A TOTAL of 27,065 tonnes of fish worth €96m was landed at Castletownbere in 2023, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The CSO said Castletownbere had the second highest tonnage landed by all vessels in Ireland. The CSO said that 7,936 tonnes worth €22m was by Irish vessels while 19,129 tonnes of the 27,065 were by foreign vessels – worth €74m. Landings by foreign vessels accounted for 77% of all landings.
Castletownbere is the white fish port of Ireland for landing hake, haddock, whiting, cod, plaice, lemon sole, turbot, John Dory, and brill. The highest quantity of landings by foreign vessels in Ireland was in Killybegs, at 60,846 tonnes. This was followed by Castletownbere at 19,129 tonnes.
The species for which the largest quantities landed by Irish vessels in Ireland was blue whiting, at 48,749 tonnes, which was an increase of 79% from. In terms of value, Atlantic mackerel accounted for the highest value landings at €62m followed by Norway lobster at €51m. Blue whiting was the most landed species by foreign vessels in Ireland, at 49,941 tonnes in 2023, though this was a decrease of 31% from 72,608 tonnes in 2022.
Between 2022 and 2023, landings by all vessels in Irish ports fell by 8% to 244,990 tonnes. Killybegs in Donegal had the highest quantity of landings in 2023, accounting for 68% of total landings by all vessels in Ireland.
