Intelligence

Sneak preview of the pre-GOAL field trips in Ireland

8 May 2017 Steven Hedlund

The Global Aquaculture Alliance’s GOAL (Global Outlook for Aquaculture Leadership) 2017 conference will be held at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, from Oct. 3 to 6. Three industry tours will be offered just prior to the start of the four-day conference, including one of IDAS (Trout) Ltd, Fish Farms, which is nestled in the Wicklow Mountains, about 60 kilometers south of Dublin.

Pictured is the original IDAS (Trout) site in Woodenbridge. The farm was established by Danish entrepreneurs in 1964. It’s Ireland’s first non-governmental fish farm. Today, the farm is Irish-owned. It is located at the site of a former mill.

The flow-through system uses water from Aughrim River to grow rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). About 1,000 liters of water per minute flow through the system. The farm consists of 18 short raceways, surrounded by three long canals. Each raceway is stocked with about four metric tons of fish.

The trout are harvested between 300 and 600 grams each. The fish are processed in Kilkenny and sold at retail and foodservice outlets throughout Ireland.

Pictured is Damien O’Keeffe, who has years of experience managing an array of aquaculture production systems worldwide. He returned to his native Ireland to manage IDAS (Trout).

IDAS (Trout) has a hatchery and a small grow-out farm right in the village Aughrim, just minutes from the main farm site in Woodenbridge.

Harty Oyster is also on the docket for an industry tour just prior to the start of the GOAL 2017 conference. Harty Oyster and Dungarvan Shellfish Ltd., its sister company, are located in Dungarvan in County Waterford on Ireland’s south coast, about 200 kilometers south of Dublin and 75 kilometers east of Cork. The Harty family has lived and worked there for more than six generations since 1835.

Jim Harty established the farm in 1986. He’s a pioneer of Ireland’s oyster industry, one of the first in the country to recognize the potential for oyster farming in the Celtic Sea. Pictured is his son, Joe, director, brand ambassador and Jack-of-all-trades on the farm.

Gigas, or Pacific, oysters (Crassostrea gigas) are grown on the farm. The oysters feature a deep cup and rich, flavorful taste. The oysters are exported worldwide, mainly to France. Sales to China are climbing steadily.

The oysters start their lives in 4-millimeter bags. In the first year the bags are turned over three times. The oysters are then graded and re-bagged in 9-millimeter bags, giving them more space to grow. In the second year, the bags are turned five times and then graded for size again. In the third year, bags are turned one last time, which helps lengthen the oysters’ shelf life.

Harty Oysters produces more than 600 metric tons per year in four sizes — No. 0 (more than 150 grams), No. 1 (110 to 150 grams), No. 2 (85 to 110 grams) and No. 3 (65 to 85 grams).

Visit Irish trout and oyster farms before GOAL, the leading aquaculture industry conference

To register for GOAL, please visit https://www.aquaculturealliance.org/goal/

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Author

Steven Hedlund

Communications Manager
Global Aquaculture Alliance
Portsmouth, NH, USA

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Visit Irish trout and oyster farms before GOAL, the leading aquaculture industry conference

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