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Ella McSweeney's broad stroke article documenting the urgent need for action to prevent the extinction of Irish Atlantic salmon brought a buzz of gratitude from the conservation and angling communities, and to note, increasingly consumers and chefs no longer willing to turn a complacent cheek to the destruction of the invasive farmed species.
We paused at McSweeney's claim that Ireland is the top producer of farmed salmon (Salmo domestica, if you will) in the EU. Our own argument for turning Ireland's back on the farms in favour of protection of the Salmon of Knowledge, Salmo salar, as a more valuable cultural; tourism; and sporting product, relies on the relatively weak position of Ireland in farmed salmon production. (That's to say nothing of land-based and closed containment farming alternatives.)
While McSweeney is, technically, right, context beyond fact-checking reveals a bigger picture: Norway produced almost 300,000 tonnes of farmed salmon for Mowi in 2023. While not an EU member, Norway's position in Europe is the relevant factor here. It dwarfs Chile's second place figure, who produced 70K tonnes, and Canada who produced 30K tonnes. Scotland produced 55K tonnes, where again we should not be concerned with EU member status so much as geographical location. Following Scotland, Faroes and Iceland produced around 11K tonnes each. Ireland produced only 4,500 tonnes of farmed fish for the multinational conglomerate.Reading between the lines, we can easily deduce Ireland's contribution and, as McSweeney notes, mere 180 jobs, can be redistributed to protect the better investment. (Irish Farmers Association reports a higher 2,000 direct jobs.)
Where in this matter is the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in conversation with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine of Ireland? These are the two politicians we need to hear in dialogue with each other, to hear the former's statement of value for the Irish Atlantic Salmon.
Failte Ireland turned its back on fishing, and has spent the last 20 years allocating resources to golf and absorbing the angling executive role into the "golf and outdoor pursuits" umbrella, citing the dwarfed figures for angling tourism, but we are unconvinced that the gross national revenue for angling-related activities, cultural tourism surrounding the Fenian Cycle of Irish Mythology, and sustainable culinary pursuits doesn't outweigh a low-ranking spot on Mowi's totem pole. How false does it look to push a pristine Ireland tourism product while actively destroying its environs?
She was literally named the Salmon of Knowledge thousands of years ago, before British colonial threat or the gentler, albeit similar, extraction of 95% of Ireland's waters by the European Union. If Ireland is willing to forget it in a matter of a few decades, and stop measuring her en masse, that is in tonnes rather than by head like you would a sheep or cow so lovingly grass-fed for superior nutrition, what does that say about the people of the island nation?
Full Irish Times Article:
Ella McSweeney
