At Thursday’s IFA Aquaculture Conference, Minister Timmy Dooley reiterated the government’s commitment to continuing to support the development of the aquaculture sector and streamlining aquaculture licencing. At a time when the government is promoting growth of the Irish aquaculture industry, SWAN believes it is more vital than ever to prioritise the restoration of nature and improvement of water quality, though much fish-farming currently does the opposite.
While both the Minister and Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM, Ireland’s seafood agency) both attempted to paint a picture of sustainability around aquaculture at the conference, looking at greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint alone misses the industry’s harmful environmental effects on water quality, biodiversity and natural ecosystems. IFA and BIM spoke of the need for good water quality for finfish and shellfish farming, without addressing the harm done by some aquaculture practices.
Salmon is one of the main aquaculture species in Ireland. Their farming, in open-net sea pens, has a detrimental effect on the water quality of the sea surrounding pens and wild species. Associated problems include the pollution created by uneaten feed and faeces (leading to higher levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon in the waters around and under the cages or pens) and the use of antibiotics and chemicals to treat parasites, all of which enters the water surrounding the pens. Additionally, farmed fish often escape and breed with wild populations, resulting in hybrids not suited for the wild. Disease, including increased levels of sea lice, can also spread to, and kill, native populations of salmon and sea trout. Salmon are carnivorous fish and therefore their feed relies on wild-capture fisheries, which can lead to overfishing, bycatch and habitat destruction.
Sea lice infection
The numerous references to “sustainable aquaculture” in documents such as Ireland’s National Marine Planning Framework, DAFM’s Food Vision 2030, the 2025 Programme for Government and the National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture must acknowledge, and mitigate, the environmentally detrimental effects of this form of fish farming, which go beyond greenhouse gas emissions.
Apart from salmon, the other main segments of Ireland’s aquaculture industry are oysters and mussels. As bivalve shellfish culture does not require additional food or medicine, it avoids many of the detrimental environmental impacts of finfish aquaculture. However, dredging for mussel seed to populate farms can also negatively impact marine ecosystems, and the farming of non-native Pacific oysters in Ireland may displace populations of native species, so care must be taken to ensure nature restoration is prioritised.
While many commercial aquaculture practices can be damaging to the environment, developing restorative and regenerative forms of aquaculture can have a beneficial effect on water and ecosystems. SWAN supports investment in research and development of these more responsible forms of aquaculture, such as those which do not rely on wild-caught fish for feed, build native oyster reefs, recirculate waste to filter-feeders, or are land-based and therefore do not risk the release of fish, parasites or waste mixing into ecosystems.
Ireland represents only 0.03% of world aquaculture production and only 3% of European production. We have an opportunity to develop restorative and regenerative forms of aquaculture, rather than encouraging growth of practices destructive to Ireland’s precious water.
SWAN will be launching its full report and recommendations on Irish aquaculture so follow us on social media or sign up for updates to get more.