
Irish organic mussel soup shortlisted for international award
Seafood BusinessTwenty-one Irish companies are participating at Seafood Expo Global 2014 (May 6-8), the world's largest seafood trade fair. Shellfish, whitefish, pelagic and finfish products in live, chilled, canned frozen and smoked formats, will be showcased to 25,000 potential buyers and sellers from 145 countries worldwide.

"It is encouraging to see such a strong Irish presence at the Seafood Expo Global as international trade events remain a critical business development platform for Irish exporters," remarked Aidan Cotter, Bord Bia chief executive.

College graduates targeted for seafood sector
Seafood BusinessThe seafood development agency, BIM, and University College Cork (UCC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide structured industry placements for graduates to Ireland's seafood processing sector.

Kieran Calnan, BIM Chair; Dr Michael Murphy, President, UCC and Jason Whooley, BIM CEO
The Seafood Graduate Programme will be administered by the Food Industry Training Unit in UCC and the Seafood Develoment Centre in BIM, to enable greater collaboration and facilitate the transition of graduates into employmejnt via BIM's SDC innovation facility in Cork. The programme also includes a Graduate Masters Bursary to enable graduates undertake a research masters qualification of direct relevance to Ireland's seafood industry.

Killybegs targets world status as a producer of bio-marine ingredients
Seafood Business
Can Ireland overcome challenges and become a global seafood supplier?
Seafood BusinessIreland’s seafood sector has the potential to increase sales to €1 billion and deliver 1,200 additional jobs by 2017, delegates heard at a recent industry conference organised by BIM.
But the sector faces similar issues to the 1980s Irish dairy industry of quota restriction, a fragmented processing infrastructure, a limited international footprint and zero presence on the stockmarket, warned Joe Gill, director of Goodbody Ireland. He added that the dairy sector evolved by consolidating through investment.

Kieran Calnan, BIM chairman with Minister Simon Coveney and Jason Whooley, BIM chief exectuve
“The seafood sector should have the ambition to follow that route,” he told participants attending Capturing Ireland’s Share of the Global Seafood Opportunity.

Seafood heavyweights ‘line-out’ at Dublin’s Avia Stadium
Seafood BusinessA conference organised by the Irish Sea Fisheries Board (BIM): Capturing Ireland’s Share of the Global Seafood Opportunity (April 2) is being billed as the country’s premier seafood event of 2014.
Taking place in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, home of Irish international rugby and soccer, the one-day event includes a speaker line-up of seafood business leaders, global industry thinkers and ‘renowned’ fisheries experts. According to the agency’s chief executive, Jason Whooley, the busy agenda should stimulate discussion and promote debate on how the industry will shape the future of the sector as Ireland’s maximises its share of the worldwide seafood opportunity.

“The speaker line-up gives delegates access to business heavyweights operating nationally and internationally at the top of the seafood and agri-food sectors. Their experience should be of benefit to the Irish industry as it continues to strategically develop the fishery and aquaculture resource.”

Castletownbere Co-op appointed international whitefish supplier
Seafood BusinessMajor Spanish supermarket chain, Mercadona, has appointed Castletownbere Co-op as their international partner to supply an annual estimate of 2,000 tonnes of whitefish.
The Co-op will supply monkfish and megrim to Mercadona in specific packaging formats, weights and grades following capital investment to bring the processing plant up to the required standard, staff development and up-skilling.

John Nolan, Castletownbere Co-op; Paul Ward, BIM, and Ismael Fogado, Mercadona
"We're delighted to have achieved BRC (British Retail Consortium) status and the BIM Responsibly Sourced Standard. Our objective is to achive the best return for our members' vessels and to safeguard the employment that we create in the Beara Peninsula. An important factor in this development was the close support and opportunity offered from Mercadona."
Ismael Folgado, Mercadona, said that a key responsibility for them a a retailer is to support primary sectors pursuing a sustainable agri-food chain and adding value.

The Fishmonger
Seafood BusinessWith over thirty years’ experience as a fishmonger in Cork’s world-renowned English Market, Pat O’Connell is well known both at home and abroad. In The Fishmonger he paints a vivid picture of the trials and triumphs of life as an English Market trader in a highly competitive and ever-changing environment.

He describes the devastation faced by the market traders in the wake of raging infernos; their struggle for survival in times of recession; their battle against strong competition and their eventual path to success.

Inaugural young fishmonger of the year awards
Seafood BusinessJames Kirwan, East Coast Seafood, Naas, Co Kildare has scooped the top prize in the BIM Young Fishmonger of the Year awards, selected from a shortlist of five finalists.
'Each finalist exhibited a dynamic and innovative approach to seafood retailing, coupled with an outstanding knowledge of seafood,' according to the seafood development agency.

James Kirwan, Senator Fergal Quinn and Jason Whooley, BIM chief executive
"This initiative is part of BIM's ongoing commitment to attracting and supporting young people in the seafood sector," said Jason Whooley, BIM chief executive.

