Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) says it has received 17 expressions of interest from firms to operate its planned EUR 40 million organic salmon farm off the Co Clare coast.
Head of aquaculture development at BIM, Donal Maguire, said many of the expressions of interest in what will be Ireland’s largest organic salmon farm are from international firms, including some from Norway. “There is big interest in being the tenant for the project,” he said.
Located on two sites off the smallest of the Aran Islands, Inis Óirr, the project will have the capacity to produce 15,000 metric tons of organic salmon each year — representing a doubling of the country’s current production.
BIM’s Deep Sea Project will employ 350 directly and a further 150 indirectly, and provide EUR 100 million in exports annually.
The wages from the jobs — to include posts for managers, biologist, skippers, deckhands, farm operatives, commercial divers, marine engineers and fish processing personnel — will generate EUR 14.5 million per annum.
Maguire said the project was the first of three deep-sea fish farms BIM was planning off Ireland’s coast. The other two are proposed for sites off counties Mayo and Donegal.
This is the first time BIM has applied for an aquaculture license.
BIM says that by lodging the plan itself, it will ensure further accountability to the public.
The environmental impact statement states: “There is a variety of misinformation about fish farming in the public domain which has understandably led to some unfounded fears.”
Maguire said if all went well with the application, there would be “fish going to sea” at the fish farm in late 2013 or early 2014.
