State funds help Killary to show their mussels!
Renowned Connemara aquaculture business, Killary Fjord Shellfish, has completed a €270,000 investment aimed at meeting rising demand for premium Irish shellfish.
The investment in new harvesting equipment, and the expansion of the farm’s rope-grown mussel system, has resulted in higher yields, reduced fuel consumption and increased efficiencies.
Based in Leehane, Killary Fjord Shellfish secured €118,000 in grant support under the Sustainable Aquaculture Scheme, funded through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).
The scheme is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union and administered by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland’s Seafood Development Agency.
Killary Fjord Shellfish is owned and operated by Simon Kennedy and his wife Kate O’Connor.
The business is based in the spectacular 16km-long Killary Fjord on the Galway/Mayo border, framed by the Mweelrea, Maumturk and Twelve Bens mountains.
According to Simon Kennedy the investment reflects a long-term commitment to sustainability.
“We’ve been farming mussels in Killary Harbour for more than three decades and protecting the resource we rely on has always been central to how we operate,” he said.
“This investment has allowed us modernise, reduce energy costs and work more efficiently, while continuing to produce a premium Irish product in a way that makes sense environmentally and commercially,” he added.
Interim CEO of BIM, Richard Donnelly, said that the investment demonstrated ‘how Irish aquaculture businesses are innovating to become more efficient and sustainable’.
Killary Fjord Shellfish has consistently prioritised sustainable practices, and wherever possible avoids single-use plastics, sourcing recyclable or reusable materials. Cotton mesh used for mussel bags is compostable and locally sourced, oysters are packaged in wooden boxes, and rope used in growing systems is stripped down and reused annually.