lambe, D Walsh) 7:00.11, 3 Denmark 7:03.49, 4 Switzerland 7:03.51, 5 Belarus 7:09.08, 6 Greece 7:14.20.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Sanita Puspure took her place in the semi-finals of the women’s single sculls at the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam today. The 32-year-old led for most of the race but was passed by Russian veteran Julia Levina (41) in the final quarter.

The Ireland women’s four found the going tough again in their repechage and will compete in the B Final of this 10-boat event. Canada and the Ukraine took the two places available in the A Final, while Ireland finished sixth.

World Rowing Championships, Day Four (Selected Results; Irish interest)

Men

Lightweight Single ScullsQuarter-Final (First Three to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to C/D Semi-Finals): 1 Germany (L Hartig) 7:13.67, 2 Ireland (P O’Donovan) 7:14.76, 3 Denmark (S Jensen) 7:33.91; 4 Azerbaijan 7:25.84, 5 Russia 7:33.91, 6 Algeria 7:43.76.

Women

Four – Repechage (First Two to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Canada 7:03.51, Ukraine 7:05.31; 3 Netherlands 7:06.85, 4 Germany 7:10.32, 5 Italy 7:17.82, 6 Ireland (M O’Neill, E Tormey, A Keogh, B O’Brien) 7:22.82.

Double Sculls – Repechage Three (First Two to A/B Semi-Final: rest to C/D Semi-Final): 1 United States (M O’Leary, E Tomek) 7:18.10, 2 Ireland (H Hannigan, M Dukarska) 7:21.14; 3 Romania 7:22.87, 4 Estonia 7:48.85.

Single ScullsQuarter-Final Three (First Three to A/B Semi-Final; rest to C/D Semi-Finals): 1 Russia (J Levina) 8:00.54, 2 Ireland (S Puspure) 8:02.31, 3 Lithuania (L Saltyte) 8:08.41; 4 Belarus 8:24.58, 5 Norway 8:25.56, 6 Hungary 8:29.50.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: The new Ireland women’s double scull of Monika Dukarska and Helen Hannigan (neé Walshe) took fourth in their heat at the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam today. Lithuania and the Ukraine fought it out at the head of the field, with Lithuania pulling away at the end. Ireland were in third at 1500 metres but yielded this to Denmark at the finish.

The Ireland women’s four were off the pace in their heat and finished fifth. The New Zealand four were extremely impressive in their win, and France held off Canada to take the second qualification spot for the A Final.

World Rowing Championships, Amsterdam, Day Two (Selected Results, Irish interest)

Men

Lightweight Pair – Heat Two (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Ireland (M O’Donovan, N Kenny) 6:53.54, 2 China (Zhenwei Hou, Fanbing Zhang) 6:54.57; 3 Switzerland 7:03.74, 4 Australia 7:10.31, 5 Bulgaria 7:13.05, 6 Austria 7:19.39.

Women

Four – Heat One (First Two to A Final; rest to Repechage): 1 New Zealand 6:46.42, 2 France 7:01.16; 3 Canada 7:03.68, 4 Italy 7:09.17, 5 Ireland (M O’Neill, E Tormey, A Keogh, B O’Brien) 7:19.28.

Double Sculls – Heat One (Winner to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Lithuania (D Vistartaite, M Valciukaite) 7:05.28; 2 Ukraine 7:09.74, 3 Denmark 7:24.04, 4 Ireland (H Walshe, M Dukarska) 7:24.59, 5 Austria 7:29.06, 6 Bulgaria 7:49.72.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Ireland’s men’s four finished sixth in the semi-final of the World Under-23 Rowing Championships in Varese in Italy today. Romania won well and the other two A Final qualification places went to Spain and the United States, who held off Croatia’s challenge. France, who finished fifth, and Ireland were out of contention by the closing stages and dropped off the pace. Both are set for the B Final tomorrow.    

World Under-23 Rowing Championships, Varese, Italy (Irish interest; selected results)

Men

Four – Semi-Final Two (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Romania 5:56.94, 2 Spain 5:59.40, 3 United States 6:00.46; 4 Croatia 6:00.74, 5 France 6:09.41, 6 Ireland (R Bennett, K Neville, F McQuillan-Tolan, R O’Callaghan) 6:19.59.

Lightweight Double Sculls – Repechage Two (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; Rest to C/D Semi-Finals) 1 Greece (I Petrou, S Ntouskos) 6:32.85, 2 Ireland (G O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll) 6:34.86; 3 Spain 6:36.66, 4 Belarus 6:43.61, 5 Paraguay 6:54.52.

Lightweight Single Sculls – Quarter-Final One (First Three to A/B Semi-Finals; Rest to C/D Semi-Finals): 1 Turkey (E Kusku) 7:10.73, 2 Hungary (D Matyasovszki) 7:12.03, Ireland (P O’Donovan) 7:22.19; 4 Bulgaria 7:27.25, 5 Slovakia 7:35.37, 6 Slovenia 8:03.76.

Women

Lightweight Single Sculls – Repechage One (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; Rest to C/D Semi-Finals): 1 New Zealand 8:00.05, 2 Germany 8:04,34; Ireland (D Walsh) Did Not Finish

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Ireland’s men’s four reached tomorrow’s semi-finals of the World Under-23 Rowing Championships by finishing third in their repechage today. Belarus and Serbia finished first and second, with Ireland showing their determination to stay in the Championships by taking the final qualification spot.  Russia, who are a bigger crew than the Irish, lost out by finishing fourth.

World Under-23 Rowing Championships, Varese, Italy, Day Two (Irish interest; selected results)

Men,

Four – Repechage (First Three to A/B Semi-Finals): 1 Belarus 6:18.7, 2 Serbia 6:24.33, 3 Ireland (R Bennett, K Neville, F McQuillan-Tolan, R O’Callaghan) 6:28.54, 4 Russia 6:31.41.

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Three (First Two Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; Rest to Repechage): 1 France (P Houin, D Debourdeau) 6:34.72, 2 Italy (F Gherzi, N Forcellini) 6:37.86;

3 Ireland (S O’Driscoll, G O’Donovan) 6:38.34, 4 Serbia 6:54.08, 5 Poland 7:04.23,

Women,

Lightweight Single Sculls – Heat Three (First Two Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; Rest to Repechage): 1 Cyprus 8:04.62, 2 France 8:06.67; 3 Britain 8:13.89, 4 Ireland (D Walsh) 8:22.48, 5 Russia 8:26.00.

Published in Rowing

Aquaculture Information

Aquaculture is the farming of animals in the water and has been practised for centuries, with the monks farming fish in the middle ages. More recently the technology has progressed and the aquaculture sector is now producing in the region of 50 thousand tonnes annually and provides a valuable food product as well as much needed employment in many rural areas of Ireland.

A typical fish farm involves keeping fish in pens in the water column, caring for them and supplying them with food so they grow to market size. Or for shellfish, containing them in a specialised unit and allowing them to feed on natural plants and materials in the water column until they reach harvestable size. While farming fish has a lower carbon and water footprint to those of land animals, and a very efficient food fed to weight gain ratio compared to beef, pork or chicken, farming does require protein food sources and produces organic waste which is released into the surrounding waters. Finding sustainable food sources, and reducing the environmental impacts are key challenges facing the sector as it continues to grow.

Salmon is the most popular fish bought by Irish families. In Ireland, most of our salmon is farmed, and along with mussels and oysters, are the main farmed species in the country.

Aquaculture in Ireland

  • Fish and shellfish are farmed in 14 Irish coastal counties.
  • Irish SMEs and families grow salmon, oysters, mussels and other seafood
  • The sector is worth €150m at the farm gate – 80% in export earnings.
  • The industry sustains 1,833 direct jobs in remote rural areas – 80% in the west of Ireland
  • Every full-time job in aquaculture creates 2.27 other jobs locally (Teagasc 2015)
  • Ireland’s marine farms occupy 0.0004% of Ireland’s 17,500Km2 inshore area.
  • 83% of people in coastal areas support the development of fish farming
  • Aquaculture is a strong, sustainable and popular strategic asset for development and job creation (Foodwise 2025, National Strategic Plan, Seafood
  • Operational Programme 2020, FAO, European Commission, European Investment Bank, Harvesting Our Ocean Wealth, Silicon Republic, CEDRA)
    Ireland has led the world in organically certified farmed fish for over 30 years
  • Fish farm workers include people who have spent over two decades in the business to school-leavers intent on becoming third-generation farmers on their family sites.

Irish Aquaculture FAQs

Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants, and involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions- in contrast to commercial fishing, which is the harvesting of wild fish. Mariculture refers to aquaculture practiced in marine environments and in underwater habitats. Particular kinds of aquaculture include fish farming, shrimp farming, oyster farming, mariculture, algaculture (such as seaweed farming), and the cultivation of ornamental fish. Particular methods include aquaponics and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, both of which integrate fish farming and plant farming.

About 580 aquatic species are currently farmed all over the world, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which says it is "practised by both some of the poorest farmers in developing countries and by multinational companies".

Increasing global demand for protein through seafood is driving increasing demand for aquaculture, particularly given the pressures on certain commercially caught wild stocks of fish. The FAO says that "eating fish is part of the cultural tradition of many people and in terms of health benefits, it has an excellent nutritional profile, and "is a good source of protein, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and essential micronutrients".

Aquaculture now accounts for 50 per cent of the world's fish consumed for food, and is the fastest-growing good sector.

China provides over 60 per cent of the world's farmed fish. In Europe, Norway and Scotland are leading producers of finfish, principally farmed salmon.

For farmed salmon, the feed conversion ratio, which is the measurement of how much feed it takes to produce the protein, is 1.1, as in one pound of feed producing one pound of protein, compared to rates of between 2.2 and 10 for beef, pork and chicken. However, scientists have also pointed out that certain farmed fish and shrimp requiring higher levels of protein and calories in feed compared to chickens, pigs, and cattle.

Tilapia farming which originated in the Middle East and Africa has now become the most profitable business in most countries. Tilapia has become the second most popular seafood after crab, due to which its farming is flourishing. It has entered the list of best selling species like shrimp and salmon.

There are 278 aquaculture production units in Ireland, according to Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) *, producing 38,000 tonnes of finfish and shellfish in 2019 and with a total value of €172 million

There are currently almost 2,000 people directly employed in Irish aquaculture in the Republic, according to BIM.

BIM figures for 2019 recorded farmed salmon at almost 12,000 tonnes, valued at €110 million; rock oysters reached 10,300 tonnes at a value of €44 million; rope mussels at 10,600 tonnes were valued at €7 million; seabed cultured mussels at 4,600 tonnes were valued at €7 million; "other" finfish reached 600 tonnes, valued at €2 million and "other" shellfish reached 300 tonnes, valued at €2 million

Irish aquaculture products are exported to Europe, US and Asia, with salmon exported to France, Germany, Belgium and the US. Oysters are exported to France, with developing sales to markets in Hong Kong and China. France is Ireland's largest export for mussels, while there have been increased sales in the domestic and British markets.

The value of the Irish farmed finfish sector fell by five per cent in volume and seven per cent in value in 2019, mainly due to a fall on salmon production, but this was partially offset by a seven per cent increased in farmed shellfish to a value of 60 million euro. Delays in issuing State licenses have hampered further growth of the sector, according to industry representatives.

Fish and shellfish farmers must be licensed, and must comply with regulations and inspections conducted by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and the Marine Institute. Food labelling is a function of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. There is a long backlog of license approvals in the finfish sector, while the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine says it is working to reduce the backlog in the shellfish sector.

The department says it is working through the backlog, but notes that an application for a marine finfish aquaculture licence must be accompanied by either an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR). As of October 2020, over two-thirds of applications on hand had an EIS outstanding, it said.

The EU requires member states to have marine spatial plans by 2021, and Ireland has assigned responsibility to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government for the National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF). Legislation has been drawn up to underpin this, and to provide a "one stop shop" for marine planning, ranging from fish farms to offshore energy – as in Marine Planning and Development Management Bill. However, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine confirmed last year that it intends to retain responsibility for aquaculture and sea-fisheries related development – meaning fish and shellfish farmers won't be able to avail of the "one stop shop" for marine planning.

Fish and shellfish health is a challenge, with naturally occurring blooms, jellyfish and the risk of disease. There are also issues with a perception that the sector causes environmental problems.

The industry has been on a steep learning curve, particularly in finfish farming, since it was hailed as a new future for Irish coastal communities from the 1970s – with the State's Electricity Supply Board being an early pioneer, and tobacco company Carrolls also becoming involved for a time. Nutrient build up, which occurs when there is a high density of fish in one area, waste production and its impact on depleting oxygen in water, creating algal blooms and "dead zones", and farmers' use of antibiotics to prevent disease have all been concerns, and anglers have also been worried about the impact of escaped farmed salmon on wild fish populations. Sea lice from salmon farmers were also blamed for declines in sea trout and wild salmon in Irish estuaries and rivers.

BIM says over 95% of all salmon farmed in Ireland are certified organic. Organically grown salmon are only fed a diet of sustainable organic feed. They are also raised in more spacious pens than traditional farmed salmon. The need to site locations for fish farms further out to sea, using more robust cages for weather, has been recognised by regulatory agencies. There is a move towards land-based aquaculture in Norway to reduce impact on local ecosystems. The industry says that antibiotic use is declining, and it says that "safe and effective vaccinations have since been developed for farmed fish and are now widely used". Many countries are now adopting a more sustainable approach to removing sea lice from salmon, using feeder fish such as wrasse and lumpsucker fish. Ireland's first lumpsucker hatchery was opened in 2015.

BIM says over 95% of all salmon farmed in Ireland are certified organic. Organically grown salmon are only fed a diet of sustainable organic feed. They are also raised in more spacious pens than traditional farmed salmon. The need to site locations for fish farms further out to sea, using more robust cages for weather, has been recognised by regulatory agencies. There is a move towards land-based aquaculture in Norway to reduce impact on local ecosystems. The industry says that antibiotic use is declining, and it says that "safe and effective vaccinations have since been developed for farmed fish and are now widely used". Many countries are now adopting a more sustainable approach to removing sea lice from salmon, using feeder fish such as wrasse and lumpsucker fish. Ireland's first lumpsucker hatchery was opened in 2015.

Yes, as it is considered to have better potential for controlling environmental impacts, but it is expensive. As of October 2020, the department was handling over 20 land-based aquaculture applications.

The Irish Farmers' Association has represented fish and shellfish farmers for many years, with its chief executive Richie Flynn, who died in 2018, tirelessly championing the sector. His successor, Teresa Morrissey, is an equally forceful advocate, having worked previously in the Marine Institute in providing regulatory advice on fish health matters, scientific research on emerging aquatic diseases and management of the National Reference Laboratory for crustacean diseases.

BIM provides training in the national vocational certificate in aquaculture at its National Fisheries College, Castletownbere, Co Cork. It also trains divers to work in the industry. The Institute of Technology Carlow has also developed a higher diploma in aqua business at its campus in Wexford, in collaboration with BIM and IFA Aquaculture, the representative association for fish and shellfish farming.

© Afloat 2020

At A Glance - Irish Aquaculture

  • Fish and shellfish are farmed in 14 Irish coastal counties
  • Salmon is the most popular fish bought by Irish families. 
  • In Ireland, most of our salmon is farmed, and along with mussels and oysters, are the main farmed species in the country.
  • The industry sustains 1,833 direct jobs in remote rural areas – 80% in the west of Ireland
  • Every full-time job in aquaculture creates 2.27 other jobs locally (Teagasc 2015)
  • Ireland’s marine farms occupy 0.0004% of Ireland’s 17,500Km2 inshore area.
  • 83% of people in coastal areas support the development of fish farming

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