The decline of the Irish fishmonger: 'If we don’t start looking after them, we’re going to lose them'

“The way it’s looking, it’s hard to imagine there’ll be many independent fishmongers in 10 or 20 years, and the only complaints we’d get is that the price is not what it used to be.”

The Irish fishing fleet has halved in size in the last 20 years

For an island nation, we have a curiously detached relationship with our superb Irish fish and seafood. Our consumption is not only markedly lower than other European nations, but almost 20% of Irish people spurn entirely one of nature’s finest foodstuffs. BIM are addressing that pattern, with four independent Irish fishmongers recently securing the prestigious accolade of ‘master fishmonger’, at a ceremony in London’s storied Fishmongers’ Hall.

“The annual Irish domestic seafood market is €524m,” says Paul Ward, BIM manager of business intelligence, “about €175 in the food service sector, but retail is mainly in the multiples; the smallest portion is the independent fishmongers. Over the last decade, while the value of sales increased, the volume of retail sales has decreased and we’ve seen a drop in households purchasing seafood.