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Displaying items by tag: Glenda Powell

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) will be running a number of events to give women the opportunity to try angling in 2020.

Renowned angler Glenda Powell, one of the world’s leading fly-casting instructors, has partnered with IFI to teach the participants around various venues in Ireland from April to September of this year.

The aim of the programme is to give women an opportunity to try fishing in a relaxed and supportive environment with other beginners.

Each participant will be concentrated on as an individual and the aim is to develop her own personal requirements during the programme to enable learning.

The course will be a mixture of spinning and fly fishing to ensure that each participant gets to experience a variety of fishing methods while figuring out what method works best for them.

Participants will be encouraged to progress at their own rate of learning while feeling safe in or around water. Each participant will learn a new skill and be in the outdoors and will hopefully develop an interest to continue with the sport.

Those wishing to progress to the next level in learning to fish will be encouraged to sign up to future programmes and also to join local angling clubs.

Each course will consist of a half-day session either in the morning (9.30am–1.00pm) or afternoon (2pm-5.30pm) on Saturdays at the following dates and locations:

  • River Blackwater, Cork: 4 & 18 April, 16 & 30 May
  • River Moy, Mayo: 6 & 20 June, 18 & 25 July
  • River Shannon, Limerick: 22 & 29 August, 5 & 12 September

Suzanne Campion, head of business development at IFI, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer this pilot programme to women as an opportunity to not only learn fishing but have the chance to develop a new skill and past time.

“In today’s society, outdoor recreational activities are more important than ever from a health and well-being perspective and in Ireland, we are uniquely placed with the breadth and quality of our fisheries resource which is available to all to enjoy.

“We want to give these women a unique opportunity to be able to try out this sport in a relaxed and supportive environment among some of our greatest natural resources here in Ireland.”

The programme is open to all women aged 18 and over. Booking is essential as there are a limited number of spaces. If you are interested in taking part or would like more information, click HERE.

Published in Angling

#Angling - A short documentary on top fly-fishing name Glenda Powell is garnering plaudits at film festivals around the world.

And as Ellie O'Byrne writes in the Irish Examiner, the film sprang out of an article on the world-champion fly-caster for that very newspaper by ecologist Carl Dixon.

Unwinding is a five-minute short that illustrates Powell's love of angling on the River Blackwater and the nature that surrounds her as she casts her flies.

Inspired by Powell's story after an assignment for the Examiner in 2011, Dixon explains how he completed a filmmaking course to learn the ropes before taking up the camera for the €800 micro-budget film.

And it seems his dedication has paid off, with film festivals as far afield as Washington and California including the short in their selections.

The Irish Examiner has more on the story HERE.

Published in Angling

#ANGLING - Top angling photographer and TV presenter Harry Gibney will be among the guests at the first Ballybunion Angling and Marine Show from 23-25 March.

According to The Kerryman, the show is the brainchild of local angler Mike Enright who has planned a mixture of competition and presentations from some of Europe's best known angling experts in the Co Kerry seaside town.

Among the events, Gibney will be sharing some of his top photography tips, while former long-distance fly champion Glenda Powell will present a fly fishing workshop. Other special guests include five-time world fly tying champion Gavin Hughes and celebrity chef Bryce Collins.

But the focus of the weekend is definitely on angling, with the Brian Martin Memrorial Cup set to be decided.

"Kerry has some of the finest angling facilities in the country yet it has never been promoted so we're hoping to change that," said Enright.

The Kerryman has more on the story HERE.

Published in Angling
#ANGLING - The Irish Fly Fair and Angling Show at the Galway Bay Hotel next weekend be "the biggest of its kind in Ireland", hosting the largest number of fly tyers and trade stands from over 15 countries, according to organisers.
The two-day exhibition, now in its second year, will welcome some of the world's top fly tyers and angling celebrities to Salthill.
As with the first event last November, visitors will have the opportunity to learn from the world's best fly dressers and casters, with tuition provided by APGAI Ireland.
Returning angling celebs Hywel Morgan, Glenda Powell, Stevie Munn, Paddy McDonnell, Peter O’Reilly will be joined by newcomer Scott MacKenzie to advise on all aspects of fly fishing.
Among the new events this year is the youth fly tying competition, giving younger anglers a chance to show the pros what they can do.
Experts from Inland Fisheries Ireland, the Wild Trout Trust and many more will also be hosting talks and seminar on various angling-related topics.
And all that is aside from the huge trade aspect of the weekend.
"Building on the success of last year’s show, where business was brisk, the 2011 show has attracted trade from all over Europe who are keen to come to Galway and exhibit to the Irish market," said organiser Grace McDermott.
For more details on the second annual Irish Fly Fair and Angling Show visit www.irishflyfair.com.

#ANGLING - The Irish Fly Fair and Angling Show at the Galway Bay Hotel next weekend be "the biggest of its kind in Ireland", hosting the largest number of fly tyers and trade stands from over 15 countries, according to organisers.

The two-day exhibition, now in its second year, will welcome some of the world's top fly tyers and angling celebrities to Salthill.

As with the first event last November, visitors will have the opportunity to learn from the world's best fly dressers and casters, with tuition provided by APGAI Ireland.

Returning angling celebs Hywel Morgan, Glenda Powell, Stevie Munn, Paddy McDonnell, Peter O’Reilly will be joined by newcomer Scott MacKenzie to advise on all aspects of fly fishing.

Among the new events this year is the youth fly tying competition, giving younger anglers a chance to show the pros what they can do.

Experts from Inland Fisheries Ireland, the Wild Trout Trust and many more will also be hosting talks and seminar on various angling-related topics. 

And all that is aside from the huge trade aspect of the weekend.

"Building on the success of last year’s show, where business was brisk, the 2011 show has attracted trade from all over Europe who are keen to come to Galway and exhibit to the Irish market," said organiser Grace McDermott. 

For more details on the second annual Irish Fly Fair and Angling Show visit www.irishflyfair.com.

Published in Angling
A recent series of workshops was hosted in Kerry aimed at training angling guides to develop the sport in the Kingdom.
The Kerryman reports that 15 potential guides participated in the six-day programme on the River Laune, led by world champion fly-caster Glenda Powell.
Interested individuals were given an introduction to the world of angling guides, covering topics from fishing methods to health and safety, boat handling and teaching fly-casting.
The scheme will soon be supplemented by an online booking system for permits for anyone interested in game angling in Kerry.

A recent series of workshops was hosted in Kerry aimed at training angling guides in order to develop the sport in the Kingdom.

The Kerryman reports that 15 potential guides participated in the six-day programme on the River Laune, led by world champion fly-caster Glenda Powell.

Interested individuals were given an introduction to the world of angling guides, covering topics from fishing methods to health and safety, boat handling and teaching fly-casting.

The scheme will soon be supplemented by an online booking system for permits for anyone interested in game angling in Kerry.

Published in Angling

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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