Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 135: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the proportion of the fish landed in Irish ports processed in this country as opposed to exported raw. [25428/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Data produced by The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority show that the volume and value of fish landings by Irish vessels in 2006 amounted to 267,817 tonnes valued at €203.3 million. The landings included those into both Irish and foreign ports. By category of fish these landings comprised:

Of this amount, landings into Irish ports only amounted to: 190,253 Tonnes valued at €161.8 million.

The bulk of fish which comes ashore at Irish ports may be destined for the local fresh market, may be sold to fresh fish markets on the continent, particularly France and Spain, and the remainder goes to the Irish fish processing sector. Processing activity includes production of frozen fillets, mainly in the case of the pelagic herring and mackerel, to added value consumer ready products in the case, in particular of shellfish products such as crab, mussels, scallops etc.

Effectively all the pelagic fish landed in Ireland is exported, mainly in whole frozen and in frozen fillet form to African and East European markets. A substantial proportion of the whitefish landings are sold on the fresh domestic market while species such as hake, megrim and monkfish tend to be exported in fresh form.

In the main, shellfish species are sold live and fresh in the case of lobsters, oysters and some crab, but also in processed form as consumer ready products in the case of mussels and Dublin Bay prawns. Salmon from aquaculture is exported fresh, but in recent years there has been a move away from exporting the whole fish towards the export of fillets which is a higher value form.

In 2007 seafood exports amounted to 158,022 tonnes valued at €360 million. This included exports of seafish and aquaculture products including salmon in fresh fillet as well as smoked form, and mussels and oysters.

Exports of whitefish and some pelagic in fresh form amounted to: 20,755 tonnes valued at €50 million. This amount may be considered that which is not processed. Exports of shellfish in live, fresh and frozen and other processed forms are classified cumulatively and amounted to 41,723 tonnes valued at €147 million. A large percentage of this value is accounted for by processed product.

The remaining €158 million value of exports comprises fish which has been processed in a variety of ways, including whole frozen and frozen fillets, individually frozen pieces e.g. mussels, cooked and pasteurised such as crab, smoked fish including salmon and other processed and prepared presentations.