The Northern Ireland Seafood Trails, an initiative by Seafish with funding from the Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs, through the Maritime and Fisheries Fund, is back with more trails. The project aims to illuminate Northern Ireland’s maritime and fishing heritage and encourage greater consumption of domestically caught, and farmed, sustainable seafood. A year after the successful launch of nine ‘harbour-hopping adventure maps’ across Northern Ireland, six new trails have been added, bringing the total to 15.
Celebrating Northern Ireland’s sustainable seafood and aiming to support traditional fishing and aquaculture industries, the trails were launched in 2022. Since then they’ve encouraged both locals and visitors to enjoy the diverse selection of seafood that the region’s coastal towns and villages have to offer. Sally Chamberlain, Northern Ireland Regional Manager at Seafish, explains why new trails have been created:
“We have created trails of more local towns and villages as we want to get more families heading out in the fresh air, exploring and learning about our local connection with seafood in Northern Ireland, supporting seafood eateries and retailers, and gaining a new perspective and appreciation for seafood.”
The new trails will take inquisitive seafood explorers to: Derry/Londonderry, Carnlough and Glenarm, Bangor and Groomsport, Newcastle and Dundrum, Annalong and three towns surrounding Carlingford Lough; Greencastle, Rostrevor and Warrenpoint.
The first nine trails were launched alongside talks and workshops delivered to eight primary schools in Northern Ireland, where 300 pupils took part in interactive games and activities. These workshops aimed to inspire and enthuse children about our local seafood and establish good dietary habits at a young age, which is more effective than in later life. Seafood is a healthy food source: It is high in protein, packed with vitamins and minerals, and oily fish is especially rich in omega-3 fats. Mary Sammon, a teacher at Enniskillen Integrated Primary School, which participated in the workshops said:
“We all learned so much about the fish that are native to our own coastline. I think we were all surprised by the amount of seafood we eat that comes from quite some distance away!”
The initiative will deliver a further 10 educational workshops with primary schools in March 2023.
The trail maps allow families and visitors to see the Northern Ireland coastline in a different light, highlighting the harbours, fishmongers, restaurants, museums and landmarks that define our local connection with seafood.
The colourful maps, featuring illustrations by Northern Irish artist Piera Cierfice, narrate the users’ journey, offering up fascinating pieces of folklore and trivia as they take in the sights. They also include puzzles such as mazes, word searches and scavenger hunts, as well as information about the seafood that’s available locally and when it’s in season. Sally Chamberlain explains how the maps are trying to bust myths around seafood:
“We want families to feel inspired by and connected to local seafood in the same way they are with other food and drink products that are grown or produced here. We found that the biggest obstacle to this is education.
“In Northern Ireland, a diverse range of fresh, native, healthy and affordable seafood is right on their doorstep. The trails shine a spotlight on this, and illustrate a holistic journey from how it’s caught and grown, to where to buy it – and even how to cook it!.”
Research indicates that a lack of confidence around fish cookery is a significant barrier to purchasing less-familiar species. Northern Irish fisherman, Brian Chambers, fishing out of Annalong, suggests that “many people don’t like to get hands-on with their food which I think puts them off crab claws and other delicious shellfish caught here.”
Tackling this issue head-on, each trail features a simple, quick seafood recipe, often taking conventional meals like sausage and mash and adding a seafood twist -in this case by replacing the sausages with a locally caught whitefish alternative.
The new trail maps will be available to pick-up and follow from coastal towns and villages across Northern Ireland in late March, or can be viewed or printed online at www.niseafoodtrails.co.uk.
