Submission on Wild Salmon
to Oireachtas Joint Committee on
Communications, Marine & Natural Resources
Wild Salmon Quality and Marketing
Wild salmon has long been regarded as one of Ireland’s most prized fish and
an important species for the Irish commercial fishing industry.
While fish
quality at sea improved in other fisheries through icing and care of the catch,
traditional, drift net fisheries for wild salmon remained disadvantaged, e.g.
little or no access to ice or ability to take ice to sea. The lack of such facilities
resulted in a perception that wild caught salmon were of poor quality and were
characterised by, excessive bruising, mushy flesh and gaping and blood
spotted fillets. As a result, the market value for wild caught salmon remained
significantly below that which might be expected for this truly unique natural
wild product traditionally associated with Ireland.
To address and rectify this situation, an improvement in the handling of
salmon, at sea, was imperative. In response to the requirement to maximise
the quality and onshore value of wild caught salmon, BIM developed a Wild
Salmon Quality Guide, drawing on the best handling practices found in other
wild salmon fisheries such as Canada and Alaska, as well as those found in
the Irish salmon farming industry.
A pilot salmon quality programme was
conducted by BIM in the Cleggan area in 2001, which concentrated on
improving standards through training workshops for fishermen and ‘hands on’
guidance at sea and ashore.
The workshops included information and
instruction on how to improve the handling of the fish, and specifically
addressed bleeding and icing at sea and quality grading.
The fishermen
involved soon achieved the professional standard required, landing high
quality fish for premium prices, throughout the season.
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The success in 2001 encouraged the expansion of the programme to other
areas of the coast in the 2002 season and BIM engaged in an extensive
programme of training workshops, on a national scale. The response from the
industry to the workshops was overwhelming, as the financial benefits of
taking ice to sea and improving quality were demonstrable.
During 2002, BIM coastal staff successfully ran 13 workshops, attended by
some 180 fishermen in Belderrig, Cleggan, Roundstone, the Aran Islands,
Burtonport, Greencastle, Dunmore East, Youghal, Ballymacoda, Ballycotton,
Ballydavid, Dingle and Co Clare. In addition, three hundred and fifty, 310, 150
and 70 litre ice bins were distributed to participating skippers, and 10-14
seasonal ice plants of up to 2 tonnes capacity were installed in areas lacking
access to ice.
In support of quality and marketing objectives, a shore-and-sea-based
advisory service was provided through the season to ensure that the industry
was achieving the standards required. A number of buyers and Co-ops also
engaged in the process and with the assistance of the Market Development
Division of BIM, a number of contracts, built around the scheme, were
successfully negotiated by groups of salmon fishermen and their Co-ops for
the 2002 season. The most significant of these was a single contract for up to
10,000 fish negotiated by the Cleggan, Renvyle and Islands Co-op with a
French buyer. These fish, headed, gutted and frozen by a local Galway fish
processor, created, five, new jobs for the season. In 2002, prices for wild
caught salmon were generally higher than those achieved in 2001 but were
significantly greater where supply contracts had been negotiated. In Donegal
the average price was €7 to €7.50/kg, representing a 40-50% increase on
prices in 2001.
In Galway, the lowest price was €7/kg, with significant
numbers of fish selling at up to €10/kg. In north Mayo, prices were similar to
2001 at €5/kg, however some well handled, good quality fish made up to
€7/kg. Prices in Dingle were somewhat better and averaged between €6.10
to €6.40/kg with larger fish making considerably more.
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Fishermen in the areas involved responded to the market demand
enthusiastically and fish landed were of the highest quality. Bleeding and
icing at sea dramatically improved wild salmon quality, ensuring firm flesh with
little bruising, good fillet definition, a low incidence of blood spots, good gill
colour and overall increased shelf life.
Buyers reacted favourably to the
availability of high quality fish, particularly as the product was ideal for the
premium smoked salmon market.
During the 2003 season, BIM worked with the industry to maximise the value
of landed fish, through the development of an accredited quality scheme for
wild salmon. The Irish wild salmon fishery became the first wild fishery in the
world to be accredited under the European, product and quality systems
certification EN45011.
Under this Scheme, fishermen grade their salmon
taking into account factors like scale loss, net markings and skin condition.
Salmon meeting the criteria of the standard are tagged with a distinctive swing
tag, which allows buyers to readily identify premium quality salmon from
EN45011 accredited vessels and also enables them to check vessel details
on-line, allowing full traceability of the product. While only a small number of
vessels participated in the initial scheme in 2003, nineteen vessels from
Greencastle, Dunmore East, Dingle and Cleggan received EN45011
certification in 2004.
The expansion of the quality initiative in 2002 and its
extension to 2004, proved to be a great success, with average prices for
quality fish rising to €9-10/kg in 2002 to €10-13/kg in 2004. The trend is
promising and indicative of fishermen maximising the value of their catch
through the use of accredited product and quality management methods and
procedures as set out in the table below.
Details of the certified vessels, the EN45011 standard for wild caught salmon,
and the areas from which accredited vessels operate are available on
www.bim.ie/ws
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The average market price, per kilogramme for Irish, wild salmon
between 2001 and 2004
Season
Average Price
2001
2002
2003
2004
€4/kg
€7-7.50/kg
€9-10/kg
€10-13/kg
Importance of Wild Salmon to the Seafood Sector
It is estimated that close to 70% of the landings of wild salmon are now
purchased by the Irish seafood processing sector, most of which are frozen in
season for smoking in the run up to Christmas. There are also some exports
of wild salmon, notably to Scotland, but this is diminishing as the volume
declines and the needs of the domestic market expand.
There are almost 60 Irish seafood companies involved in salmon smoking
relying mainly on salmon of farmed origin but at least 25 of these firms
specialise to varying degrees in the processing and marketing wild salmon.
These specialist companies, some of which date back to the early 19 th
century, have built their reputation on both the home and export market on
wild salmon and it forms a substantial part of their turnover.
The price
differential (about €5-7/kg) for wild smoked salmon over farmed product and
the higher margin achievable also makes wild an important contributor to
overall profitability. Without wild salmon, many of the companies would not be
able to survive.
The companies involved in salmon smoking and processing have invested
heavily over the past decade, generally with State support, in the upgrading of
their premises and technology in order to comply with domestic and EU
legislative requirements as well as customer audits.
There has also been
heavy investment by them in marketing of their wild salmon products at home
and on export markets.
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The Indecon Report of 2002 on wild salmon does not take account of the
importance of salmon to the seafood processing sector or its importance on
the menu in the general tourist industry. Visitors to Ireland, especially along
the western seaboard, expect to find fresh and smoked wild salmon on the
menu at an affordable price, particularly during the peak tourist seasons.
They have access to farmed salmon throughout the year and expect “that
something special” while on holiday.
Similarly, Christmas is a time when
there is high seasonal consumption of wild Irish smoked salmon.
There is
also a strong tradition built up over many years, in fact generations, where
Irish smoked salmon is marketed as a premium gourmet seafood item to
exclusive restaurant, retail and other outlets in Europe and further afield.
Wild salmon often is the key to gaining entry to the market for other high value
seafood products on export markets.
This does not take away from the
importance of the farmed counterpart, which also has a very important place
in the market.
The wild salmon industry contributes significantly to the overall employment in
the fish processing sector, particularly preparing for the Christmas smoked
trade. Salmon is prepared for the fresh market in the main drift net season as
well as freezing down for smoking over the rest of the year. The smoked
salmon plants are located all around the coast often with employment
following on from the main tourist season. This employment has become of
greater importance in Donegal and other coastal regions where jobs have
been lost from other seafood sub-sectors, notably pelagic processing.
The drift net wild salmon is an essential part of the profile of Irish seafood. It
is a flagship product along with high value products such as native oysters,
lobsters and Dublin Bay prawns and it makes an important contribution to the
income of small boat fishermen and others engaged in the smoking, catering
and marketing sectors in remote and disadvantaged coastal areas.
Bord Iascaigh Mhara
24 March 2005
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