Bord Iascaigh Mhara is reporting a 15 per cent growth in the Irish retail market for seafood, but much of the increased demand is being met by imports.
Some 65 per cent of seafood consumers here have no children in the household. Some 21 per cent also belong to the ABC1 social group, the Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) annual report for 2006 says.
The annual review for last year says that markets were "relatively buoyant", in spite of reduced landings due to quota restrictions and higher operating costs for the industry. Irish sales of seafood in 2006 increased by 9 per cent to €724.6 million, with a 15 per cent jump in domestic seafood sales to the retail sector at €157.7 million.
Sales to the food service sector increased by 18 per cent to €204.7 million, and about 50 per cent of the increase in domestic seafood sales was of Irish origin.
Export sales did not perform so well, due to the pressure on landings, with a 27 per cent fall in mackerel/herring/blue whiting exports. A 19 per cent decline in seafood exports last year was offset by higher prices, meaning exports increased in value terms on 2005 by 2.3 per cent.
Shellfish exports increased by 16 per cent to €147 million, and BIM's outgoing chief executive Pat Keogh said the aquaculture sector "performed solidly" in 2006, with output at first point of sale up 10 per cent to €120 million. This was driven by higher production of farmed salmon (at 14,500 tonnes) and increased prices for farmed mussels, Mr Keogh said. "In the absence of quotas and benefiting from buoyant market conditions, the aquaculture industry now accounts for 38 per cent, by value, of fish raw material supplies and is due to further increase its share of total fish supplies into the future," he forecast.
Some four-fifths of Irish seafood exports were sold on EU markets, with France accounting for 25 per cent of total export sales, while Britain and Spain jointly account for 37 per cent.
Total BIM grant-aided investment in the seafood sector amounted to €27.6 million, supported by national and EU grant-aid of €17 million. Aquaculture accounted for 48 per cent of grant-aided investment (€13.35 million), while total grant-aided investment for the future fleet and sea fisheries amounted to €7.69 million and €6.53 million for processing and marketing.
In addition, 35 fishing vessels over 15 metres in length, involving BIM/EU expenditure of €11.863 million, were withdrawn from the fleet under the fleet decommissioning scheme.
