Two Donegal based companies and a Donegal student have won BIM National Seafood Awards.
A Lifetime Achievement Award was also presented to the family of the late Martin Howley of Killybegs.
BIM hosted the inaugural Awards to celebrate Ireland’s €1 billion Seafood Sector which employs 11,000 people across the island.
The shortlist featured 38 finalists from across the seafood industry in the fishing, fish farming, seafood processing and retail sectors. The finalists were selected for their outstanding contributions in the areas of Skills, Sustainability, Innovation and Competitiveness and winners in each category were revealed by at a Gala Awards ceremony in the Clayton Hotel, Ballsbridge.
The Donegal winners were:
Island Seafoods Ltd, Killybegs. Category: Sustainability – Green Processor of the Year
Island Seafoods is a family-owned and run business based just outside Killybegs, Co. Donegal. A verified member of Bord Bia’s Origin Green programme, their fish are fully traceable from “net to fork” and are caught in the North East Atlantic. Island Seafoods was the first company in Ireland to be RSS (Responsibly Sourced Standard) certified by BIM.
Managing Director, Mick O’Donnell has been responsible for and integral in driving the green initiative within Island Seafoods. The company has a “squeaky clean carbon footprint” they say as they have their own Hydro-electric plant which saves over 350 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year. They are also moving into wind energy. Their state-of-the-art waste water treatment plant was commissioned in 1996 and is now seen as the standard for the industry.
In addition to the above, Island launched a range in the last couple of years called “Atlantic Treasures” – this features ready-to-cook products such as Smoked Mackerel infused with Ginger, Chilli & Lime or Honey & Mustard. This range has won numerous Blas na hEireann, Chef’s Choice and Great Taste awards.
Foyle Warrior Ltd, Greencastle. Category: Innovation – Best New Fishing Practive Award
Foyle Warrior Ltd. has introduced new mesh netting on its vessel the Foyle Fisher, in a mixed demersal fishery in the Celtic Sea. The introduction of the new T90 mesh has resulted in major reductions in catches of undersize whiting therefore complying with new regulations.
The quality of the catch is also greatly improved and the crew has to spend less time picking and sorting the catch. Less time spent handling the catch means more time fishing and greater profitability. Substantial improvements in fish quality also add value to the catch.
Student of the Year – Barry Shaw, Killybegs.
Barry Shaw is from Corkermore, Killybegs. He has completed his ‘Class 3 Certificate in Competency in Engineering’ at the National Fisheries College, Greencastle and is now serving his sea time on board a fishing vessel. Prior to the course Barry was serving his apprenticeship as a refrigeration engineer. He was always interested in fishing vessels so decided to further his career and knowledge of engines by doing the course at Greencastle. He loves doing his sea time on board the vessel “Ocean Fresh” and is just back from a trip off the coast of Africa. He said the travelling is fascinating as he is seeing parts of the world he has never seen before.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – MARTIN HOWLEY
Martin Howley was born in Castleconnor on the Mayo/Sligo border in 1952. At 17, his school had a visit from BIM as part of a promotional campaign to recruit young men to the fishing industry. Martin immediately set off for Killybegs to begin his career. In the course of his apprenticeship Martin fished on several boats and in 1980 he joined Skipper John Bach as Mate on the MFV Western Viking, Killybegs Fishing Enterprise’s first RSW vessel. In 1981 Martin graduated to Skipper when the company purchased the MFV Jasper Sea and so began the phenomenally successful partnership of these two vessels and their skippers. In recent years Martin was joint owner of MFV Atlantic Challenge along with other vessels.
Martin was a board member of the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation since it was founded in 1979 and became a well-known figure in Brussels where he fought unswervingly for all Irish fishermen. His final project as KFO member was his involvement in the setting up the Bio-Marine Ingredients Ireland plant in Killybegs. This work is ongoing and is a perfect example of the broad vision of a man who could see the benefits of combining the health supplement industry with a fisheries product.
BIM’s CEO Tara McCarthy outlined the rationale behind the awards; ‘The Irish Seafood Sector contributes €1 billion in GDP to our economy and employs over 11,000 people predominantly in our coastal regions. The BIM National Seafood Awards provide us with the opportunity to celebrate the positive contribution of this valuable indigenous industry and recognize excellence and leadership across this diverse sector. It is an exciting time to work in seafood and the high standard demonstrated by our winners and all of our finalists bodes well for the future as we collectively aim to achieve growth as set out in the Government’s Food Wise 2025 plan’
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