When Ieva Bokuma moved from Latvia to West Cork seventeen years ago, she had little idea that it would lead to her taking up a career working in the Irish fishing industry and running a successful seafood business in West Cork.
BY HELEN RIDDELL
Ieva, who recently received Irish citizenship, spent fourteen years working in a local Centra shop in Schull.
Her husband Edgars worked as a fisherman, but increasing child care costs for their three sons aged 2, 9 and 15 caused her to re-evaluate her working life.
‘When we first moved to Ireland, my husband started work as a fisherman, initially working on a local boat for 10 years, before he decided to work for himself and bought his own boat. I had no background in fishing, but I started helping him. I worked in Centra in the mornings and spent the afternoons helping my husband landing and sorting the catch and preparing it for delivery to factories.’
When her youngest son was born, Ieva spent a year at home with him and it was then she made the decision to leave retail and work in the fishing industry full time with her husband.
‘I completed all the necessary safety training and took HACCP courses with Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) and thanks to a grant from BIM, we have been able to expand our business and buy our own seven-metre boat, called Evie.’
Running their own fishing business, says Ieva, allowed her to work around her commitments to her young family.
However, she admits she missed meeting customers and chatting to people from her time spent working in retail.
It was this desire, coupled with a number of people asking to buy seafood direct from their boat when it landed, that meant she and her husband decided to sell their catch at farmers markets.
‘When my husband was landing his catch, he would regularly have people stopping by the pier to ask him if they could buy directly from him. I felt it was a shame that we were bringing all our catch to the factories and from there it is sent to France, Portugal and Spain and nothing stays here in Ireland. My husband likes to fish and I like to sell, so we came up with the idea of selling at farmers markets and we launched our own seafood company, Mizen Head Catch.’
In launching their new business, the couple were also keen to employ sustainable fishing methods.
‘We catch crabs and lobsters in lobster pots, shrimp in shrimp pots and crayfish in nets. These methods target selective species and minimise habitat destruction which is important to us and our business model.’
Mizen Head Catch launched at the Sunday Schull farmers’ market last spring. The business has proved so popular, says Ieva, that they have also now started selling at Skibbereen farmers market every Saturday too.
‘Selling at the markets isn’t just about making money. I really enjoy the social side in meeting people, and it’s also a great opportunity to showcase the wonderful produce that we have here in the waters off West Cork.’
To any women thinking of making a career in the fishing industry, Ieva recognises it can be a challenging role, but wholeheartedly recommends it.
‘I would encourage any woman to take up a career in fishing: studying and third level education aren’t for everyone. Fishing can be challenging, especially some parts of the job such as the manual handling or dealing with technical issues like engine breakdowns but I believe that women are capable of managing all aspects of fishing once they are committed, self-confident and willing to get their hands dirty.’
Running Mizen Head Catch is very much a joint effort says Ivea. ‘Everyone sees me at the front of house selling in the markets and meeting people, but my husband is at sea doing the hardest part. For us, it’s ultimately the passion of running our own business.’ He loves what he’s doing and I love what I’m doing.’
