Sustainability
Sustainability Sums up our Entire Ethos in One Word
Without carefully managing the amazing natural resource we have been granted, we would end up like so many other fisheries throughout Ireland and the World, depleted of stocks and species.
Tralee Bay is a sustainable fishery and involves annual stock surveys and an oyster spat collection and stock enhancement program. We carry out a stock survey in September to determine fishable stock for that year. We fish using a quota system, to ensure we never take more than the ecosystem can handle.
All oysters are manually graded on board our boats before being landed to shore, with everything below the specified size returned to the sea within minutes. The minimum size we use is 78mm which is greater than the legal minimum size of 76.4mm thus allowing an extra year of breeding for the harvest stock.
Fishing only takes place between September and April, to avoid interfering with the spawning season. In 2018, Tralee Oyster Fisheries was Runner up in the National Seafood Awards in the Sustainability category. Tralee Oyster Fisheries will be the first flat oyster fishery in Ireland with Origin Green Verification.
A Healthy Fact
Oysters are rich in protein and a source of vitamins and minerals, straight from the atlantic ocean.