President hails ‘significant’ work on exploiting sea resource

Marine scientists in the North and the Republic are making a significant contribution to exploiting their 220 million acres of shared sea resource, according to President Michael D Higgins.

Speaking at the Nutramara marine science conference in Dublin, Mr Higgins said Ireland’s marine sector — comprising fisheries, seaweed, offshore oil and gas, marine biotechnology, shipping and transport, renewable ocean energy and marine ICT — is valued at €3bn and supports 44,000 jobs.

He said that Nutramara — the Marine Functional Foods Research Initiative — will make a significant contribution to exploiting this resource in a more sustainable way. The Irish agri-food and fisheries sector employs around 135,000 people, has a gross output of €22bn and accounts for 60% of exports by indigenous firms.

Mr Higgins said: “Seafood is a valuable source of protein which would meet many of the formative needs of the increasing populations of both the developed and the developing world. Ireland is in a strong position to provide this global population with high quality seafood which our significant marine and coastal waters yield.

“Ireland has become internationally recognised for research in food and in the marine areas. We have built an infrastructure, both physical and human, which has allowed us to collaborate and also compete with some of the best in the world in our field.”