THE PEOPLE BEHIND
OUR SEAFOOD
Along Ireland’s spectacular coastline, inshore fishermen have built their lives around the sea, bringing ashore the fresh, distinctive seafood that is an important part of our food culture. Their knowledge, skill and connection to the waters they work are integral to Ireland’s maritime and food heritage.
Good Food Ireland® celebrates these fishermen and the quality, provenance and character of their catch, connecting the people who produce our food with the chefs and hospitality businesses that champion it, and with the visitors and consumers who want to discover and enjoy it. Through these connections, we help bring Ireland’s food story to life, creating opportunities to experience the people, places and produce behind the food on the plate.
Discovering Ireland’s inshore fishing communities offers more than a taste of exceptional seafood; it is an opportunity to explore coastal traditions, discover the people behind the catch and gain a deeper appreciation of the communities shaped by the sea.
Understanding Ireland's Seafood
Wild Seafood
Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish and Celtic Seas, Ireland is blessed with an extraordinary diversity of wild seafood, shaped by the character of our coastal waters and the changing seasons.
From native oysters, mussels and scallops to lobster, crab, prawns and line-caught fish, our seafood reflects the richness and diversity of our marine environment. Its journey from sea to plate tells a story of natural abundance, careful harvesting and generations of maritime knowledge.
Across Ireland, chefs and hospitality businesses celebrate this exceptional produce, showcasing its distinctive flavours and versatility through menus that reflect the very best of Ireland’s seafood offering.
Sea to Table
FROM THE FISHING BOAT TO YOUR TABLE
The journey from sea to table is one of skill, care and connection. It begins with the fishermen who bring Ireland’s wild seafood ashore and continues through the fishmongers, suppliers, chefs and hospitality businesses who ensure it is enjoyed at its best.
Freshness, quality and provenance are at the heart of this journey, with the character of each catch reflected in the dishes it inspires. Across Ireland, talented chefs celebrate the natural flavours of our seafood, combining traditional knowledge with creativity to showcase the best of what our waters provide.
For those exploring Ireland through its food, discovering local seafood on the menu is an opportunity to appreciate the care, skill and expertise that bring exceptional Irish seafood to the table.
Seafood Knowledge
KNOW YOUR SEAFOOD – SEASONALITY, PROVENANCE AND CHOICE
Getting to know your seafood makes eating it all the more rewarding. Different species have their own characteristics, flavours and availability, influenced by the seasons, the waters in which they are caught and the methods used to bring them ashore.
Understanding what is in season, where your seafood comes from and who caught it helps you make informed choices and appreciate the people and skill behind your food. Explore Ireland’s wild fish and shellfish, discover new varieties to enjoy and, when buying seafood or ordering from a menu, ask where it comes from and how it was caught.
Knowing your seafood not only enriches your dining experience but also helps recognise the value of Ireland’s inshore fishermen and the quality of their catch.
MEET THE FISHERMEN
350 PEOPLE. ONE COASTLINE.
From remote fishing villages to bustling harbour communities, approximately 350 inshore fishing families and individuals represent a remarkable network of people whose livelihoods, skills and traditions are closely connected to the sea.
Working from small harbours, piers and coastal villages, these fishermen draw on generations of local knowledge, understanding the waters, seasons and changing conditions that shape their daily catch. Each has a story to tell, from the challenges of life at sea to the pride of bringing fresh, wild seafood ashore.
Together, they sustain coastal communities and play an important role in Ireland’s food culture and maritime heritage. Behind every catch is a person, a livelihood and a connection to the sea that deserves to be recognised and celebrated.
DISCOVER OUR FISHING HARBOURS – FROM COAST TO COAST
From small, sheltered coves to lively working harbours, Ireland’s coastline is dotted with fishing communities where the rhythm of life is closely tied to the sea. Each harbour has its own character, shaped by its landscape, local fishing traditions and the inshore fishermen who work its waters.
These are places where fishing boats return with the day’s catch, seafood is landed and the working traditions of fishing remain part of everyday life. Stretching from the rugged Atlantic seaboard to the shores of the Irish and Celtic Seas, Ireland’s fishing harbours offer a fascinating insight into our coastal culture.
Exploring these communities reveals another dimension of Ireland’s food story, connecting visitors with the landscapes, traditions and local character that make Irish seafood so distinctive.
THE PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES BEHIND THE CATCH – COASTAL COMMUNITIES
Inshore fishing is about more than the seafood brought ashore; it is part of the fabric of Ireland’s coastal communities, supporting livelihoods, families and local businesses.
From fishermen and their families to fishmongers, seafood processors, local restaurants and hospitality businesses, many people play a part in keeping these communities vibrant and connected to the sea. Fishing remains an important source of identity, pride and economic activity in coastal areas, where knowledge and skills continue to be passed from one generation to the next.
By choosing locally caught Irish seafood and seeking out the businesses that champion it, we help sustain these communities, support the people behind the catch and keep an important part of Ireland’s maritime and food heritage alive.
Strengthening Sea to Kitchen Partnerships
Behind every memorable seafood dish is a connection between the person who catches the fish and the chef who brings it to the table.
When fishermen and chefs work closely together, the value of fresh, locally landed seafood is recognised, celebrated and showcased at its best. These relationships allow chefs to make the most of seasonal catches and celebrate the distinctive qualities of locally landed seafood, creating dishes that reflect Ireland’s waters and the skill of those who work them.
Their connections are important beyond the kitchen, helping create demand for locally caught seafood, strengthen relationships between fishing communities and hospitality businesses, and support the livelihoods of Ireland’s inshore fishermen.
Together, fishermen and chefs have a shared story to tell, one that deserves to be celebrated and enjoyed.
Discover more
Ireland’s wild seafood offers so much to discover, from the variety of species found in our coastal waters to the fishing communities, local traditions and talented chefs who bring it to life.
Whether exploring a fishing harbour, enjoying freshly landed seafood in a local restaurant or discovering a new variety at your fishmonger, every experience offers an opportunity to appreciate the story behind the catch.
Ask where your seafood comes from, choose locally landed produce when available and seek out the businesses that champion Ireland’s inshore fishermen. By discovering more, tasting more and understanding its true value, we can all play a part in celebrating Ireland’s extraordinary seafood and supporting the people and communities who bring it to our tables.
OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH NIFA – WORKING TOGETHER FOR IRELAND’S INSHORE FISHERMEN
Good Food Ireland® is proud to work in partnership with the National Inshore Fishermen’s Association (NIFA) to champion Ireland’s inshore fishing communities and the exceptional seafood they bring ashore.
Through this partnership, we are bringing together the fishermen who catch our seafood, the chefs, restaurants and hospitality businesses that buy, prepare and serve it, and the visitors and consumers who want to discover and enjoy it. By connecting every part of this journey, we aim to build greater awareness and appreciation of locally landed seafood, encourage informed choices, strengthen commercial relationships and create greater opportunities for the people and communities behind the catch.
It is an example of how meaningful connections between Ireland’s food producers, hospitality businesses and consumers can bring greater recognition and value to the people behind our food.
Together, we are helping bring Ireland’s inshore seafood story to a wider audience, creating greater recognition and value for the fishermen, their catch and the coastal communities they sustain.