THE RISING TIDE A Review of the Bottom Grown (BG) Mussel Sector on the Island of Ireland Editorial Production: Inshore Ireland Publishing Ltd Design/Typesetting: Checkmate Design. www.checkmatedesign.ie THE RISING TIDE An Review of the Bottom Grown (BG) Mussel Sector on the Island of Ireland 3 Chairman’s Foreword and Acknowledgments The process of compiling the ‘Rising Tide’ Review was deliberately designed to involve the widest possible consultation and I am pleased to say that the bulk of the recommendations, which the Review Group ultimately settled upon, came from the industry consultation sessions. Our approach was to accept that the industry practitioners were best placed to know what was required and to formulate our recommendations using their views as our guide. I would like to thank all of the people who shared their knowledge so generously and freely with us, and I am confident that they will be able to see their views reflected in the text of the final Review document. Working within the Terms of Reference we were given, what we set out to achieve was to craft a series of recommendations that would address the shortcomings in the current arrangements through science based data and the introduction of best practice. Just as importantly, the recommendations are also designed to progressively hand over more and more management responsibility to the producers. The pace at which this will occur is up to the mussel farmers themselves. It will be determined by the ability of the growers to achieve day-to-day working consensus across a wide range of management issues. By learning to trust each other through working together, the producers will eventually come to control most of what happens in their own sector. Over time and if fully implemented, the recommendations contained in the ‘Rising Tide’ Review will also protect the industry in terms of it being able to demonstrate strong environmental sustainability credentials. This is a crucial issue and a failure by the sector to take the necessary steps in this regard will undoubtedly lead to limitations and constraints being imposed from outside. If that were to happen, the true potential of the BG mussel industry on the island of Ireland will not be realised. I would like to acknowledge the cooperation and hard work put into the Review by my colleagues on the Review Group: Mr Kenny Parker and Mr Greg Griffiths of DARD, Mr John Kelly, Ms Jill Dunlea and Ms Deirdre Kelleher of DAFF and Mr Barry Fox of the Loughs Agency. My thanks also to Ms Josephine Kelly of DAFF, Ms Averil Gaw of DARD and Mr Andrew Kineen of the SFPA for their expert advice and input. On behalf of the Review Group I would like to thank Ms Lucy Watson, Mr Nicolas Ranninger and Ms Grainne O’Brien, all of BIM, for preparing the marketing module and overseeing the environmental report respectively. Mr Ben Dallaghan, Mr Ciaran Caulfield, Ms Dee Moore and Mr Bill Hollywood also gave valuable assistance in the preparation of maps and statistics and in organising the logistics of the consultative meetings. Finally I wish to acknowledge the sterling work done by Mr Mike Murphy and most especially by Ms Joanne Gaffney, both of the Aquaculture Initiative EEIG, in providing the secretariat function to the group and facilitating this complex tripartite undertaking. Donal Maguire Chairman of the Bottom Grown Mussel Review Group 4 THE RISING TIDE A Review of the Bottom Grown (BG) Mussel Sector on the Island of Ireland Executive Summary The BG mussel sector, on all parts of the island of Ireland, has undergone many changes over the last ten years. Overall it has been a successful period, characterised by strong market demand for the product and significant inflows of investment both from within the island and from international sources, most notably from the Netherlands. In many ways the sector has been the powerhouse of Irish aquaculture, forging ahead while other types of fish farming have struggled to make progress. It is now a valuable industry generating significant value from an indigenous resource that undoubtedly has scope for further positive development. The picture however has not been uniformly positive. A rapid expansion in output has been experienced in some areas, whilst other, longer established locations, have struggled to cope with the introduction of mandatory vessel safety legislation. At the same time the EU has barred member states from granting financial assistance for fishing vessel purchase or renewal and this set of twin circumstances has driven ownership change amongst the established operators in the sector. Against this backdrop the other overriding characteristic of the period has been an intense and unprecedented competition amongst the producers for access to the wild seed mussel resource. All of these changes have created pressures on the regulatory arrangements and on the infrastructure supporting the sector. These pressures, largely generated by the industry’s own success in expanding its output and range, has led to demand from producers for a wide ranging review in clear recognition that reform of many aspects of the administration and regulation of the sector was urgently needed. The challenge for the BG mussel industry now is to effectively manage all of this change and success so as to permanently capture the progress that has been made and to ensure that the further potential of the sector is unlocked in a way that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. This Review, carried out by a working group drawn from DARD, DAFF and the Loughs Agency, under a Terms of Reference set by the ministers in the two jurisdictions and supported by a Secretariat provided by the Aquaculture Initiative EEIG, sets out a series of analyses and recommendations to address the key deficiencies in the current arrangements. A guiding policy statement was used to underpin the Review and to form the basis for the subsequent recommendations. The purpose of the regulation and management regime for the seed mussel resource shall be to ensure the sustainable exploitation of the wild mussel seed resource and to maximise the benefits derived from that resource in terms of volume and value of the mussel crop subsequently grown, harvested and processed with the objective of generating sustainable economic activity and employment in coastal communities. Marketing Effective marketing and market-led development has to be the cornerstone of any progressive industry. Evidence from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other sources shows that the demand for seafood is increasing the world over, and this clear and growing demand represents an opportunity for the BG mussel sector on the island of Ireland. The projections reliably predict that there is significant opportunity for future growth in the seafood market both at home and abroad. Mussels are an almost ideal form of seafood in marketing terms as they encompass within their product range the key characteristics of health, indulgence and convenience. THE RISING TIDE An Review of the Bottom Grown (BG) Mussel Sector on the Island of Ireland 5 From a marketing perspective, most of the output of BG mussels from the island of Ireland is exported in an undifferentiated bulk form and it is evident that there is scope to add significant value. Therefore, key objectives for the coming years should be to: n Improve and diversify the product offering. n Develop a distinct and ‘valorised’ identity for BG mussels from the island of Ireland. n Improve supplier/buyer relations, thus securing the key relationships in the existing market. n Take advantage of growing consumer demand for seafood, by positioning BG mussels correctly in the market. Summary of marketing recommendations 1. The development agencies to actively work with BG mussel operators on the island of Ireland on the promotion of labelled IQM quality assured mussels into the Dutch-supplied marketplace. 2. The development agencies to engage in a market development programme for BG mussels from the island of Ireland in the French market place, including an awareness campaign and inward journalist visits. 3. That further investment is made in market research and intelligence. 4. That improved services for commercially focused Research and Development/New Product Development (NPD) be provided by the relevant agencies. Environment An environmental assessment of the BG mussel culture industry throughout the island of Ireland was carried out by Poseidon-Aquatic Resource Management Ltd, the full text of the environmental assessment is included in Appendix 3. The environmental assessment was conducted within the context of the existing series of agreements and cross-border mechanisms for the management of the sector, in particular the seed fishery. Given that a number of the recommendations made by the independent review of the environmental sustainability of the BG grown mussel sector are already underway, it is clear that the industry is well aware of its interaction with the natural environment and that it is being proactive in continually improving its environmental performance. Overall the sector has a low environmental impact, especially in the areas of visual impact, noise, odour, water, landscape and material assets. Resource use (seed allocation) and ecological impacts (benthic impacts) require a greater level of understanding, and this will be progressively addressed by the recommended research priorities, proposed stock tracking system and fishing schedules. The more structured approach to the management of licensed areas and to seed allocations as laid out in the main recommendations of the Review will enhance the effectiveness of existing and new environmental management mechanisms, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of the sector. 6 THE RISING TIDE A Review of the Bottom Grown (BG) Mussel Sector on the Island of Ireland Summary of environmental recommendations 1. That the competent authorities continue the appropriate assessment process where aquaculture sites for BG cultivation lie within or adjacent to NATURA 2000 sites.