That is the opinion of Finian O’Sullivan, Chairman of the National Committee of IFA Aquaculture, owner of Bantry Harbour Mussels Ltd., located at Gurteen in Bantry Bay on the West Cork coast, established forty-two years ago, in May 1982.
That is a lot of experience in aquaculture and it was amongst the comments he gave me in an interview when I asked him to assess the sector, after his election at the IFA annual meeting. He was outlining his views about environmental comments made about the aquaculture sector and disinformation and misinformation. He told me that he is an environmentalist himself, concerned about his locality and that no one who worked on the sea would damage it.
The interview is included in the May edition of my SEASCAPES Podcast and, in the continuing debate about the future of seafood and security of food supplies in an island nation, it is an interesting one, where he refers to additional usage there could be of mussel shells, as one example of how to create a rounded economic opportunity,
“Anyone engaged in or earning a living from the sea will not damage it. That is clear, fundamental, essential. Aquaculture is providing a food source, it is sustainable and sustaining. We all have an interest in protecting the environment, in being concerned about climate change. It is in our interest and we will protect it.”
He says that, as an industry, aquaculture does have a “job of communication to do to get our message out to the public. It is an essential one for us and for the public to understand what we do, because we are important to them, to the nation, as a food supplier and an island nation needs food security, particularly this is an issue at the present ime and will be in the future.”
