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Displaying items by tag: Meagre

One Galway fishmonger stocking up ahead of the perennially busy Good Friday trade got more than he bargained for with his catch of the week.

Stefan Griesbach from Gannet Fishmongers and Eatmorefish.ie came across a fish a lot more unusual than the average cod and whiting in the 2kg meagre (Argyrosomus regius) — also known as the croaker fish — a relative of the stone bass which is a farmed fish popular on many Irish restaurant menus.

Common in the waters in south-west of France or west of Africa, the meagre, despite its name, is not so small by nature.

Indeed, the 2kg specimen Stefan spotted in Rossaveal on Monday (14 April) is just a fraction of its cousins that can reach up to two metres in length and weigh more than 200kg.

Meagre is a renowned game fish but also prized for its meaty fillets, which was the big attraction for Stefan when he found it in a mixed box of fish, having been caught by the MFV Killoran south of the Aran Islands on its first trip.

However, before taking the knife to this unique Easter treat, Stefan got in touch with Dr Declan Quigley of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority to find out just how rare his purchase really was.

And he was surprised to learn that records show only two other meagre/croaker catches in Irish waters, at Passage West, Co Cork in 1840 and Annagassan, Co Louth in 1896 — both in the Victorian era of the 19th century.

Now the special catch is up for auction in aid of the RNLI. Bidding starts at €75 for the auction which closes midday on Thursday 18 April so be sure to act fast.

Published in Fishing
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About Warrenpoint Port

The Original Port of Warrenpoint was constructed in the late 1770s and acted as a lightering port for the much larger Port of Newry.

Following the demise of Newry Port Warrenpoint Harbour Authority was created as a Trust Port by legislation in 1971. The modern Port was completed in 1974 when it covered 28 acres. Since then the port has expanded to its current size of approximately 53 Acres. The Authority has just completed a £22 Million capital infrastructure project (under the terms of a Service of General Economic Interest with the Department for Regional Development) that includes, the construction of a 300 Metres of Deep Water Quay (7.5 Metres C.D), new Ro-Ro berthing facilities, additional lands and covered storage facilities and a new 100 Tonne mobile crane.

  • Warrenpoint Port is the second largest port in Northern Ireland and the fifth-biggest on the island of Ireland.
  • Warrenpoint Harbour Authority was created as a Trust Port by legislation in 1971.
  • In 2018, the value of goods moving through Warrenpoint Port was £6.5 billion. The Port handled 3.56 million tonnes in 2017, increasing to 3.6m in 2018.
  • The port employs 70 staff directly and supports over 1,500 in the local economy.
  • In addition to serving the markets in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, the Port deals with imports and exports from countries and regions across the world including to Spain, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Ukraine and the Americas.

 

At A Glance – Warrenpoint Port

  • Warrenpoint, Newry BT34 3JR, United Kingdom Phone: +44 28 4177 3381

     

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