The Irish salmon farming industry is unique among salmon farming countries around the world in a number of ways
- The sites in which Irish salmon are grown are high-energy, exposed sites on the rugged west coast of Ireland. The conditions in which Irish salmon are grown are totally different to the enclosed sea-lochs and fjords of Norway and Scotland.
- Stocking densities on Irish farms are low, 98.5% of what is in cages is pure, fast moving seawater. It should be noted that salmon are naturally shoaling, social animals and the densities on Irish farms mimic closely how the fish would behave in the wild.
- The Irish farmed salmon industry is a fraction of the size of that in any other country and plans for expansion are modest and very tightly controlled.
- The industry is highly regulated and monitored and the results of this monitoring are freely available to the public. Ireland’s very tough licencing regime has already embraced sustainability and the precautionary principle via the extensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process. The implementation of the ISO 14001 accreditation in the industry, plus the adoption of environmental policies across a range of companies in the sector, are proactive steps for a well-managed, environmentally sustainable future.
- Ireland’s salmon farming industry is proactive in dealing with environmental issues and in recognising the concerns and needs of other users of the bays and inshore waters where salmon are farmed. Through a unique management process, the Co-ordinated Local Aquaculture Management System (C.L.A.M.S.), it is leading the way worldwide in integrating aquaculture into the process of coastal zone management.
- The industry output is focused on high-quality, low-volume niche markets and a significant sector of the Irish industry has organic certification.