A new international research effort aims to find ways to recycle fishfarm waste, writes Lorna Siggins, Marine Correspondent
Biodiesel fuel from salmon oil, construction piping from mussel rafts, and even wallets from fish skin...just some of the conversions which Irish fish farmers hope to introduce under a new EU recycling initiative.
The "Aqua by-products" programme involves fish farmers from Ireland, Trondelag in the middle of Norway and Galicia in northwest Spain, and aims to foster co-operation on waste management solutions that may embrace the wider seafood industry. A new website has been set up in English, Spanish and Irish to share information on disposing of fishfarm by-products, underpinned by national and EU regulations.
Joe McElwee, former turbot farmer and current aquaculture development officer with the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), says that there has been "phenomenal interest" within the aquaculture industry since a dedicated website went live late last year at Bradan, the annual salmon growers' conference in Galway.
A tri-lingual database is being established on the website which will be shared between the three regions, and updated to ensure that the information is both valuable and relevant, he says.
Already, a Norwegian company, Scanbio, in Trondelag is using salmon oil for biodiesel fuel, while the project is looking at converting mussel barrels into plastic waterwork piping. One company in Tuam, Co Galway, has expressed interest, and there may be others, McElwee says. The conversion would be similar to that where plastic bottles are ground down, minced up, shaped into pellets and turned into water pipes or bags.
The project participants will only deal with EU and nationally approved dealers, and some seven Irish companies are currently licensed with the EU to take organic by-products. Leftovers from farmed salmon are not the only priority. Trondelag has Norway's largest brown crab industry, while some 20 per cent of total Norwegian production of farmed salmon is grown there. Galicia in northwest Spain has a substantial shellfish industry, while the shellfish sector is a significant player within Irish aquaculture.
There are many uses for recycled shells. North Carolina in the US is creating artificial reefs out of used oyster shells to attract more stock. A mound of oyster shells in an area with good tidal flow attracts a host of marine organisms, including oysters. Algae, worms, barnacles, crabs, small minnows and fish congregating around the reef will draw in what has been described as a "veritable metropolis of critters". The environment also benefits by the oysters' practice of filter feeding.
Initial EU funding worth €2.4 million comes via the AquaReg programme. AquaReg comprises 14 projects between the three regions, and is part of the EU's Interreg initiative. Some 50 per cent of the budget is supplied by the EU, 33 per cent by the respective national governments of each of the three regions, and 17 per cent by the Norwegian government.
Fish farmers have been briefed, and McElwee hopes the project will generate interest within the wider marine industry. One group likely to be particularly receptive is the harbourmasters. They have to deal with the negative impact of marine residue on a daily basis, as seen in regular pockets of floating debris.
"Currently we are trying to quantify what [ waste] is available, where and in what quantities, and match same with suitable recycling," McElwee explains.
"We hope that there will be a financial return for both parties. The Irish aquaculture industry was always going to be too small to make this viable, which is why we welcome our Norwegian and Galician partners. If the seafood sector gets involved, it will be of great benefit," McElwee says.
See: www.aquabyproducts.com