Salmon Snippets

Here are some interesting facts that you may not have known the wonderful salmon.

WORLD RECORD - The world record for a rod caught salmon is 79lb (36kg, or 5 stone 9 lbs.!!!) This whopper was landed in Norway in 1925.

LOTS OF SALMON - The present worldwide catch of salmon is over 1.5 million tonnes. Of that about 2400 tonnes was wild Atlantic salmon.

MOVEABLE FEAST - In summer, high concentrations of Atlantic salmon are to be found in the cold waters of the North Atlantic. In winter they move south to the coast of Newfoundland. Irelands official harvesting period is the 10th June to the 31st July.

STARVE & FEED - During a salmon's remarkable journey upstream, they do not feed. Instead, they rely on body reserves built up while at sea, where they feed like kings, doubling in weight every year. Atlantic salmon can spend anything from 1 to 4 winters at sea. Those that return to spawn after a solitary winter in the ocean are known as 'grilse'.

Photo Captions
(1) Left to right: George Nolan, Tom Lantry and David Andrews, Minister for Fisheries and the Marine at the opening of Nolans subsidiary, Howth Fish Sales in 1994.
(2) Bertie Broderick - master salmon smoker, retired after 50 years with the company, with Jim Lawler.


SHARK!!! - Did you know that there is a shark named the salmon shark. Despite their name, they do not feed solely (excuse the pun) on our pink skinned friends although they do represent a high proportion of their diet. Found mainly in the Pacific Ocean, they feed on pink, chum and sockeye salmon.

SALMON EATERS - Apart from trying to avoid man, salmon have to watch their backs quite a lot. Killer and humpback whales and even the friendly dolphin eat them! Seals are one of their biggest coastal predators, although how much they affect declining stocks is unclear.

LOTS OF FARMED FISH - 500,000 tonnes of farmed Atlantic salmon are produced every year and consumer demand is increasing.

SENSITIVE SALMON - Salmon are very sensitive to acidic water. Low pH delays or prevents eggs hatching. Those that do hatch have high mortality rates and low growth rates.

TYPES OF FISH - There are five main categories of fish. Pelagic, Demersal, Crustaceans & Molluscs, Freshwater and Farmed. Salmon falls into the latter two.

MAIN MARKET - The top country for Irish salmon exports is France. Followed by Great Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy. In 1999, the value of exports was IR£35million.

BIG INDUSTRY - The Irish seafood industry is now valued at IR£300 million per annum and provides jobs for over 15,000 people.

SALMON OF THE GRAVE - Scandinavians used to bury salmon in a hole in the ground with salt and dill (i.e. curing). Uncover it the next day and eat it. They called it 'Salmon of the grave'.

PERFECTLY POSITIONED - Apart from its pure waters, Ireland's geography guarantees easy access to some of the world's finest seafood. Irish fishing vessels have shorter fishing trips than other nationalities because of