Aquaculture

Aquaculture is an increasingly important fisheries sector, both in terms of increased production and employment. In most coastal areas, it is dominated by the production of finfish (salmon and trout) and shellfish (mussels and oysters).

Development
In order to develop a sustainable shellfish or finfish aquaculture industry the key question of carrying capacity needs to be addressed. For example, how much shellfish aquaculture can a bay area sustain? What is the optimal amount of shellfish aquaculture in a bay? What are the best site locations? Part of sustainability is having a knowledge base and decision support systems in place to assist in the optimal development of fish aquaculture.

Modelling
MarCon provide services to the aquaculture industry such as optimum site selection, appropriate assessments, environmental impact assessments, and food and waste dispersion studies. Through links with national and international partners we have the facility to provide shellfish growth predictions on an individual or farmscale and also husbandry recommendations for optimum site/farm performance.

We are currently developing a computerised modelling and reporting system for Bord Iascaigh Mhara that enables modelling and reporting based on numerous scenarios that could impact shellfish aquaculture. The system integrates with GIS technology facilitating analysis at both the macro/nationwide level and micro/individual site level.