Economic impact from expansion of the Irish aquaculture sector

As part of the European Union (EU)’s Blue growth Strategy to create sustainable growth and employment in the marine economy, aquaculture has been identified as a sector with high growth potential. In Ireland, the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development (NSPSAD) sets out a target of achieving production levels, for all aquaculture sub-sectors, at or near previous historic maxima simultaneously. This equates to a total aquaculture output of 82,000 tonnes National annually which represents a substantial increase on current production levels; more than double the average annual output from the sector based on 2014 levels of production (31,000 tonnes) (STECF, 2016). The NSPSAD highlights the necessary investment in coordinating measures to increase competitiveness. Read on »

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