Fancy a trip to one our fishing harbours to find out more about the superb fish and seafood being landed there over many years?
Or what about a seafood meal at one of the excellent restaurants, such as Mourne Seafood in Dundrum, Harbour Inn, Portavogie, Kilmorey Arms in Kilkeel and Tartine in Bushmills, to be found around our ports and harbours.
It’s now easier than ever before to experience the rich and varied harvest from the seas that surround us and to find out why our seafood and shellfish is prized, especially by chefs in Europe and further afield.
Much of the fish and seafood landed here is swiftly exported to fish markets and top restaurants because of its quality and rich flavours.
Top chefs here, including Michael Deane, Danny Millar and Noel McMeel, are local champions of our fish and seafood.
Fourteen seafood trails have now been created – designed to increase awareness of Northern Ireland’s exceptional fish and seafood industry among people here.
The trails, developed by Seafish, the UK body that promotes the UK fish and seafood industry, were launched at a special celebratory event in the iconic St George’s Market in Belfast.
The initiative has been shaped specifically to encourage the consumption of locally wild-caught and farmed sustainable seafood, and support the domestic fishing industry. It aims to encourage local people and tourists to visit the region’s harbours and ports.
Alan McCulla, Sea Source chief executive in Kilkeel, County Down, explains: “The Northern Ireland Seafood Trails provide a great platform to celebrate the variety of seafood that Northern Ireland has to offer.
“By exploring the bustling fishing port and harbour towns that feature on these trails, and learning about Northern Ireland’s rich fishing heritage along the way, families will, we believe, be encouraged to eat more locally sourced, sustainable and healthy seafood, and through this, help our vital seafood industry to thrive.”
And Crawford Ewing, a director of Ewing’s Seafoods in Belfast, recently named Northern Ireland’s Best Fishmongers, adds: “This is a tremendous initiative on behalf of one of our most important industries.
“Anything that encourages more people here to find out more about the sector and to appreciate the health benefits, in particular, of fish and seafood is to be welcomed.”
Seafood is widely regarded as an essential component in a healthy diet and is at the heart of what has become known as the ‘Mediterranean Diet’, which is seen as contributing to a lower incidence of coronary heart disease.
Now it has also been shown by a team of Israeli scientists that people who lose weight on a Mediterranean style diet keep the weight off, unlike people who follow other diets.
Celebrity chef Suzie Lee, who cooked at the launch of the new trails, agrees. “It’s not hard to make seafood taste delicious, and it’s a really healthy option for the family,” she adds.
Suzie, winner of the BBC Best Home Cook 2020 and host of the highly popular series ‘Home Cook Hero’, is an advocate for fresh, local produce and small-scale suppliers. She is well-placed to celebrate the variety of fish and shellfish available across Northern Ireland.
The trails shine a light on bustling port towns from Kilkeel to Portstewart, and capture a snippet of Northern Ireland’s huge variety of independent seafood shacks and restaurants, heritage centres and family-friendly activities.
The trails include colourful maps which have been illustrated by Mourne artist Piera Cirefice. They are designed to guide families on a “harbour-hopping seafood adventure through their chosen trail, from bustling quaysides to the quiet treasure troves of maritime museums”.
The aim of the initiative is to connect families with local seafood and the harbours, boats, and communities behind it. The campaign is in recognition that over 20,000 tonnes of diverse, wild-caught fish and shellfish are landed in Northern Ireland’s ports every year, most of which is exported and enjoyed overseas – whilst local diets tend to feature imported seafood.
The trails are funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), a Government fund providing support for sustainable development within the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, and are being delivered by SeafishUK.
Processors in Kilkeel, Portavogie, Annalong and Glenarm generated around £60 million in sales outside Northern Ireland last year and employed almost 600 people.
Seafood and shellfish, such as oysters, prawns, peeled and breaded, crabmeat and scallops end up in some of the biggest stores in Europe, including Carrefour, Auchan and Leclerc in France.
Other markets looking to Northern Ireland for fresh seafood include the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, the Lebanon, Hong Kong and Japan.
It’s also an industry with a strong commitment to innovation in the shape of new products, including Queenie Scallops and cooked langoustines. Organic smoked salmon from Glenarm has also been attracting interest in Britain, New York, San Francisco, Hong Kong and the oil rich United Arab Emirates.
Glenarm salmon is among the most successful foods at the iconic Fortnum and Mason food store in London’s Piccadilly.
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