More net gains for Sea Source collective

More net gains for Sea Source collective

A number of Co Down trawler owners have  joined forces and taken to the road to offer families greater access to fresh fish and shellfish.

Sea Source, which represents dozens of Northern Ireland fishing families set up a purpose-built mobile kitchen at the pre-Christmas Dicken’s Day in Kilkeel on December 4 to showcase their wares and there are now pans to make it a regular feature at food markets and other outdoor events.

The mobile kitchen featured snacks including scampi, haddock goujons and chowder and Sea Source has also recently expanded its popular shop in the coastal town as well as developing its delivery services across Northern Ireland.

Sea Source seafood, which is already supplied to Great Britain, France, Spain, Italy and the Far East, will now be more widely available at home.

Marketing manager Kathryn Graham said: “Our first street food van is an immensely exciting initiative for us, providing opportunities to enable more people here to enjoy fish and seafood snacks from the trawlers that are cooked freshly in a well-equipped kitchen manned by experienced staff and operating to the highest hygiene standards.

“It’s a hugely important investment for us which is designed to increase awareness among families here of the health and nutritional benefits of fresh fish and seafood direct from local trawlers and also to enhance returns to the fishermen.

“Our new shop in Kilkeel’s Newcastle Street, furthermore, represents a significant expansion in the first shop we opened in the town a few years ago for locally landed seafood. This proved such a popular venture for the company that we simply had to find much bigger premises to develop services to consumers.”

From its base at Kilkeel Harbour, Sea Source, headed by seafood specialist Alan McCulla, the experienced chief executive, also operates successfully its own fish selling division, a processing arm and an offshore energy services compan

It’s now a key player in the local fishing industry which has annual sales of around £80 million, more than three-quarters of which are to customers outside Northern Ireland.

As well as Kilkeel, Sea Source members are based in the smaller fishing ports of Annalong, Ardglass and Portavogie along the spectacular coastline, with Sea Source members harvesting top quality fish and seafood from the waters around the UK and Ireland.