Presentation by Catherine McManus at the Women and the Sea Symposium, 2015. Podcast available at http://www.ucd.ie/humanities/events/podcasts/2015/women-and-the-sea/

1. From Fanad Fisheries to Marine Harvest –
the first 35 years of salmon farming in
Ireland.
Women And The Sea

2. › One of Irelands leading seafood companies
› Irelands largest producer of Atlantic salmon
› Fully integrated value chain from broodstock
to ready-to-eat meals, 3 year cycle.
› Pioneering the development of our industry
in Ireland
› Our strategy is to become a world leading
producer of organic salmon with up to
20,000 tons of organic salmon
› Our business is the production of high
quality, differentiated seafood products for a
better life.
2
Marine Harvest Ireland in brief
Volume produced 2014:
Sales 2014:
Salmon meals each year:
Employees:
6,260 tonnes 40.6 million
€ 42.4 m 2014 = 254
2015 = 285

3. Marine Harvest Global presence
3
Norway
258,021 tonnes
produced
Scotland
48,858 tonnes
produced
Poland
The Czech
Republic
France
Italy
Faroes
11,532 tonnes
produced
Ireland
6,260 tonnes
produced
The
Netherlands
Belgium
Spain Vap Europe
50,867 tonnes sold
Asia
China
Japan
South
Korea
Taiwan
Hong Kong
SingaporeChile
67,504 tonnes
produced
Canada
26,607 tonnes
produced
Usa
Head office
Farming and processing activities
Primary and secondary processing
Feed factory
Sales
All figures, 2014

4. Marine Harvest Ireland - Who are we?
4
› Marine Harvest Ireland (MHI) began life as Fanad Fisheries in 1979 with farms and
hatcheries now in Donegal, Mayo, Kerry and Cork.
› 86% of the fish produced by MHI is exported throughout the EU, Asia, USA and
Canada.
› MHI is the only producer of organic salmon in the Marine Harvest Group worldwide
that holds EU organic approval. It also holds Naturland (Germany) and BioSuisse
(Switzerland) organic certification
› MHI’s Deenish sea site in Co. Kerry is the first in Ireland to achieve Aquaculture
Stewardship Council (ASC) certification, with its other sites to follow throughout
Ireland.

5. MH Ireland locations
5
Processing and Sales:
› Rinmore
Hatcheries and Smolt Units:
› Kindrum
› Lough Altan
› Pettigo
Seawater Sites:
› Mulroy Bay: (Cranford, Millstone, Glinsk.)
› Whillins – (Donegal Bay)
› Creevin – (Donegal Bay) Cr
› Lough Swilly
› Clare Island Seafarms (Clew Bay)
› Innishfarnard (Kenmare Bay)
› Deenish (Ballinskelligs/Kenmare Bay)
› Roancarriag (Bantry Bay)
› Ahabeg (Bantry Bay)
Ro
K
K
A
D
S
In
M
W
Cr
C
A
P
R
S
R
M
A
Cr
W P
C
D In
Ro A

6. The beginning - 1979
6

7. Marine Harvest Ireland – Donegal Operations
7
› MHI was established in
Co. Donegal (formerly
Fanad Fisheries) and
has been operating in
Mulroy Bay since 1979,
Lough Swilly since 1986
and Inver Bay since
2012.
› The company also has
one breeding facility and
two smolt (juvenile
salmon) production units
in the county.

8. Kindrum Breeding Unit
8

9. Glinsk in Mulroy Bay
9

10. L. Swilly, Co. Donegal Seafarm
10

11. Rinmore Processing Plant built in 1998
11

12. MHI – Mayo operations
12
› MHI has been operating in Co. Mayo
since 2004 following the purchase of
Clare Island Sea Farms (Feirm Farraige
Oilean Chliara Teo).
› The salmon from the Clare Island Sea
Farm produces up to 4,300 tons of
organic salmon annually.

13. MHI South West operations
13
› Following the purchase of Silverking
Seafoods, MHI has been operating in
Co. Cork and Kerry since 2008.
› Salmon farming established in Bantry
Bay since 1970’s at Roancarrig.
› Kenmare Bay farms include Deenish
and Inishfarnard.

14. Farming Technology - Then and Now
14

15. 15

16. Plastic circular pens
16

17. Plastic pen side profile
17
› 80 to 120 m circumference
› Depth variable: 10 to 20m in Irl.

18. • Vaccination
• Sealice control:
From medication to biological
control with cleaner fish
• Low stocking densities
• Optimal farm location
18
Healthy fish are happy fish
Fish
1%
Water
99%

19. Female Roles – the early days
19

20. Feed distribution
20

21. 21
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Employee Full Time Equivalent Employment
Male
Female

22. Educational Attainment – NFQ
22
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
%
NFQ Level
Male
Female

23. 23
Female
33%
Male
67%
Senior Managment Roles

24. Changing role of women in MHI
24
› Female employees steadily represent 20% of total workforce
› Average length of service is 9.8 years
› Longest serving female employee is 30 years
› In the 1980’s and 1990’s, females dominated operative roles in fish processing
› Today, males dominate these roles
› 87.5% of the Finance team is female
› 67% of the Technical/Quality team is female
› 50% of the Sales team is female

25. Fish Processing
25

26. Technical Roles
26

27. Water quality
27
• Deep water
currents disperse
nutrients and
particles
• Regular water
and seabed
monitoring ensure
fish and
environmental
welfare
• Fallowing of sites
allows for
environmental
replenishment
Managing our resources

28. Breeding
28

29. 29
Future perspectives- Aquaculture will grow

30. Seafood potential
30

31. 31
Proteins:
Easily
digestible, high
quality proteins
Omega-3:
High content of
marine omega-3
Vitamins:
High content of
A, D and B12
vitamins
Mineraler:
High content of
iodine, selenium,
taurine and
sterols
WHO recommends eating more fish and seafood
Uniquely healthy

32. Potential growth but it needs to
be done sustainably
Future perspectives- Salmon farming

33. 33
Resource effective food production
Uniquely high energy and
protein retention
Uniquely low
feed conversion rates
(kg feed/ kg meat)
Uniquely low
carbon footprint
(kg CO2 eq/kg)

34. Salmon farming has become a net fish protein producer
80%
25%
Produced on sustainable diets

35. Some of the products our salmon is sold as world wide.
35
Salmon is the key species to develop the seafood category in modern retail

36. 36
Industry Potential (Meeting the Government 2025 targets!!)
Salmonids only:
• Revenue growth from €55m to €300m by 2020.
• Employment growth from 300 to 1,142 direct.
• Employment growth from 840 to 3,198 when both Direct & Indirect are
combined.
• Salary growth from €13m to €50m (Including Indirect salaries; from €37m to
€140m)
• Payment to Suppliers from €54m to €207m
• Re-opening of feed Mill based on increased volumes.
Including all Aquaculture;
• Revenue growth by 2020 to €500m

37. 37

38. 38
› Please visit our website for more information at
› www.marineharvestireland.com
Thank you for your attention