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Our re-branding from Inshore Ireland enables us to cast our net wider over new topics - and from a global perspective. We will continue to carry news from the traditional sectors - we're just going to look through a wider lens.
CONTENTS
news
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seafood
fisheries
coastline news
freshwater focus
outside ireland
to our first digital edition of Ocean Focus!
We are also 'device friendly' - from desktop to mobile phone - so you can read each edition from the deck of your boat or from the comfort of your home or office. You will also see Rich Media Content links behind many articles where you can go for more information. Without you, the reader and customer, we have no audience so your comments are extremely important and we'd really welcome your feedback. Stay safe and well in these very challenging times. Gillian Mills (mills@oceanfocus.ie | Gery (flynn@oceanfocus.ie)
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Gery
News
‘PERFECT STORM‘ ON THE HORIZON FOR INSHORE FISHERMEN
NEW FISHING QUOTA FOR IRELAND
IMPROVING NAVIGATION AND SAFETY FOR MARINERS
SILENCE DEAFENS FISHERMEN OVER SALMON FARM LICENCE APPLICATION
COMMENT
04
07 Improving navigation and safety for mariners
08 Silence deafens fishermen over salmon farm licence application
05 ‘Perfect storm’ on the horizon for inshore fishermen
04 A rebranded Inshore Ireland moves offshore and online
06 Support measures for seafood sector
09 New fishing quota for Ireland
10 Designing Ireland’s first National Marine Plan
REBRANDED INSHORE IRELAND MOVES ONLINE
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A rebranded Inshore Ireland moves offshore and online
Gillian Mills & Gery Flynn
fter 15 years publishing as Inshore Ireland, we felt it was the time to move beyond the island of Ireland and to report on the oceans of the world through a global lens, in addition to the activities within Ireland’s inland, coastal and offshore waters. Ocean Focus will examine global warming, climate change and the ‘blue economy’ along with the traditional fisheries, seafood, aquaculture and freshwater sectors. And as more and more people and businesses are consuming news and selling products and services online, we felt too we should move fulltime to a digital platform. This will also enable us to better connect with visitors to www.oceanfocus.ie from Adelaide to Annascaul. It was a tough decision to make – to no longer produce a print edition – especially coming from a print journalism background when the smell of the ink and the ability to hold a physical copy was part of the entire process. The pros however outweigh the cons, and never more so does that ring true with the mounting challenges facing print media in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. We are delighted to offer this complimentary copy of our first edition of Ocean Focus as a small gesture to readers and customers who have supported us since 2005. Starting with our Summer edition, a paywall will be in place where you can subscribe to receive a single quarterly edition, or four consecutive editions (non-calendar). Between editions, we will continue to upload free content across all the categories on www.oceanfocus.ie. We hope you enjoy this first edition, and we look forward to your feedback, news and articles to mills@oceanfocus.ie or flynn@oceanfocus.ie for publication in a future edition of Ocean Focus.
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‘Perfect storm’ on the horizon for inshore fishermen
n ‘unprecedented’ economic crisis is unfolding for Ireland’s inshore fishing sector which
Without financial support “in some shape or form” there is palpable fear for their future viability.
Alex Crowley, secretary of the National Inshore Fishermen’s Association, told Ocean Focus that Covid-19 was yet another extremely challenging situation, along with ongoing problems in the brown crab sector and a collapse in the price of razors affecting east coast fishermen. First-sale prices for brown crab a species on which there is high dependency dropped significantly in the latter half of 2019. Falling catch rates and landings, problems with health certificates on the Chinese market, and widespread investment following a good 2015-2016 season are now hitting home and profits has all but disappeared.
Market collapse
“Fishermen don’t have the financial capacity to deal with extended periods of low or no profitability. Some have reported loss and damage to fishing gear, and many are foregoing non-essential maintenance and are not buying replacement equipment. “This will lead to a decrease in overall operational efficiency and will reduce resilience to deal with the current difficulties in the long-term,” he warns. By the very nature of their business, fishermen are “acutely exposed” to the crises that are unfolding: “Inshore fishermen are very weather dependent, producing high value, low volume high-end products, many of which are not just perishable but are alive. This presents unique challenges. “It means fishermen must available of fishing opportunities when the weather allows, when the fish is available and within range, and to sell it to the consumer within a very short timeframe.” Crowley says these circumstances contrast with the offshore catching sector which through quota management, added-value opportunities and processing, extends the shelf life of their catch: “They have greater capacity to manage the temporal nature of fishing opportunities and to avoid temporary drops in market demand, and other challenges. “This is why inshore fishermen really need a cash injection, now.” If this doesn’t happen, Crowley foresees serious liquidity problems: “As a sector I think we’re more exposed. I know the tourism and hospitality sectors are also feeling the pinch, but on the back of some very good years. You can’t say the same for inshore fisheries.”
Financial fallout
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Gillian Mills & GERY FLYNN
FISHERIES CRISIS
represents over 80% of the fishing fleet. The sector comprises boats measuring 12 metres and under that are predominantly active within six nautical miles of shore and support up to 3,000 jobs.
On the west coast, St Patrick’s Day would typically herald the start of the lobster fishery. This year however, wholesalers have told fishermen there is no sale for lobster and it could be the end of May at least before markets recover. First-sale prices dropped from around €30/kg to €20/kg since before Christmas and now most operators face a scenario where they have no outlets for their lobster. A similar situation is also unfolding in the domestic razor clam and whelk fisheries. First-sale price/kg (15/01/2020) of razor clam ranged from €17/XL to €13/L, €8.50/M and €3.50/S. Some vessels have ceased fishing and job losses are reported. On average, whelk prices have dropped 20-30% and layoffs are also happening in this sector.
The organisations have outlined their concerns to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. While membership of the NIFA/NIFO and NIFF is effectively a ‘random snapshot’, Crowley says the issues are likely to be indicative of the entire inshore sector: “There’s very poor resilience to deal with a crisis like this. Add to this a spell of very bad weather and fishermen are feeling this now; overdrafts are already stretched to their limits.” Crowley acknowledges that since submitting their document in early March, the government has announced an emergency six-week payment package: “We’re advising all our affected members to apply for that. I’m waiting to see if they are actually eligible but I see nothing at all to say they’re not.” Harbour dues, repayments on borrowings and insurance are significant financial burdens. The sector is also low on new recruits as the entry level is seen as a barrier for young people: “If you take the basic entry level, you’re still talking about a capital outlay of around €100,000 – and that would be for a very small boat.” Following a meeting between Minister Pascal Donohoe and the banks, Crowley is hopeful that a situation where loan can be deferred will ease the burden on the limited working capital available to members.
Call to government
Crowley believes that ‘tailored business supports’ are required to build resilience and to future-proof the sector against economic shocks: “The whitefish fleet has also been forced to tie up because most whitefish is exported to Europe and supply chains are breaking down. Consumer confidence is declining and fresh fish prices have collapsed. Crowley believes that ‘tailored business supports’ are required to build resilience and to future-proof the sector against economic shocks: “The whitefish fleet has also been forced to tie up because most whitefish is exported to Europe and supply chains are breaking down. Consumer confidence is declining and fresh fish prices have collapsed.
Tailored supports
Crowley sees a situation where fishermen could have greater control over their markets: “They wouldn’t be ‘price takers’ but would supply several markets, including the domestic market. “If we can’t get our product into the Spanish or French markets, let’s take control of where our fish can go – the home market – we’ve a country to feed. “There will be a huge amount of work to be done on this, as we emerge from this crisis. Most species caught by inshore operators are seen as alien to Irish consumers. This is not an immediate solution, but is something that needs to be looked at in the long-term.”
Domestic opportunities
Inshore boats, Crosshaven, Co Cork photo: Kieran Healy
The inshore fleet at Dunmore East, Co Waterford. Photo G Mills
And while specific loans for working capital also seem to be in the pipeline, he warns that increasing a debt burden to borrow their way out of the crisis, is not a viable solution for members: “Regarding insurance, if a boat isn’t fishing or is tied up in a safe haven, brokers appear to be open to giving fishermen a break on their premiums. Fishermen need to talk to their brokers, their underwriters etc to see if they can get help.”
First-sale prices dropped from around €30/kg to €20/kg since before Christmas and now most operators face a scenario where they have no outlets for their lobster.
“We’re at a time when we need national food security more than ever before. We’ve been told by buyers and wholesalers not to bother fishing because they can’t sell our catch.” But there’s still a nation to feed, he argues. “That’s why I’m talking about a broad marketing strategy – especially for the inshore sector. Too many eggs were placed in one basket – the Asian market basket – and prior to that it was the European basket.”
fisheries crisis
Support measures for seafood sector
he fishing industry is facing very difficult times as its traditional markets in Asia and Europe have effectively closed. And with bad weather at the start of the year resulting in lower than normal catches, crew and vessel owners were already in a disadvantaged position before Covid-19 reached the shores. “The measures being examined include finding additional means to bring Irish whitefish to the domestic market and the potential to use temporary storage of fish,” remarked the marine minister Michael Creed, following a teleconference with representatives of the inshore and offshore fishing sectors. They discussed ideas so “this important source of food” would contribute to keeping food on the table, protect jobs and sustain were possible, economic activity within the sector. To divert whitefish would involve working with processors “to adjust supply to the home market and replace product previously prepared for the export market”.
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Minister Creed has asked BIM to work with his department and the industry to provide “practical support for the necessary changes”. The marine minister has also written to Commissioner Sinkevičius to ask for changes in EU regulation that would support the sector during this crisis. He also asked the Commissioner to consider EU aid for operators who cease fishing on a temporary basis. He said measures put in place for employers and employees, including the extension of a “payment holiday” in respect of mortgages and payment to job seekers will also be available to the fishing sector and to owners and crew of fishing vessels. Minister Creed is not, however, proposing a tie-up scheme: “The main focus at this point is to continue to support the supply of food. In line with this, normal service is continuing at the six State-owned Fishery Harbour Centres at Castletownbere, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs, Dingle and Rossaveal,” he said. “It’s clear to me that the fishing sector shares the concerns of every citizen and is committed to mitigating the health risk for all including sectoral workers. “I appreciate that as food suppliers they have a special role and are committed to doing their part during these difficult times. The government is fully appreciative of this considerable effort and I will provide necessary supports to the sector over the coming period,” he said.
practical support
Improving navigation and safety for mariners
Unifying the sites under one scheme has the dual advantage of improving navigation of the harbour and providing efficiencies for the fish farmers, say the State agencies. The marks are also of a much higher standard, have a longer lifespan and work in all types of weather. Getting aquaculture producers to work together in this way pays dividends for all concerned, remarked Jim O’Toole, BIM chief executive: “It highlights their commitment to working together in harmony with the local environment and other marine users, putting safety at the centre of what they do. “An example of where SUMS has made a remarkable difference is Dungarvan Harbour.
L-R: Joanne Gaffney, Regional Environmental Officer, BIM, Yvonne Shields O’Connor, CEO, Irish Lights, Jim O’Toole, CEO, BIM and Captain Catríona Dowling, Navigation Services Manager, Irish Lights
To help simplify and improve local navigation markings for the safety of all marine users, BIM in association with the Commissioners of Irish Lights has launched a new standard operating procedure.
In conjunction with the aquaculture industry, BIM has installed simplified navigation marking systems around the coast that provide ‘an effective visual guide for anyone navigating a bay or harbour’. Reducing the overall visual impact of the markers and simplifying the boundaries for other users is the aim of Special Unified Marking Schemes (SUMS). All aquaculture producers in an area will incorporate their sites boundary marks into one marking scheme. The operating procedure outlines the steps producers need to take to engage with the scheme. Previously, each farm in a bay or harbour had its own marks that indicated the boundaries of their site, resulting in numerous markings that made navigation more difficult.
Working together we have reduced the number of markers to 10 poles and 11 small buoys, as opposed to the original proposed 160 poles, [thereby] drastically reducing the visual impact and simplifying things for everyone.” Yvonne Shields O’Connor, CEO, Irish Lights said the scheme was a “positive step change” in delivering improved navigation and safety in areas of aquaculture activity. “Irish Lights is delighted to support this initiative, which ensures the safe and efficient marking of zones to international standards, resulting in a positive impact on the local environment.”
Process
Producers can contact their local BIM officer who will work with them to survey the production area. Consultation then takes place with CIL and the Marine Survey Office to determine the location and marker specification. Once approved, BIM will work with local farmers to ensure that the new markers are produced and installed at the approved locations. The product is co-funded by the Irish exchequer and the European Union under Ireland’s European Maritime & Fisheries Fund Operational Programme for the seafood sector.
Click here for further details:
www.bim.ie/our-publications/aquaculture/
Silence deafens fishermen over salmon farm licence application
Over a year ago (February 19, 2019), islanders submitted an aquaculture licence application and accompanying Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The EIS represents more than three years’ work and was partly funded by Údarás na Gaeltachta. Cumann Iascairí Chléire applied to the Aquaculture Division of the department and received an acknowledgment. “This really isn’t good enough. We’ve invested a lot of money, time and energy not to mention hope and genuine belief that there is something of potential real value which could save our island,” remarked secretary and islander, Duncan Harper. “We look enviously at Clare island off the Mayo coast which has reaped huge dividends from an organic salmon farm and which keeps young people on the island to work and thereby preventing population decline.” Economic opportunities are very limited on Cape Clear, apart from seasonal tourism. “Why not make use of the wonderful sea resource which we have, grow protein-rich food in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner to safeguard our future. “I have no doubt the benefits could be shared with our fellow-islanders on Sherkin and Hare too,” he added. Acknowledging Cape Clear was not the easiest place to live, Harper could not imagine living anywhere else: “The people who live on the island do not believe that they are disadvantaged but they do recognise they face challenges unknown to those living on the mainland. “If the population of a tiny island in the North Atlantic cannot get approval to grow fish, just what do the powers-that-be expect them to do?” he asks.
‘The Department considers all applications for aquaculture licences in accordance with the provisions of the 1997 Fisheries (Amendment) Act, the 1933 Foreshore Act and applicable national and EU legislation. ‘The licensing process involves consultation with a wide range of scientific and technical advisers as well as various Statutory Consultees. The legislation also provides for a period of Public and Statutory consultation. ‘All submissions received during the public and statutory consultation phase are considered during the licensing process. ‘The application and supporting documentation referred to are under consideration in accordance with the applicable legislation and a determination in respect of the application will be made as soon as possible following completion of the necessary assessment process. ‘The Applicant has been advised of the position relating to their application.’
Fishermen on Cape Clear island off the south coast of Ireland have challenged the government’s ‘inaction’ on their application for a salmon farm that would provide an ‘economic lifeline’.
DAFM responds
New fishing quota for Ireland
quota balancing scheme for Ireland's key whitefish stocks due to commence on January 1 has been delayed until June 1. The current economic impact has had a "significant impact" on the seafood sector and has been "particularly challenging" for vessels in the demersal (whitefish) fleet.
Quota balancing means that where a vessel lands more than its allocated catch limit for a stock during a fishery management period, a deduction will be made from its future catch limit. A multiplying factor will also apply to the excess landings. Where a vessel lands more than 10% over their catch limit, a higher level of payback will apply. Quota balancing is separate to any action by may be taken by the control authorities. The policy was developed at the request and assistance of the Quota Management Advisory Committee who make recommendations on the management of Irish fish quotas. It comprises fishing industry representatives from the catching and processing sectors.
Catch limits
From June, quota balancing will apply to: Haddock, VIa (HAD/5BC6A) Hake in VI and VII (HKE/571214) Monk VI (ANF/56-14) Whiting VIIb-k (WHG/(7X&A)7X7A-C Quota balancing will be rolled out for other whitefish stocks at a later time. A pilot scheme for pelagic stocks was introduced on January 1, 2018 and is ongoing.
Postponing the scheme, marine minister Michael Creed said the additional time would allow the sector to become familiar with the process and to "adapt in these unprecedented times". Statements for the months of January to May will be issued to licence holders for information purposes only.
Castletownbere, Ireland's premier whitefish port
Designing Ireland’s first National Marine Plan
r Ann-Marie O’Hagan, MaREI Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy, outlined her views on Ireland’s first marine plan in the Winter edition of Inshore Ireland. A public consultation by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government is ongoing to an extended deadline of April 30.
This is the country’s first attempt at maritime spatial planning ― the establishment of a plan required under EU law, by March 31, 2021 at the latest. The Plan will cover internal waters, the territorial sea, Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf. The National Marine Planning Framework Consultation Draft sets out the broader context for marine planning, covering topics such as its link to the government’s ‘Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth’ plan, EU and national policy and legal frameworks, links with the land planning system. The NMPF will not replace or remove existing regulatory regimes or legislative requirements but will be an overarching framework for those sectoral activities. An analogy can be drawn between the NMPF and the equivalent hierarchy of plans that apply on land: ‘Project Ireland 2040 – National Planning Framework’, regional spatial and economic strategies, county and city development plans and local area plans. A key difference however being that it is not equivalent to the National Development Plan. There are no dedicated investment priorities to underpin its implementation, thus raising questions as to how it will be effectively implemented and enforced. Initially, one plan will cover Ireland’s entire marine area; however there is scope to have more local or regional plans in future if this is deemed necessary.
In this context, we felt it would be useful to republish Dr O’Hagan’s article with links to the various pieces of existing legislation. We also include the views of two stakeholders: IFA Aquaculture and the Coastal Concern Alliance.
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Framework
The national marine plan is intended to provide a long-term framework for more effective management of marine activities and sustainable use of our varied marine resources. Its future implementation will necessitate enactment of various pieces of legislation such as the Marine Planning and Development Management Bill (to replace and modernise the foreshore consenting process) and the Maritime Jurisdiction Bill (to consolidate provisions on maritime jurisdictional zones) and will be accompanied by a statutory Marine Planning Policy Statement.
The latter will enable government to set a clear direction for managing our waters, specify objectives and priorities, and direct decision- makers, users and stakeholders towards more strategic, plan-led and efficient use of marine resources.
Dr O’Hagan:
The NMPF recognises the challenges posed by climate change and refers to the role of offshore renewable energy in the government’s Climate Action Plan and the consequent critical role marine planning will have in realising offshore energy. This is still dependent however on the enabling legislation, the Marine Planning and Development Management Bill, being enacted. The Bill contains provisions that enable areas to be zoned for specific purposes such as offshore renewable energy and other uses, but this zoning process is separate to the NMPF. Likewise, government is developing a process to expand Ireland’s national Marine Protected Area (MPA) network; actual designation of MPAs however will be separate to the NMPF despite the policies contained therein will be cognisant of these future policy developments. If more regional or local plans are developed, these could have more ‘local’ content and be quite detailed in terms of zoned areas for specific activities ― should that be favoured by the plan makers and stakeholders concerned.
Climate change
The NMPF will become the key decision-making tool for regulatory authorities and policy-makers. It is not yet wholly clear how this will be implemented but it is anticipated that each application seeking developing consent will have to indicate how the objectives of the NMPF have been taken into account. The Plan as it stands does not set any new sectoral objectives but rather contains a range of Overarching Marine Planning Policies (OMPPs) and activity-specific Sectoral Marine Planning Policies (SMPPs) that apply to all and particular sectors respectively. The OMPPs, as the name suggests, apply to all marine activities capable of having an impact on the marine environment. As such these include policies covering biodiversity, coexistence of sectors, infrastructure and coastal and island communities. These are grouped according to environmental, social and economic objectives and many are inherently linked to the EU’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive which seeks to achieve good environmental status of Europe’s marine waters by 2020 Generally, the OMPPs necessitate a requirement to avoid, minimise or mitigate significant adverse impacts. Development proposals will then have to demonstrate how such impacts are avoided. Sectoral Marine Planning Policies (SMPPs) are designed to assist decision-makers in dealing with particular development proposals. These are set out for 16 different sectors: aquaculture; defence and security; energy (carbon capture and storage); energy (offshore gas storage); energy (transmission); energy (petroleum); energy (offshore renewable); fisheries; marine aggregates and mining; ports, harbours, shipping; safety at sea; seaweed harvesting; sport and recreation; telecommunications; tourism; and wastewater treatment and disposal. Within the NMPF, each sectoral chapter is structured according to objectives: marine planning policies; key references; background and context; key issues for marine planning; interactions with other activities and issues for sustainability. Much of this information is derived from the earlier Baseline Report and submissions received during the consultation. The NMPF stipulates that the interdependent nature of marine activities means that multiple policies may be relevant to any one sector. The role of the decision-maker will be paramount therefore to ensure that plan policies are applied proportionately and in a proposal-specific manner.
Decision-making tool
By way of explanation, the example of aquaculture is presented here. The Objectives and Marine Planning Policies for aquaculture are outlined on page 90 of the report. The chapter identifies the key issues for marine planning, covering aspects such as the need to increase aquaculture production due to rising demands for seafood and the need to reform the aquaculture licensing process and clear the licensing backlog. It also provides an overview of the interactions with other sectors, including wild salmon and migratory fish, inshore fisheries, recreation and tourism, and eutrophication. There is also a section on sustainability which acknowledges the potential for aquaculture to increase pressures on the receiving environment and the carrying capacity of individual sites/areas. The NMPF states that it aims to achieve ‘sustainable growth of the industry while minimising and mitigating environmental impacts’ through a range of existing measures such as screening and assessment of proposed developments; taking carrying capacity and Good Environmental Status under MSFD into account; considering wider impacts such as those on biodiversity, sea and landscapes, heritage and visual impacts, as well as employment of best industry practices in terms of sea lice control.
Aquaculture example
Success of MSP is heavily dependent on its implementation that necessitates buy-in, enforcement and compliance across government, industry and society. There will be a statutory requirement in the forthcoming legislation that states: ‘The provisions of the NMPF must be supported and implemented by all public bodies that have a role in making policies, plans or programmes relevant to the maritime area, or have a role in regulating activity or development in the maritime area.’ There will be powers also for the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (as the competent authority for MSP) to direct a public body to adopt measures to implement or ensure compliance with the plan. It will be interesting to see how this pans out in practice, especially when so many marine sectors have their own policy objectives and responsible ministers.
Implementation is critical
There is limited information in the consultation draft on who will check compliance across public bodies or in the water, for example, and in what way. Conceptually, MSP is heralded as the accepted approach to reforming marine governance, addressing fragmentation and improving integration. The draft NMPF draws together a wide variety of information and challenges for governance in one document, but implementation will be key to making a change for the better in Irish marine planning and management.
Compliance cross-check
IFA Aquaculture is represented on the Marine Spatial Planning Advisory Group and is actively engaged with the ongoing process of marine spatial planning – having prepared a submission on the Marine Planning Policy Statement, and is participating with the current public consultation process on the draft National Marine Planning Framework. In broad terms, the policies and principles of Ireland’s Marine planning system address a number of recommendations outlined in the ‘Review of the Aquaculture Licensing Process’, where the report concluded that the aquaculture licensing system was in ‘urgent need of reform’.
Aquaculture and the National Marine Planning Framework Teresa Morrissey, IFA Aquaculture
The aquaculture objectives outlined in the draft National Marine Planning Framework (currently undergoing public consultation) address key aspects that could aid reform of the current aquaculture licensing system. These include: · support for a diverse, compliant growing aquaculture sector, through a modern licensing and enforcement system · maintain a best-practice aquaculture licensing system that supports future potential of aquaculture · further enhance the aquaculture licensing system with the aid of legislative, administrative and scientific expertise that promotes trust in the regulatory system · further develop enforcement strategies that support a compliant aquaculture industry Realisation of such objectives would provide clarity for decision-makers (e.g. those issuing licences), clarity for local businesses wanting to invest in new or existing ventures, and probably most importantly, clarity for local communities about developments that are planned in their areas. As aquaculture provides an important social dividend, providing employment in rural coastal and island communities through the sustainable production of high-quality food, the sectors contribution in sustaining vitality and viability in coastal areas cannot be ignored. IFA Aquaculture however notes that the functions of Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, are excluded from the scope of Marine Planning and Development Bill. It would appear that as a function of this department, aquaculture therefore is not included in the very legislative framework that underpins the marine planning system. In other words, the policies, principles and objectives of the National Marine Planning Framework means little in regard to the aquaculture sector if they are not underpinned by appropriate legislation.
Key objectives
Any legislative framework relating to the marine planning system must include the aquaculture sector if it is to succeed in its objective of enabling a better integrated marine management and planning system. IFA Aquaculture supports the development of an integrated marine planning system that is aligned with the land-planning system with a set timeframe for every step of the decision-making process from the outset, through screening, consultation, decision making and appeals. Such measures would meet the implementation requirement of a number of recommendations outlined in the ‘Review of the Aquaculture Licensing Process’, along with addressing priorities developing sustainable aquaculture as identified in Government policy documents such as the ‘National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture’ and the current ‘Programme for Partnership Government’. Given the number of policy documents calling for reform of the aquaculture regulatory system, serious questions must be asked as to the wisdom behind taking the decision to exempt the aquaculture sector from the legislative process for reformative policy for the marine space? Surely, it’s an opportunity to embrace change.
Legislative framework
Major international energy companies are planning to build some of the biggest offshore wind farms in the world, along Ireland’s east coast from Louth to Waterford, on sensitive wildlife habitat and in view of the shore, a local pressure group is claiming. The Coastal Concern Alliance says that development of turbines in the near-shore zone, which they believe is being fast-tracked through the planning process under the Foreshore Act of 1933 and before the government’s National Marine Planning Framework becomes law, will endanger marine biodiversity by degrading shallow sandbanks and have adverse visual impacts on a beautiful coastline. “Our main objectives are to ensure reform of the Foreshore Act and to see the introduction of Marine Spatial Planning and Integrated Coastal Zone Management,” a CCA spokesperson told Ocean Focus. “At this point, the legislation to replace the Foreshore Act ― the Marine Planning and Development Management Bill ― remains in draft form with the final draft expected imminently. “Our concern is that once the legislation is passed, government will have the power to designate Strategic Activity Zones that will then form part of the Marine Planning Framework. They will then be able to rubber-stamp wind farm developments under 1933 legislation, which is not only universally acknowledged to be unfit-for-purpose but is also non-compliant with EU legislation. “If this happens, developers will have managed to lay claim to vast areas of the Irish near-shore coastline without proper oversight and democratic input from the people to whom the coast belongs ― the citizens of Ireland. The un-spoilt Irish coastline and its seascapes will be altered irreparably.”
Citizens group demands that the legislation is workable and transparent
The CCA accuses government of awarding foreshore leases for construction, along with licences for initial investigation during the ‘Celtic Tiger era’. These awards were “below the radar of public attention, under the outdated and undemocratic Foreshore Act 1933,” they contend. The CCA says that “Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands have adopted ‘buffer zones’ around their coasts to help protect sensitive inshore habitats and coastal landscapes, while the Netherlands specifies a ‘free horizon’ to 22km. “The average distance from shore to offshore wind farms under construction in the EU in 2018 was 33km. This compares to a distance of 10 to 12km for the wind farms permitted and progressed off the coasts of Louth, Dublin, Wicklow, Wexford and Waterford.” Since its formation in 2008 by “a few environmentally conscious individuals”, the CCA has made “submissions to all relevant public consultations, communicated with all political parties, been invited to make a presentation to the Joint Oireachtas Committee who were reforming the Foreshore legislation, has met government officials and politicians and has written hundreds of letters to Ministers, opposition party spokespersons, and other NGOs”. Meanwhile, according to CCA, energy companies from outside Ireland are becoming increasingly involved in Ireland’s renewable energy scene as the Irish government grapples with the complexities of designing modern and workable legislation for the marine environment. “We now have a situation in Ireland where an Irish investor just sold half his share in the Codling Wind Park to a French energy concern, and a German company already with a 50% stake in the Dublin Array project. “These international energy companies would not get permission to build these kinds of developments in their own countries so they are now coming in to Ireland to avail of what the Coastal Concern Alliance says is out-of-date legislation.”
Lacking public scrutiny
Ocean Focus invited the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to respond to the following observations made by the CCA: Some of the biggest offshore wind farms in the world will be erected on important wildlife habitat off the coast of Louth, Dublin, Wicklow, Wexford and Waterford These developments will endanger marine biodiversity These developments will have major adverse visual impact on the coastline These developments were awarded a.) foreshore leases for construction; b.) licences for initial investigation under the Foreshore Act, 1933 – legislation acknowledged to be unfit for purpose The majority of those who will be impacted by these developments are unaware of what is being proposed The proposed buffer zones which protect sensitive in-shore habitats will be significantly less than those adopted in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands These developments would not be permitted in France and Germany, as proposed – home countries of some of the companies involved DHPLG had not responded by the time this issue of Ocean Focus had published.
The NMPF stipulates that the interdependent nature of marine activities means that multiple policies may be relevant to any one sector. The role of the decision-maker will be paramount therefore to ensure that plan policies are applied proportionately and in a proposal-specific manner.
A key difference however being that it is not equivalent to the National Development Plan. There are no dedicated investment priorities to underpin its implementation, thus raising questions AS to how it will be effectively implemented and enforced.
12 The seatrout season is open
13 Surge in wet-wipes and the potential spread of coronavirus
14 Anglers campaign for inclusion of Atlantic salmon conservation in IFI five year plan
15 EU angling sector advocates for full recognition in the Common Fisheries Policy
Anglers campaign for inclusion of Atlantic salmon conservation in IFI five-year plan
EU angling sector advocates for full recognition in the Common Fisheries Policy
THE SEATROUT SEASON IS OPEN
SURGE IN WET WIPES AND THE POTENTIAL SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS
The sea trout season is open
Brendan Connolly
torms Ciara, Dennis, and Jorge dominated February with rain,
sleet and snow, accounting for that month being the wettest on record at many Irish locations. Such was the weather that heralded the opening of the 2020 sea trout season.
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In south Co Donegal, anxious phonecalls were exchanged between anglers during the last couple of days of February. Viewed from Ballyshannon’s Mall Quay, the Erne Estuary looked angry and grey, with banks of white foam accumulating along the shore. Met Éireann broadcast yellow and red weather warnings, with winds gusting up to 130 km/hr. Would storm Jorge abate by Sunday March 1?
Below the grey surface, the sea trout charged over and back. The icy water temperature was certainly not slowing down this fish. Slowly but surely the fish was played closer to the surface. The anglers then saw the welcome sight of the delicate spots and white-silver sides of a beautiful seatrout flashing below them in the water.
Planning to fish at 3pm low tide, the anglers met at midday on the Mall Quay to assess weather conditions. The wind was diminishing, but strong gusts continued during wintry squalls. The anglers had eagerly anticipated the start of the season and were keen to brave the elements, so ventured along the three-mile estuary to the lee of the Finner Dunes in the shelter of the westerly winds. The river was in full flow; the boats plowed through the unusually high waves churned up by the strong westerlies pushing against the current. Would the seatrout be feeding in these cold and wild conditions? The backdrop of the Leitrim Mountains white with snow added to the wintry feeling. One angler decided to troll with a silver and blue Tasmanian Devil bait while the second trolled a cast of sea trout flies. Hunched against the wind-driven hail, both anglers navigated down the estuary to the Finner Dunes. Approaching, they spotted another angler fishing from the shore at the foot of the dunes. As they passed, the angler hurriedly picked up his rod, and after a couple of minutes they saw the silver flash of a sea trout being landed on the sand. This was a good sign; the sea trout were obviously taking.
Wet and wintery
At this point one angler changed his bait from sea trout flies to a natural sandeel. The sandeel was mounted on a rig with a single hook a couple of centimeters in front a a triple hook. A couple of feet from the end was an anti-kink vane to stop the line from twisting and causing knots in the line. Slowly trolling in wide circles they fished on. Suddenly, the angler fishing with the sandeel felt a knock on his rod. He slowed the boat and lifted the rod, and after a few seconds felt another pluck and immediatly let off some line to give the fish a chance to take the sandeel. What he was hoping for happened: the rod curved over and he felt the strong pull of a fish at the end of the line. Stopping the engine, he concentrated on playing the sea trout. Below the grey surface, the sea trout charged over and back. The icy water temperature was certainly not slowing down this fish. Slowly but surely the fish was played closer to the surface. The anglers then saw the welcome sight of the delicate spots and white-silver sides of a beautiful sea trout flashing below them in the water. This is what they had come for: the waters of the estuary, the pristine sand dunes, and the beauty of a sea trout in this stunning setting. Once the head of the sea trout appeared above the surface, the fish was carefully netted. It turned out to be about 1.25lbs in weight, beautifully silver, a perfectly formed fish. It did not have the tell tale signs of a fish that had spawned, yet it was an adult sea trout. The life cycle of sea trout is complex and unpredictable. Theoretically, sea trout at the beginning of the season should have spawned and are therefore kelts. But unlike kelts, this type of sea trout looks in good condition and appears not to have spawned. In the Erne Estuary, this type of sea trout is around 1.25lbs at the beginning of March and appears to have skipped spawning. The anglers fished on for some time but with no further success. By this time they were quite cold and decided to return to the Mall Quay, happy to have caught the first sea trout of the 2020 season.
Bait change
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Surge in wet-wipes and the potential spread of coronavirus
Gillian Mills
oastwatch has issued a warning on the potential spread of the Corona virus into recreational waters caused by overflow from sewers, treatment plants and septic
tanks that become blocked by wet wipes being flushed down the nation’s toilets.
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Roughly nine out of every ten sewer overflows and treatment plant malfunctions are linked to wet wipes. These problems have increased significantly since wet wipes became fashionable about five years ago, according to county council staff. The Single Use Plastic (SUP) Directive 2019 which forms part of the EU’s Plastic Strategy, will be transposed into Irish law by 5 July, 2021. Its aim is to reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, particularly from marine litter. “Current wet-wipe waste disposal information however is confusing”, Karin Dubsky, Coastwatch, told Ocean Focus. “And that confusion is exacerbated as more brands enter the market. These latest wet-wipes are labelled ‘flushable’ and ‘non-plastic’. “But when we soaked these products in water for a week, they remained difficult to pull apart while toilet paper turns into pulp pieces after soaking for just a few minutes.”
The coronavirus is passed by anyone of any age who has contracted the virus – even if they have no signs, and also by someone who has become sick. As the coronavirus pandemic continues “it is understandable people are being extra vigilant with cleanliness and so ‘flushable’ wipes appear to be the answer with their ‘cleaner’ promise on the package”, says Dubsky. “We conclude that while so-called ‘flushable’ wet-wipes do flush, they can still cause blockages just like their non flushable cousins.” Coastwatch is calling for “immediate government action” to minimise the risk of water pollution and to protect sanitary workers and the public in general: “There isn’t enough research yet, but it is likely that the virus dies in the sewage treatment plant or septic tank. “If raw sewage however escapes into our waterways just a few short hours after excretion, limited research suggests the virus could survive up to four days. “Raw sewage poses a considerable health risk and contaminates our shellfish and recreational waters. “You don’t need to use wet wipes to be clean. Toilet paper, soap and water work very well. Where these options are not available or suitable, or disinfectant wipes are being used, Coastwatch cautions to be “extra careful” to dispose these items into general waste bins. “Not into the recycling bin and definitely never down the toilet.” ‘Don’t Flush’ labels should be mandatory on all wet wipes, adds Coastwatch, whether they are sold as ‘flushable’ or not’. “Where the product is marked 'flushable’, a ‘Don’t Flush’ sticker should cover this misleading information.
Pandemic
Coastwatch is calling for “immediate government action” to minimise the risk of water pollution and to protect sanitary workers and the public in general
Help minimise the spread of the Corona virus by NEVER flushing wet-wipes down the toilet – even if they are labelled ‘flushable. Blocked sewers and toilets cause raw sewage spills. Used wipes MUST be disposed in general waste bins.
Noel Carr
FISSTA
he Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers has submitted observations on Inland Fisheries Ireland’s five-year Corporate Plan as a means of communicating our
With only 25 of Ireland’s 145 designated rivers open this season with a salmon quota, and 120 rivers closed or on catch-and-release status, many anglers feel that IFI management policy is failing. We have noted IFI’s statement that it is “now providing for a sustainable world-class recreational angling product and that our pristine aquatic habitats are also enjoyed for other recreational users”. Nevertheless, our game angling federation challenges this policy of conservational downgrading as a way of promoting new species that do not require pristine water quality. We fear that it is a decision taken at the expense of the salmonid populations in many of the great Western lakes. FISSTA contends that weak legislation and poor implementation of the byelaws is behind dwindling salmonid resources that are left exposed to many predatory elements. We believe that the key to salmonid survival is habitat conservation and enhancement.
hope of achieving sustained progress on the conservation of wild Atlantic salmon as provided for by legislation.
Reports from the EPA continue to record the degradation in spawning waters while we continue to believe that the survival of migrating smolts is being impacted by sea lice infestation from salmon aquaculture in some Irish bays and predated by mackerel in the North Sea. To do nothing is no longer an option, and if the OPW can implement the culling of wild deer in Killarney National Park, surely Inland Fisheries Ireland should face up to its responsibility to wild salmon by managing and controlling seal and cormorant predation – a situation which has festered for many years. We believe that declining numbers of visiting anglers is due directly to salmon catch figures falling off the cliff as well as the prohibitive cost of a fishing licence that can often be more expensive than flight and accommodation combined. We need to see more key professionals ― not just in science but also with business and marketing skills ― to match international competition. We have already recorded our view that IFI has undervalued its worth in past budget submissions, and that its Corporate Plan 2015-2020 shows no serious improvement in the funding required for the vital tasks needed to put more fish back in Irish waters.
Environmental impacts
Ballisodare Salmon Fishery
Michal Wiezik (MEP), Maja Kirchner (DG MARE), Olivier Portrat (EFTTA), Dr. Kieran Hyder (CEFAS), Fred Bloot (EAA) and David Vertegaal (EAA)
On February 19, representatives from the European Anglers Alliance (EAA) and the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA), outlined the challenges that the sector faces and the actions needed to be taken to exploit its full potential. Olivier Portrat, the newly-appointed chief executive of EFTTA, made a strong case for Europe’s 8.7 million sea anglers who generate €10.5 billion annually through expenditure on fishing equipment, services, fishing trips, etc. The sector also supports around 100,000 jobs throughout the EU. Moreover, angling contributes to people’s health and quality of life. Fred Bloot, an old friend of Irish angling and FISSTA, attended the forum in his capacity as president of the EAA. He supported Oliver Portrat’s view that a more comprehensive data collection programme should be undertaken on recreational fisheries with a view to full integration into the CFP.
n the wake of Brexit, Irish anglers have new fears for the future. So, it was important that European anglers seized the opportunity to make the case at the European Parliament
that full recognition of recreational fisheries within the Common Fisheries Policy was needed to properly manage public access to the sector and to put in place a fair and sustainable management of fish stocks.
I
BIM National Fisheries & Diving College Castletownbere
Growth in aquaculture sees rise in demand for commercial diver courses
2022 CFP Review: Fisheries at a crossroads?
Ireland's oyster producers rise to marketing challenges
FISHERIES INFORMATION NOTICE 3-2020
17 SFPA Fisheries Information Notice 3-2020
18 2022 CFP Review fisheries at crossroads?
19 Ireland’s oyster producers rise to marketing challenges
20 Growth in aquaculture sees rise in demand for commercial diver course
21 BIM National Fisheries & Diving College Castletownbere
xx Article xx
22 Plaice survival in the Irish seine net fishery
23 Advisory Councils publish report on steps to sustainably manage fishing gear
Fisheries Information Notice 3-2020
• Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 2019/2239 • Council Regulation (EU) No 2018/973 • Council Regulation (EU) No 2019/472S. I. 55 of 2013 The Master of any Union vessel of 12m overall length or more is required to stow all catches of demersal stocks subject to multiannual plans separately in boxes, compartments or containers from other fishery products and are easily identifiable. Separate stowage means that stocks shall be placed in separate boxes, compartments or containers in such a way that they are easily identifiable from other boxes, containers or compartments. Multiannual plan species must be at least separated by species, box by box. It is prohibited to mix any quantity of catches of demersal stocks subject to multiannual plan in any box, compartment or container with any other fisheries product or amongst other multiannualplan species.
Separate Stowage of Demersal Catches’
'Legislative Basis'
Separate Stowage of Demersal Catches
The master of an Irish sea-fishing boat, wherever it may be, must ensure that monkfish is stored separately from other species retained on board. Both fresh and frozen monkfish must be stowed separately. It is prohibited to mix monkfish in a container with other species. Monkfish must be easily identifiable and clearly detailed and stowed according to the stowage plan (Figure 1).
Irish Vessels retaining Monkfish
Stocks below the minimum conservation reference size (MCRS), which have been retained in accordance with the landing obligation, should be stored separately from other stocks and easily identifiable (Figure 1). Different stocks of below MCRS may be mixed in the same container.
Stocks below MCRS subject to Landing obligation
Stocks not subject to multiannual plans are exempt from separate stowage requirements.
Stocks not subject to Multiannual Plans
Masters must complete a stowage plan. A stowage plan is a document that describes the location of the different species in the hold. Catches of demersal stocks subject to multiannual plans shall be stowed in accordance with a stowage plan (Figure 1). The species and quantities recorded in the stowage plan must correspond to the logbook.
Stowage Plan
Figure 1. Example of a stowage plan on a fishing vessel with stocks subject to multiannual plans separated by stacks and boxes. Where different stocks are in the same stack a lateral view of the different stocks in the same stack are required to be detailed in the stowage plan. Stocks must be easily identifiable to SFPOs using the stowage plan.
The contents of these pages are provided as a guide only. They are intended to enhance access to information. While every effort is made in preparing material for publication no responsibility is accepted by or on behalf of the SFPA for any errors, omissions or misleading statements on these pages. Document Ref: FC FIN3/20
Disclaimer
2022 CFP Review:
Fisheries at a crossroads?
y December 31, 2022, the Commission is required to report to the Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
This is a legal requirement arising from the need to review the derogation to the principle of equal access.
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This derogation is embodied in the rules that restrict access in the 12-mile zones of Member States to ‘traditional’ fishing activities; it provides a once-in-a-decade opportunity to review the CFP, take stock and make recommendations.
Unlike in 1992, 2002 and 2012 however, no actual reform is envisaged for 2022. With notable exceptions (the Mediterranean, Baltic Sea, North Sea cod), there are positive signs as regards the status of stocks and the status of the fish economy. Thanks to higher fish prices, lower fuel costs and recovering stocks, the European fishing sector is making record profits overall.
Positive signs
The Commission report will coincide with the entry into force of the new European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF). The appearance of the ‘aquaculture’ for the first time in the title of the new regulation is a sign of a shifting policy focus away from fisheries as the main source of marine food production to aquaculture. A central element of the EMFAF is the ‘blue economy’ which includes non-food sectors such as ocean energy, seabed mining, marine biotechnology and coastal tourism. These sectors will compete for both space and resources with the fisheries sector, and it is likely that energy generating installations will be established in many fishing areas. There is a risk that blue economy, including aquaculture development will be at the expense of fisheries development.
With the shifting focus of fisheries policy away from productivity increases towards conservation and environmental protection, the social dimension of fisheries has been neglected. Social issues will need to be given greater attention in the coming period if the fishing sector is to be sustained. In general, working conditions have fallen behind compared to other sectors. The adoption and entry into force of the ILO Work in Fishing Convention (C.188) should foster improvements in at-sea working conditions on larger vessels. To what extent such improvements can be supported through the EMFAF remains a contentious issue however, as such improvements may also contribute to increased fishing capacity of the fleet. But the ILO C.188 will not resolve the issue of generational renewal, and the problem of low recruitment of new entrants into the fishing profession. Many fleet segments have become reliant on migrant workers, including from Asia, Africa and Latin America. Simply put, the fisheries sector is not an attractive prospect for the younger generation in today’s world, and this needs to change.
Productivity to conservation
There is a risk that blue economy, including aquaculture development will be at the expense of fisheries development.
Another area of neglect has been the important role that women play in sustaining the fisheries sector. Women are found throughout the value chain, with a predominance in the shore-based processing sector. Their contribution however to small-scale family businesses - often in the form of unpaid labour - has passed under the CFP radar. Employment statistics are often blind to gender differences in the fisheries sector, largely due to women’s work being considered as informal and unpaid (for example as shellfish gatherers, or as ‘helpers’ and co-workers in their family businesses). This means that the work of women often goes unrecognised, disrespected and poorly rewarded. At the end of February, just ahead of the United Nations Day for Women’s Rights (March 8) the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) and the Aktea launched an initiative to draw attention to this, and to lobby for space in the 2022 review of the CFP to be given to the role women in fisheries sector. The European Commissioner for the Environment, Ocean and Fisheries sent a video address to the meeting which gathered 40 women from 9 EU Member States (https://lifeplatform.eu/akteas-women-conquer-brussels/).
Women in fisheries
Another important area of neglect is the small-scale fishing sector (vessels under12 metres deploying non-towed gear). Although this represents by far the largest fleet segment, it has experienced the sharpest decline in recent years, and shows a relatively poor economic performance. LIFE was launched on the eve of the reformed 2014 CFP to rectify these historic wrongs suffered by the small-scale fleet, and to open the eyes of policymakers to the potential of small-scale low impact fishery activities to achieve the wider social, environmental and economic sustainability goals.
Neglect of inshore fishers
Six years on however, it is clear that the 2014 CFP is not working for small-scale fisheries. The sector has not benefited from the same rights of access to resources (allocation of quotas), access to markets (support to set up Producer Organisations) and wider opportunities (access to finance, to information, to training and to the decision-making processes that affect them) as larger scale fleets. Unlike larger-scale companies, small-scale fishing companies do not generate sufficient revenues to employ dedicated lobbyists. To attend meetings where decisions are taken, small scale fishers must sacrifice their daily earnings with no possibility for compensation. To draw attention to these failings, LIFE wrote a letter to the Members of the Pech Committee of the European Parliament, who responded by organising an exchange of views in early December with the European Commission. One of the main conclusions was that Article 17 of the CFP is not fit for purpose. This requires that Member States use ‘transparent and objective criteria including those of an environmental, social and economic nature’ to allocate the fishing opportunities assigned to them (https://lifeplatform.eu/pech_committee_december_2019/) If fishing is to survive, the CFP needs to pay greater attention to the social dimension, and to place less emphasis on technological development and productivity.
Ireland’s oyster producers rise to marketing challenges
two-day seminar last month hosted by BIM and IFA Aquaculture attracted
over 85% of Ireland’s oyster farming sector, valued at €43m according to BIM’s ‘Business of Seafood report (2018).
Demand for Irish oysters continues to rise on domestic and overseas markets, Jim O’Toole, BIM chief executive told delegates: “Consumers in Europe and Asia are actively seeking out Irish oysters and cite the unique characteristics and diversity in taste between brands. “This strong and growing reputation has translated into strong prices for Irish oysters, and excellence in food safety management and stringent attention to quality control among industry members accounts for much of these successes.“
Speakers from the Marine Institute, the SFPA and other industry experts focused on water quality biosecurity, biotoxins and other environmental factors that significantly affect both oyster production and trade.
The sector enjoyed a positive year in 2018, producing an all-time high of 10,300 tonnes of oysters and employing 1,300 people nationwide. Despite recent health and socio-economic challenges presented by the Asian market which have affected exports, Irish oyster producers remain at the forefront of the market. The sector is attracting continued investment in packaging and branding, focusing on Irish oyster’s superior quality. The latest figures show that almost 30% of Irish oysters are now packed and branded in Ireland prior to export, adding extra value to the sector. While France remains the largest export market at 74% of total export volume (2018), exports are diversifying into alternative European markets such as the Netherlands and Belgium. Last year saw a 31% export increase to the Netherlands.
Teresa Morrissey, IFA Aquaculture, BIM’s chief executive, Jim O’Toole and Patricia Daly, BIM.
BIM continues to support and work closely with the sector. It is a sector that has enormous potential to continue in its upwards growth trajectory and to further benefit those living and working in coastal communities throughout Ireland,” he said.
Growth in aquaculture sees rise in demand for commercial diver course
IM is offering commercial diver training programmes to meet the growing demand from the aquaculture industry.
Courses are open to any one interested in pursuing a career as a commercial diver, or indeed adding a diving qualification to their existing skill set, thus creating additional work opportunities in areas such as marine sciences, underwater archaeology and offshore renewable energy. Life as a commercial diver is always interesting and often challenging. Jobs can be as simple as visual inspection of subsea structures or complex operations involving cutting, burning or welding underwater, marine salvage operations or installation and maintenance on wellhead components. Whatever it is, the diver is expected to be able to perform a myriad of tasks underwater in low or no visibility. Their skills combine the ability to dive safely in heavy working equipment, deal with environmental challenges and operate tools in a safe and effective manner.
Whatever it is, the diver is expected to be able to perform a myriad of tasks underwater in low or no visibility. Their skills combine the ability to dive safely in heavy working equipment, deal with environmental challenges and operate tools in a safe and effective manner
Such is the demand on the diver that while often working solo in the water, he or she is reliant on a team to assist throughout the operation who provides the necessary supports and response without hesitation in the event of an emergency. Divers on their training as much as their equipment and their team. In response to demand from the aquaculture industry, BIM has developed a series of Commercial Diver Training Programmes to equip learners with the necessary skills and experience to become fully qualified to work under current Health and Safety legislation.
Working with Quality, Qualifications Ireland, (QQI) Health & Safety Authority (HSA), the International Diving Schools Association (IDSA), industry representatives and commercial diver training consultants, BIM has developed two new QQI Level 6 Awards and a corresponding programme of delivery to meet the award specifications. For ‘commercial scuba’ or ‘surface supplied diving (inshore), all divers at work (being paid) are required to hold a Commercial Diving Certificate under ‘SI 425 Safety Health and Welfare at Work (Diving) Regulations 2018’. For light work such as visual inspection, photography and simple tasks in benign conditions, the use of commercial scuba equipment with a minimum of a three-man team may be acceptable. For all other operations, the use of surface supplied equipment is the preferred method. Surface supply means that the diver’s breathing gas is delivered from the surface via an umbilical, unlike scuba where only a limited gas supply is carried by the diver. The umbilical also provides hard wire communications, a pneumophatometer to monitor the diver’s actual depth and a video camera with light to assist the diver and allow the diving supervisor to view the working environment and monitor progress. This approach to diving is far safer than the use of scuba and is the only acceptable solution to most underwater tasks.
Working environment
Qualifications
A number of commercial diving companies in Ireland are servicing the demands of marine civil engineer projects, pipe laying, inspection works in dams, locks and docks and many other ocean projects. The single largest employer of divers however is the aquaculture industry with over 100 divers engaged around the coast. The diver is crucial to the daily operations of a fish farm, removing dead fish from cages, inspecting and repairing nets, surveying moorings, monitoring fish activity and a host of other tasks that keep the operation running. It is for this reason that BIM have become the only provider of commercial diver training in Ireland.
This equipment is housed on a working barge located in Bantry Bay where dive operations are carried out. The Commercial Scuba Course is run over five weeks and includes one week of First Aid Responder (FAR), oxygen administration and diving first aid. A further four weeks are required to complete the Surface Supplied Diving Course. To date, divers who have completed these programmes are all working in the industry and are testimony to the high standard of training provided by the trainers. BIM courses are recognised by the HSE UK, further validation of the standard of training and certification. These courses offer anyone interested in a career as a commercial diver everything they need to get employment in the inshore sector.
IM has invested in state-of-the-art diving systems, built to offshore specifications, including a 10ft containerised surface supplied dive station,
capable of supporting three divers, a 20ft containerised hyperbaric chamber rated to 50m, underwater working tools, compressors and generators to meet the requirements of a commercial dive school.
The real demand for commercial divers started in the early days of oil exploration and grew rapidly during the 60s and 70s when the North Sea exploration was at its peak. Many accidents occurred in the early days and many divers lost their lives and it was for that reason that the HSE in the UK became involved in the training standards for commercial divers. Today, the industry is heavily regulated and thankfully accidents and fatalities are a rarity. While the demand for and indeed the supply of oil is dwindling, coming down the track are renewable energy sources and Ireland is exceptionally well placed to provide the solutions. We are rich in offshore wind, wave and tidal energy and the Irish government has recently accepted the need to develop offshore wind farms which will create further demand for working divers. Offshore renewables could be Ireland’s ‘new oil’ and have the potential to significantly boost the economy if the resource is managed effectively and the revenues are not lost to overseas multinationals. As the aquaculture industry expands, the demand for divers will also grow so the future looks good for anyone considering a career as a commercial diver.
Future demand
BIM courses are open to all applicants with possible funding available for persons involved in the aquaculture / fishing industry. They are scheduled to commence in Autumn 2020.Contact:NFCI Castletownbere - 027-71230,Shane Begley - 087 289 7629,Brian Murphy - 087 237 8471Email: diving@bim.ieWebsite: www.bim.ie
Plaice survival in the Irish seine net fishery
reland’s seafood development agency (BIM), has completed a plaice survival study [www.bim.ie/our-publications/fisheries] in collaboration with Damien Turner and crew on board the bottom seine net vessel, MFV Róise Catríona.
Michael Kingston
Title
Dr Ronán Cosgrove
Fisheries Conservation Manager, BIM
For more information on the BIM study: www.bim.ie/our publications/fisheries
Led by BIM’s Martin Oliver, the trial was conducted around five hours steaming south of Castletownbere in last October. The condition of plaice caught under normal fishing operations was assessed, using well-established fish vitality/movement and injury assessment protocols. Most of the plaice were in excellent condition and had vigorous body movement. Scale and mucus loss were the predominant injuries. Applying observed plaice survival rates from a Danish seine-net study conducted in the Skagerrak inferred a survival estimate of 87% for plaice in the Irish fishery. Directly observed survival rates were not possible in the Irish study due to logistical constraints but survival rates inferred from other fisheries have been used before by the European Commission (EC) to grant exemptions from the landing obligation. For example, the Skaggerak study results were used to infer plaice survival rates and to grant an exemption in a seine net fishery in the English Channel.
The Irish study results will be used to apply for a survival exemption for seine-caught plaice off Ireland’s south-west and west coasts where there are risks of choking under the landing obligation due to restrictive plaice quotas of less than 60t in 2020. Given the specialised nature of the fishery, seine-net vessels are limited in their options to avoid unwanted plaice capture. They are generally restricted to targeting mixed demersal fish species and are incapable of switching to Nephrops and thereby benefitting from the suite of selective gears available in that fishery. Also, Irish fishing grounds suited to bottom-seining are mainly located off the south-west and west coasts so relocation to areas with more quota availability is not an option.
International approach
A previous Irish application for a plaice survival exemption for otter trawlers off the south- west coast was rejected on the basis that survival of around 40% would not lead to a sufficient reduction in fishing mortality in a depleted stock. While there are no guarantees, the seine-net application will hopefully fare better, given a substantially higher survival estimate and superior fish condition in seines compared with trawls. Underwater camera observations have shown that the majority of fish herded by seine ropes enter the belly and codend sections in the closing phase of the hauling operation.
Hence, the actual fishing time may be as short as 15 minutes and the fish therefore are subject to much shorter periods of physical stressors compared to trawling. This is corroborated in the Skagerrak study where a substantially higher plaice survival rate of 78% was found in a seine-net fishery, compared with 44% in a bottom-trawl fishery in the same area and time of year off the Danish coast. BIM would like to thank Damien Turner and the crew of MFV Róise Catríona for a productive collaboration and Shane Murphy for assistance with on-board sampling.
Advisory Councils publish report on steps to sustainably manage fishing gear
The North Western Waters Advisory Council (NWWAC) hosted a workshop: ‘Re-imagining Gear in a Circular Economy’ (Brussels, January 2020) in conjunction with the Baltic Sea Advisory Council, North Sea Advisory Council and Pelagic Advisory Council.
challenges
Discussions focused on the fishing gear component of recent EU legislation, specifically the design, monitoring, collecting and disposal of fishing gear. The workshop built on the conclusions from the joint NWWAC/Market Advisory Council workshop: ‘Plastics and the Seafood Supply Chain’ (Brussels, November 2019) that brought together experts and scientists with members of nine Advisory Councils.
Around 50 participants from 10 different EU Member States discussed difficulties faced by the fishing sector relating to the proposed measures. Highlights from a concluding report include:
proposed introduction of an Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme under which producers of fishing gear cover the costs of the separate collection of waste fishing gear and its subsequent transport and treatment envisaged standardisation of gear, relating to the circular design of fishing gear to encourage preparation for re-use and facilitate recyclability at end-of-life, and overall lack of data regarding volumes of end-of-life gear and current recycling rates
• • •
An additional challenge complicating the development of solutions is the overall lack of data regarding volumes of end-of-life gear and current recycling rates. Clear recommendations include the need for a full life-cycle analysis of the various types of fishing gear, as well as a complete supply-chain analysis, to arrive at a clear picture of the scale of the issue. While communication and awareness-raising within the sector are paramount, the NWWAC says it is vital that all stakeholders at local, national and EU policy level, come together to coordinate their approach as this issue falls within a number of policy areas, namely fisheries, waste management and circular economy. Fishers are part of the solution. Their enthusiasm and involvement ― not only in voluntary Fishing for Litter schemes but also in finding practical solutions for design, collection and disassembly ― must be acknowledged and applauded.
Participants sharing their knowledge during discussions on the circularity of fishing gear
marine r&d
Aligning corporate governance with government policy
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit the Marine Institute
Wales - Ireland CHERISH project
2020 survey season to map west Cork, Kerry and the Celtic Sea shelf
25 2020 survey season to map West Cork, Kerry and the Celtic Sea shelf
26 Mapping Ireland’s coastal and maritime heritage
27 Masters module on the principles of seabed mapping
28 Wales-Ireland CHERISH project welcomes Ministerial visit
29 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit the Marine Institute
30 Cullen Fellow co-creates a food web model for the Irish Sea
31 Network of Arctic Researchers in Ireland
32 Aligning corporate governance with government policy
Masters module on the principle of seabed mapping
2020 survey season to map West Cork, Kerry and the Celtic Sea shelf
hase 1 of INFOMAR involved mapping the seabed of 26 priority bays and three priority areas around Ireland’s coast.
Since completion in 2015, the objective of Phase 2 by 2026 turned to mapping the remaining gaps in seabed data, along with large areas of the Celtic Sea and Atlantic shelves.
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INFOMAR’s 2019 survey season mapped gaps along Ireland’s south coast between Youghal and Dunmanus Bay and on the Celtic Sea shelf beyond thirty nautical miles. The inshore fleet, operated by Geological Survey Ireland, made good coverage gains - particularly between Kinsale and Mizen Head, Co. Cork, along with a large block between ten and thirty nautical miles south of the Cork coast. The offshore fleet, operated by the Marine Institute, mapped large areas of the shelf further out to sea.
INFOMAR is funded by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE) and jointly managed by Geological Survey Ireland and the Marine Institute.
Eoin Mac Craith
GSI
The 2020 survey season will pick up where the vessels left off last year. The inshore fleet (RV Keary, RV Mallet, RV Lir, RV Galtee) will work from Kinsale and Baltimore, taking in many of West Cork’s many islands, and will progress to Kenmare Bay, mapping coastal waters (beaches, cliffs etc) and inner shelf waters out to 30 nautical miles. RV Galtee is the latest addition to the inshore fleet. Being a similar 11m Rigid Inflatable Boat to RV Lir, it will carry out inshore and offshore work. These vessels are very versatile in terms of inner shelf work capability, and can take advantage of varying weather patterns to work in different areas.) The offshore fleet (RV Celtic Voyager and RV Celtic Explorer) will continue operations up to 100 nautical miles from the coast and out on the deeper waters of the Celtic Sea shelf. Arrival of RV Galtee marks a significant expansion of the inshore fleet’s capabilities. As well as an effort to improve the level of carbon emissions associated with surveying, these small vessels can work as far offshore as RV Mallet and are relatively fuel efficient. When the inshore work is complete, they can join the larger vessels in tackling the expanses remaining to be mapped on the inner shelf.
Many challenges lie in wait for the survey crews of both fleets. For the inshore vessels, the rugged beauty of West Cork and Kerry’s coastline comes hand-in-hand with numerous shallow, hazardous rocks that the vessels must safely navigate around and survey in high detail. For the offshore fleet working so far out to sea, a careful eye must be kept on weather conditions. Survey work is planned around forecast patterns of strong winds and rough sea states.
Challenging coastline
As always however, the results will be more than worth the effort. Fascinating seabed features of Ireland’s intricate south-west coast and in the depths of the outer shelf will be revealed in stunning detail. A range of essential mapping products will be created to underpin Ireland’s blue growth, along with valuable seabed data which will enable conservation and protection of our precious marine environment.
Click here to view detailed INFOMAR Survey Planning Map
All data are available to download for free at www.infomar.ie
Mapping Ireland’s coastal and maritime heritage
At the heart of PERICLES is an online portal to map the tangible and intangible heritage of Europe's coastal regions and seas. As well as being a catalogue of our coastal and maritime cultural heritage assets, the portal will have many practical applications, including identifying heritage at risk, helping to integrate heritage into marine plans, and as a trigger for identifying different heritage narratives and values. Launching the portal as a wide-scale citizen science venture, the PERICLES team hope to uncover hidden heritage and capture heritage values that haven’t before been widely documented. In this way, the future of Ireland’s coastal and maritime heritage can be informed by the needs and values of those to whom the heritage ultimately belongs. Citizens, stakeholders and interested parties are invited to submit contributions to the map. To access the portal and map your heritage, simply CLICK HERE, select the Scotland-Ireland region and click on ‘Add Your Data’ from the options on the panel on the right of the screen. The PERICLES team at Queen’s University Belfast would also be interested to hear from any groups wishing to collaborate with them using the portal, or who can help promote it anywhere in Ireland. For more information about the project and the portal please visit the website www.pericles-heritage.eu or contact Dr Laura Ferguson (L.Ferguson@qub.ac.uk) or Dr Wesley Flannery (w.flannery@qub.ac.uk).
reland’s unique seascapes and historically rich coastlines are being highlighted by
Online portal
Queen’s University Belfast in a major international coastal and maritime heritage project.
Preserving and Sustainably Governing Cultural Heritage and Landscapes in European Coastal and Maritime Regions (PERICLES) is an EU-funded research and innovation project. The overall aim of the project is to develop a comprehensive framework to understand, preserve and make use of our maritime heritage for societal good.
Masters module on the principles of seabed mapping
INFOMAR joint programme manager Seán Cullen (Geological Survey Ireland) said he was pleased to see “the very positive feedback overall” from the students and tutors: “This module demonstrates the welcome influence of Irish seabed mapping expertise on new sectors of society and is a timely addition to the INFOMAR education initiative as we face into the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. “Collaboration is an encouraging sign that seabed science belongs in the space of third-level education, and sets to further promote Ireland as a leader in marine science and ocean literacy on the international stage.” Thomas Furey, INFOMAR joint programme manager (Marine Institute) said it was “critical” to create a legacy to build on Ireland’s “world leading role” in seabed mapping: “Through this specific training at third level, we are contributing to capacity build, marine economy growth and Ireland’s marine plan, ‘Harnessing our Ocean Wealth’.”
he Department of Geography at NUI-Maynooth and Ireland’s marine mapping programme INFOMAR (Integrated Mapping for the Sustainable Development of Ireland’s Marine
Resource) successfully delivered a new, five-day module at the end of January on the principles of seabed mapping for the Masters course specialising in remote sensing.
The Level 9 post-graduate module, ‘Marine Remote Sensing – INFOMAR’, explained the science of seabed mapping by providing a combination of class-based learning and practical offshore survey experience. The course outlined the importance and impact of seabed mapping, and featured a range of topics including how seabed data are collected and processed to produce high-resolution maps of seafloor depth, type and habitat. Lectures illustrated how scientists measure and describe the seafloor in incredible detail, using state-of-the art acoustic sonar, positioning and optical instrumentation. The use of satellite imagery analysis when studying coastal seabed depth and shape was also explained. Practical examples used images of Dublin Bay acquired on Sentinal-2 satellite’s sensor almost 800km above the Earth’s surface.
Course details
Offshore practical
Training activities included marine mammal observation deck watch, survey computers and software use, benthic ecology, sedimentology classification, sound velocity probe deployment, multibeam echosounder, and sub-bottom profiler data gathering. After exposure to the scientific equipment, workflows and data processing onboard, the students were tasked with designing, planning and implementing a real-life survey scenario. This enabled them to apply their newly-acquired, seabed-mapping knowledge, as a team of scientists would in real-world conditions. Overall, the INFOMAR MSc module gave the students an overview of remote sensing techniques, helped them to understand bathymetric data products, to recognise data limitations, and to identify key systems and practices used when surveying the seafloor. Students also developed a technical grounding in mapping at different resolutions, and learnt the importance of instrumentation calibration, quality control and processing of bathymetry datasets before product delivery to end users. The students also learnt how to source marine data online from INFOMAR’s Interactive Web Data Delivery System and online Webviewers and via web-based portals operated by the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) and the Copernicus Marine Environment Service. Follow-on project work is currently being assessed, and the results will further highlight the positive learning achievements of all attendees. Importantly, the module was taught within the context of end-users, stakeholders and the policy framework that underpins ocean science and ocean literacy and highlights both the relevance and importance of mapping the Earth’s seafloor. The course was delivered by the INFOMAR team who have extensive offshore surveying time and were able to share personal experiences and employment backgrounds.
Hands-on experience
The module included a two-day offshore practical in the outer reaches of Cork Harbour aboard RV Celtic Voyager where students were given an opportunity to apply the theoretical learning. This vessel is one of six survey platforms deployed by the INFOMAR programme during seabed mapping operations. At 31.4 m in length, the RV Celtic Voyager is tasked with operating along the continental shelf and coastal waters. Students also got exposure to the dry and wet/chemical laboratories, as well as operating an array of scientific equipment, including the multibeam sonars and associated oceanographic instrumentation.
Wales-Ireland CHERISH project
welcomes Ministerial visit
Sandra Henry, Discovery Programme; Philip Nugent, DCCAE; Minister Eluned Morgan; Kieran Craven, GSI and Koen Verbruggen, GSI
luned Morgan, Welsh Minister for International Relations and the
the Welsh language, stepped aboard RV Mallet research vessel (11/03) to meet members of the CHERISH project during a visit to the Royal Irish Yacht Club, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, as part of Wales Week.
E
The CHERISH (Climate, Heritage and Environments of Reefs, Islands and Headlands) project employs the latest technology to analyse coastal and island archaeology and heritage sites most affected by climate change, coastal erosion, storminess and rising sea levels in Ireland and Wales.
The six-year project is funded (€6.2m) by the EU’s ‘Ireland-Wales 2014-2020 European Territorial Co-operation (ETC)’ programme.
The partners are Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, the Discovery Programme: Centre for Archaeology and Innovation Ireland, Aberystwyth University: Department of Geography and Earth Sciences and Geological Survey Ireland. Study sites include Drumanagh, Co Dublin; Rosslare, Co Wexford and Skellig Michael, Co Kerry, as well as the shipwrecks of SS Manchester Merchant at Dingle and the City of London off the Wexford coast. Understanding the past, present and future impacts of climate change on coasts and coastal communities requires a cross-disciplinary, international approach. The CHERISH project achieves this by combining geology, archaeology, remote sensing and marine mapping to develop state-of-the-art data sets for future planning and climate change mitigation. Koen Verbruggen, Director of Geology Survey Ireland said the CHERISH project was a “great example of continuing Welsh-Irish collaboration” to use science to understand the potential impacts of climate change on coastlines. In 2019, the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment launched a Climate Action Plan. The work of this project, the INFOMAR project and Geological Survey Ireland is essential in contributing to understanding our coasts and seabed, and in working towards a sustainable energy for Ireland,” remarked Seán Canney, Minister of State for Natural Resources. Minister Morgan described the CHERISH project as a “true testament” of the close work between two “fabulous countries”.
he vital role of the ocean, climate change, and actions to safeguard it for future generations were the focus of conversations between The Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge and the Marine Institute during their first official visit to Ireland.
Dr Paul Connolly, Marine Institute chief executive, along with All-Ireland Ocean Youth Ambassador, Eimear Manning, met with The Duke and Duchess at Howth, Co Dublin. During a coastal walk, Dr Connolly outlined subjects central to the work of the Marine Institute including the importance of the oceans to coastal communities and climate adaptation. The Marine Institute, through the BlueFish Project, is working with coastal communities in Ireland and Wales on the importance of the ocean to their livelihoods and the impacts of a changing climate. Other topics of conversation included Ireland’s role in exploring and mapping the seabed, international collaboration on ocean research, and the Marine Institute’s role in empowering Ireland and its people to safeguard and harness our ocean wealth.
Eimear Manning is one of 23 All-Atlantic Ocean Youth Ambassadors supported by the All-Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance (AORA). She is also an environmental education specialist, delivering programmes for a variety of environmental and youth-focused charities and Non-Governmental Organisations. She explained the ways to engage with communities, schools and businesses to introduce behavioural change initiatives and programmes for the marine environment. Working with All-Atlantic Ocean Youth Ambassadors across the globe, she strives to promote sustainable development and stewardship of the Atlantic Ocean. The Marine Institute’s work aligns with The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. It aims to unite people to tackle some of today’s biggest challenges.
Environmental projects
The BlueFish Project is an Ireland Wales Territorial Co-operation Operation for the Irish and Celtic Sea, focusing on cross border collaboration, climate change and community engagement. Led by Bangor University, the project brings together Aberystwyth and Swansea Universities in Wales, the Marine Institute, Bord Iascaigh Mhara and University College Cork in Ireland. BlueFish will develop knowledge and understanding of the marine resources of the Irish Sea and Celtic Seas by addressing knowledge gaps regarding the effects on and potential vulnerability of selected commercial fish and shellfish from predicted climate change and the impacts on coastal communities.
BlueFish Project
The Earthshot Prize is a prestigious environment prize that aims to “generate new ways of thinking, as well as new technologies, systems, policies and solutions.” It aims to provide at least 50 solutions to the world’s greatest problems by 2030.
Earthshot Prize
www.bluefishproject.com
www.earthshotprize.org.
In January 2020, Prince William launched the Earthshot Prize, an ambitious set of challenges to inspire a decade of action to repair the planet. These challenges will seek answers to the biggest issues currently facing the planet, including climate and energy, nature and biodiversity, oceans, air pollution and fresh water. “I was delighted to meet with The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to talk about shared interests in protecting our oceans and adapting to a changing climate,” remarked Dr Connolly. “Our oceans are fundamental to life on earth. They unite us – yet they face a multitude of challenges. Our focus in the Marine Institute is to further our understanding of our changing ocean. “Our enhanced knowledge and services help us to observe these patterns of change and identify the steps to safeguard our marine ecosystems for future generations.”
Repairing the planet
Cullen Fellow co-creates a food web model for the Irish Sea
“Food webs describe who eats who. Made of interconnected food chains, food webs help us understand how any changes in the ecosystem can affect many different species,” Jacob explains.
acob Bentley is a PhD student at the Scottish Association for Marine Science and is a Cullen Fellow at the Marine Institute. He has been working with scientists and fishermen
to develop a food web model of the Irish Sea, to advise on the sustainable management of fisheries and improve our understanding of this ecosystem.
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Food chain
“The Irish Sea food model includes everything from seaweed and plankton to sharks and whales, with a strong focus on commercial species such as cod, whiting, haddock and plaice.” Over the past century, the commercial fish and shellfish stocks in the Irish Sea have changed dramatically. Cod, whiting and sole have been in decline and have failed to recover in the region despite a reduced fishing effort. In 2015, fishermen and scientists came together to establish the first International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Working Group called WKIrish, to integrate ecosystem information into the assessment of commercial fish stocks.
Jacob has been working with WKIrish to build a food web model of the Irish Sea, by using information shared by fishermen and scientists as well as traditional fisheries data. He says working with fishermen is a great experience and is also extremely valuable to this research: “Having scientists and fishermen work together to create the Irish Sea model strengthens this relationship and also builds a roadmap for future collaboration.” “This new food web model is a tool for exploring the past, present and future consequences of management decisions and factors such as climate change. The model will also be able to provide temporal advice for sustainable fisheries management and species conservation. “It has been a massive honour to have a role in the development of ecosystem-based advice for the Irish Sea, but it has also been incredibly challenging. “We’ve had to develop novel research methods and overcome multiple challenges to find ways for our research to have a real-world impact,” Jacob says. One of the biggest benefits of being part of the Cullen Fellowship Programme is the opportunity to meet and work with some incredible people at the Marine Institute, Jacob added: “Their research expertise and relationships with the fishing industry have been fundamental to my project. They are also supportive, providing help with research dissemination and making me aware of new opportunities for my personal development as an early career researcher.”
It has been a massive honour to have a role in the development of ecosystem-based advice for the Irish Sea, but it has also been incredibly challenging.
Jacob’s research supervisors are Dr Clive Fox, Dr Natalia Serpetti and Professor Sheila Heymans of The Scottish Association for Marine Science, and Professor David Reid, Marine Institute. The Cullen Fellowship Programme builds marine research capacity and capability by equipping graduates with the skills and expertise in raising awareness about our ocean, as well as Ireland's rich marine biodiversity and ecosystems.
Research capacity
The programme has provided grant aid to the value of €2.06m, supporting twenty-four PhD and three MSc students over the last five years. This project (Grant-Aid Agreement No. CF/16/08) is carried out with the support of the Marine Institute and funded under the Marine Research Programme by the Irish Government.
Click here for further details: National Marine Research & Innovation Strategy 2017-2021
Network of Arctic Researchers in Ireland
he Marine Institute in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has launched a Network of Arctic Researchers in Ireland (NARI).
The network aims to create, maintain and develop an ‘informal all-island network’ of Arctic researchers to facilitate collaboration of scientific activities and to provide independent scientific advice to the public and policy-makers. With significant demand for enhanced knowledge and services to observe the changes in the world’s oceans, NARI also aims to ‘promote Irish-based Arctic research activities, seek international polar cooperation and support the next generation of Arctic scientists.
IPCC report
According to the ‘Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate‘ (IPCC), the extent of Arctic sea ice is declining and thinning. Glaciers and ice sheets in polar and mountain regions are also losing mass, contributing to an increasing rate of sea-level rise, together with expansion of warmer oceans. It also claims that sea-level rise will increase the frequency of extreme sea level events and that warming oceans are disrupting marine ecosystems.
NARI president, Dr Audrey Morley (NUI Galway), said coordinating research efforts on a regional, national and international scale was becoming “increasingly urgent” to address emerging environmental and societal pressures on the Arctic region.
Emerging pressures
NARI landscape: photos by Dr Gordon Bromley, NUI Galway
”NARI will support a greater scientific understanding of the Arctic region and its role in the Earth system.” Later this year, Dr Morley will be leading a survey on the Marine Institute’s marine research vessel, RV Celtic Explorer, to improve ‘understanding of marine essential climate variables’ in the Nordic Seas.
photos by Dr Gordon Bromley, NUI Galway
At the launch were Liam Lacey, Marine Institute, Dr Audrey Morley, NUI Galway, President of NARI, Dakota Holmes, NUI Galway, and Ciara Delaney, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Since 2018, the Embassy of Ireland in Oslo and the Marine Institute have sponsored early career researchers to attend the Arctic Frontiers Emerging Leaders. This is an annual programme held in Tromsø, Noway, which brings together around 30 young scientists and professionals from around the globe with interests in Arctic security, economy and its environment. Hosting the meeting of Irish-based researchers, Ciara Delaney, Regional Director at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said that given the impact of climate change and the increasing relevance of strategic developments in the Arctic, the region was “of growing importance to Ireland”. The all-island network brings together multidisciplinary scientists from NUI Galway, UL, NMCI, CIT, QUB, NUI Maynooth, UCD, TCD, UCC and DIAS.
Background
The Marine Institute will provide ship-time funding and support Dr Morley’s Post-Doctoral Fellowship ‘Decoding Arctic Climate Change: From Archive to Insight’. Dr Paul Connolly, CEO of the Marine Institute said as an Arctic neighbour, Ireland was exposed to the effects of a warming ocean, such as sea-level rises, increasing storm intensity and changing marine ecosystems. “Scientists based in Ireland can make a real and meaningful contribution to Arctic research and help to develop and implement adaptation responses from local to global scales. “The Marine Institute is delighted to be supporting a network which will foster impactful research into the causes, manifestations and impact of Arctic change.”
NARI landscape:
r Paul Connolly, the new chief executive of the Marine Institute, says his objective is to see corporate governance playing an overarching role in the operations of the State’s
agency for marine research, technology development and innovation.
A veteran of marine research, he served for many years as Director of Fisheries and Ecosystems with the Institute in a role that saw him lead a team of more than 80 scientists and staff to provide scientific advice on the sustainable exploitation of Ireland’s fisheries resource and marine ecosystems.
gery flynn
As president of the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) ― a network of 20 countries that aims to advance scientific understanding of marine ecosystems and provides impartial scientific advice for meeting conservation, management, and sustainability goals, ensured that Connolly has valuable connections on the international marine research stage. He has also chaired the quarterly meetings of the Irish Fisheries Science Research Partnership (IFSRP) since it was established in 2008. The IFSRP discuss the latest scientific advice and research gap areas related to sustainable fisheries. Ocean Focus spoke to Dr Connolly about some of the priorities he had set himself during his five-year tenure at the helm the Marine Institute.
Dr Paul Connolly
As head of the organisation I want to ensure that our corporate governance - the way we run the organisation - is completely in line with government policy. That’s really important because we are spending public money, and we need to ensure that it is spent in the right way. My second priority is to building a relationship with our senior leadership team, fifty per cent of whom changed with the departure of Peter Heffernan. So, I am having to deal with a new group of people and a whole new dynamic. And because they make important decisions about the Institute, it is really important that the dynamic of that leadership team continues. It is important that we get to know each other, how we operate, that we’re all on the same page in terms of working for the good of the ocean, the good of the country, and the good of government. These are my short-term priorities.
What are your objectives as the new chief executive?
We meet the industry quarterly in the Irish Fisheries Science Research Partnership (IFSRP) established in 2008 where we discuss the latest research. Throughout the IFSRP, we discuss the latest science; for example, the state of fish stocks which will have a major impact on fishing quotas for the following year. We also listen very carefully to what the industry tells us, especially about the areas where they think science and research could be improved. We take on board gap areas they highlight in research, and ask how we could undertake research projects that could be co-funded to plug those gaps. We also discuss various surveys that could be done to help us improve our scientific advice.
How will you ensure that the relationship between the Institute and the wider marine industry continues to be a good one?
One of our most important longer term priorities has to be the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development that begins next year. In the coming months, the UN will define the research that needs to be done – those gap areas I talked about earlier. They are also going to encourage countries to cooperate to fill those gaps through scientific research. So at our own backdoor there’ll be a push for the Atlantic coastal states: Ireland, Iceland, Canada, the USA and the Northern Atlantic countries, to cooperate and to look at the research that needs to be done. And equally, the EU will be looking at potential projects in line with this event that could be potentially funded through their mechanisms. There’s an integration of thinking around the Decade of the Ocean which I think is going to be a major priority for all the ocean labs around the North Atlantic.
What are your long-term priorities?
I would totally agree that used to be the case where scientists were more concerned with the output of their science than explaining it. But I think things have improved. Now scientists are asking how best their research output can be used to solve a problem for society. And the reason they have had to adopt this approach is because it is being asked for by those who fund scientific research worldwide. Funding is now more critical than ever for marine science, so you have to be able to sell your science. You have to be able to tell the story behind your science and you have to be able to simplify your science to the policy people who are going to fund it and use it. I interview scientists for jobs here at the Marine Institute, and for me it’s crucial that they have an ability to communicate what they’ve done. When I ask them about the outputs of their science and if these outputs have been used to benefit society, some people just look at me while others are able to tell the story behind their science in a very simple way. Simplicity is the key. For those reasons alone I think science communication has improved tremendously, but there is still a way to go. There are still scientists who cannot really explain their science and who think by making it sound as complicated as possible, and people are confused by it, it sounds impressive. But the pressure scientists are under these days trying to win EU funding etc means they are having to improve their communication skills.
Would you agree that scientists are often poor communicators beyond their own community?
RV Celtic Explorer, (65.5m) the larger of the two state-owned research vessels designed for fisheries acoustic research, oceanographic, hydrographic and geological investigations as well as buoy/deep water mooring and ROV Operations.
Most people today accept the reality of climate change. Science has clear evidence that things are changing; you only have to look at the weather we encountered earlier this year : storm surge after storm surge, the likes we haven’t seen for a long time. So I think there’s an acceptance that our weather patterns are changing as a direct result of climate. I have a poster by the artist Cathy Bacon, (Castletownbere) that depicts a fisherman up to his chest in water. He’s saying: “In the thirty-eight years I’ve been working here, this road would have flooded twice a year. Now, it floods much more often.” That simple quote shows that the people connected with or working with the ocean, or are living in coastal communities, absolutely recognise that climate change is happening now. So the big question is how can we adapt to this change; what factors can be taken to mitigate in the long term but adapt now in the short term? These are huge questions for society. The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment is dealing with all of this and it is becoming a huge debate ― not only in Ireland but globally.
Marine scientists were often ridiculed when they warned of the impacts of climate change. Has that changed?
The ROV Holland I designed for deployment from RV Celtic Explorer primarily but can also be deployed from other vessels that fulfil certain requirements
We signed the contract in December and the ship is being built in Spain by Astilleros Armon Vigo S.A. to a design by Skipteknisk of Norway who are working very closely together to finalise every detail. We will be keeping a close eye to ensure that the build is on time and on budget. There will be sequential payments to the builders, and the ship will be delivered about mid-2022. We are determined it will be on budget and on time― that was an absolute precondition on which the contract was signed. As for the name, the Institute staff will choose a name. There’s an open competition and the board of the Marine Institute will get the feedback and agree on the name.
The Marine Institute’s new research vessel is due in early 2022. Is the project on schedule and within budget, and has the ship’s name been chosen yet?
Absolutely. And if you look at how I outlined the importance of the ocean, how we are a coastal island nation on the edge of Europe, the potential of the ocean economy for Ireland and how ‘Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth’ has brought that ocean economy forward, it is absolutely essential we have a research fleet to carry out the research that is required in the oceans around Ireland and beyond. And if I just talk about the impact the oceans have on our climate, that type of work is going to be essential. And if you look at the Marine Institute’s ‘Strategic Plan’, understanding our ocean is a critical part of that strategy in terms of spending the money we get from government. And having a research fleet that allows us to collect all the data, that allows us to sustainably exploit our seafood resource, and to have the best science available is absolutely critical to the work of the government, to the work of Ireland, along with partnering with our EU colleagues to understand the ocean. And part of our business plan with the Department of Finance in order for them to allow the build to progress, was to show value for money and to show that we have a long term business plan for both vessels.
Marine Institute vessels are among the busiest in Europe. Will this continue to be the case into the next ten years?
Maritime News
Support measures for maritime transport sector
34 Ireland’s maritime safety regulations: time for a root and branch review
35 Review Board to examine elements of Rescue 116 report
36 Support measures for maritime transport sector
Review Board to examine elements of Rescue 116 report
Ireland’s maritime safety regulations: time for a root and branch review
MARITIME NEWS
IMO consultant
ll Irish legislative procedures are currently frozen due to the absence of a permanent government following the indecisive February election.
The legislative paralysis will now be prolonged, even if a government is formed in the foreseeable future, due to the biggest crisis in recent history as we cope with the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic emergency.
What was achieved in Opatija, Croatia, at a High-Level EU Maritime Ministerial conference just a few weeks ago was very important for momentum in implementing international regulation. I attended the conference as an International Maritime Organisation (IMO) consultant with IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim, where it was my job with Secretary General Lim, and Dr Heike Deggim, Director of IMO’s Maritime Safety Division, to highlight the importance of ratifying the Cape Town Agreement for Fishing vessel Safety 2012 (CTA) so it can come into force. Inclusion of the CTA at the top of the agenda involved months of negotiation by me on behalf of the IMO in conjunction with the Government of Croatia.
IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim and IMO Consultant Michael Kingston (right) look on as Marek Gróbarczyk, Poland Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation, signs the Torremolinos Declaration during the Opatija, Ministerial Conference Gala dinner
During the conference, further momentum towards implementing the CTA was evident with three more States (Bulgaria, Poland and Portugal) signing the “Torremolinos Declaration” – a formal document under which States publicly indicate their determination to ratify the CTA by the tenth anniversary of its adoption (October 11, 2022) and to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Almost eight years after its adoption, the Agreement has still not entered into force, despite repeated pleas by the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee, Council and Assembly, and the sustained efforts of the IMO Secretariat to increase awareness of its positive impact and explain its provisions. Currently, only 14 States comprising 1,425 fishing vessels have consented to be bound by the Agreement. For it to enter into force, 22 States comprising no less than 3,600 vessels (24m in length and above) operating on the high seas, must ratify.
NO agreement
Ireland signed the ‘Torremolinos Declaration’ last October, but to date have still not initiated the ratification process, despite repeated requests to do so. Ireland originally signed the CTA in 2012 in Cape Town. Why then has nothing happened in the meantime? Ocean Focus sought clarification from the Department of Tourism and Sport in 2017 in my article ‘Safety will not stand still for Ireland’. DTTAS indicated then that the matter was ‘being reviewed’. It would appear there is a complete failure to understand the importance of maritime safety regulation in Ireland. In addition to failing to ratify the CTA, Ireland has not ratified several other conventions: e.g. ‘The Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks 2007’; the ‘Ballast Water Convention 2017’; and ‘The Polar Code 2014’. Ireland is yet to implement amendment provisions under the 1974 Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) for specialist ships carrying dangerous cargo, or fire-fighting provisions on international passenger ships.
Michael Kingston, IMO Consultant (left); IMO Secretary General Lim; and IMO Director of Maritime Safety Division, Dr Heike Deggim with Directors of the Maritime and History Museum of Rijeka, looking at one of only 5 remaining Titanic life jackets. The life jacket was donated by a Croatian officer of the RMS Carpathia that rescued the Titanic passengers when she was en route from New York to Rijeka
Never could our maritime community be more important than now as we rely on critical shipping links outside the jurisdiction during the COVID-19 emergency. For the foreseeable future, we have lost the opportunity to protect our seafarers and fishers who visit our shore, not to mention all the associated benefits for Ireland of ratifying the CTA. It was fitting that while in Croatia I accompanied IMO Secretary General Lim on a visit to the Titanic Exhibition at the Maritime and History Museum of Rijeka. The Titanic is a stark reminder of why regulation is so important. The catastrophic loss resulted in the first SOLAS Convention of 1914, and indeed out of that tragedy the IMO was ultimately established.
rms titanic
Michael Kingston, IMO Consultant (left); Dr Heike Deggim IMO Director of Maritime Safety Division; IMO Secretary General Lim; Mr Branimir Farkas, Croatian Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure; and Mr Tian-Bing Huang, IMO Maritime Environment Division, during the Opatija, Ministerial Conference
1. Can the Department explain why, almost eight years after signing the Cape Town Agreement, it has still not been ratified? 2. Can the Department explain why no enabling legislation to implement the provisions of the Cape Town Agreement into Irish law has been published? 3.Can the Department explain why there is such a delay in ratifying other International Maritime Organisation Conventions such as the Nairobi Convention; the Polar Code; and the Ballast Water Convention? 4. Can the Department explain why, despite the Safety of Life at Sea Convention 1974 (SOLAS) being amended on a twice-yearly basis, important amendments dating back several years have not been provided for in Irish law? 5. Can the Department explain if its Port State Control inspectors are auditing ships in Irish waters for compliance with updated SOLAS provisions which are not, in fact, part of the Irish law? 6. Can the Department explain if ships registered under the Irish flag are obliged to comply with updated SOLAS provisions in order to obtain insurance and to trade in foreign ports, despite same not being Irish law and whether this amounts to a de facto derogation of sovereignty by the Irish State, facilitated by the Department?
Ocean Focus invited DTTAS to respond to the following questions:
‘Ireland is committed to striving to achieve the highest level of maritime safety. In that regard, officials of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, are preparing draft legislation to enable Ireland to ratify the Cape Town Agreement. This is part of an on-going legislative programme keeping Ireland’s maritime safety code updated. Ireland continues its active engagement at the International Maritime Organisation and at the European Maritime Safety Agency to enhance the safety regime for shipping. Furthermore, Ireland is a member of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on port state control and carries out inspections on ships visiting Irish ports to ensure they comply with the latest international maritime safety laws.’
DTTAS responds:
To find out more information on the report click here: https://www.oireachtas.ie
Almost eight years after its adoption, the Agreement has still not entered into force, despite repeated pleas by the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee, Council and Assembly, and the sustained efforts of the IMO Secretariat to increase awareness of its positive impact and explain its provisions.
ver three years since the fatal crash of Rescue 116 helicopter at Blackrock Island, Co Mayo, a review board is to ‘re-examine’ certain findings of the
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The Review Board will be chaired by Senior Counsel Patrick McCann who will be assisted by an ‘independent Expert Member’. Establishment of a review board is ‘in line’ with the regulations governing the investigation of air accidents, specifically ‘Statutory Instrument 460 of 2009: Navigation (Notification and Investigation of Accidents, Serious Incidents and Incidents) Regulations 2009’,” remarked Shane Ross, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. It will be independent in its work in accordance with the relevant legislation. (SI No 460 of 2009 enables an interested party to serve written ‘notice of re-examination’ to the Minister, in respect of findings and conclusions that appear to reflect adversely on the person’s reputation.) Such a notice was served on the Minister by an interested party. The crash of Irish Coast Guard Sikorsky S-92 helicopter claimed the lives of Capt Dara Fitzpatrick, co-pilot Capt Mark Duffy, winch operator Paul Ormsby and winchman Ciaran Smith. The bodies of Ormsby and Smith have not been found to date.
Following the accident, the Air Accident Investigation Unit commenced an investigation as required under international and domestic law. On March 14, 2018 the AAIU published a Preliminary Report that ruled out mechanical failure and published a subsequent Interim Statement on March 1. The AAIU issued its Draft Final Report on September 13, 2019, to ‘interested parties’ who were given 60 days to comment. CHC Ireland holds the ten-year (2022 expiry) Irish Coast Guard search and rescue contract worth €50m a year.
background
governing the investigation of air accidents, specifically ‘Statutory Instrument 460 of 2009: Navigation (Notification and Investigation of Accidents
Draft Final Report into the accident on March 14, 2017.
he Department of Transport has unveiled support measures for the maritime transport sector so it can “continue to operate as normally as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic”.
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross, said temporary contingency measures would provide flexibility for the sector. The measures include a general extension to seafarer documents as well as an extension to ship certificates “where it is not possible for a survey to take place before the certificate expires. Shipping services are continuing and Irish ports are open for business,” he said. “In addition to the maritime transport sector, workers in the freight, haulage and aviation sectors are also vitally important in ensuring the supply of essential goods. It is imperative that the health and safety of these workers is protected while they work to transport goods internationally. “We have significantly ramped up our efforts to ensure we can respond quickly and effectively to all issues as they arise. We are working to anticipate potential challenges before they impact on the supply chain. A meeting of the National Health and Emergency Planning Team has agreed that no cruise ship will be permitted to enter any Irish port or anchor in Irish waters.
Any specific queries in relation to COVID-19 and measures to mitigate its impact on the maritime transport sector should be sent to maritimecovid@dttas.gov.ie
In addition to the maritime transport sector, workers in the freight, haulage and aviation sectors are also vitally important in ensuring the supply of essential goods.
The temporary contingency measures are set out in marine notices available at www.gov.ie. All updates in relation to COVID-19 and the maritime sector are available on www.seafarers.ie/Home. Guidance on COVID-19 and the protection of supply chain workers is available on the Government’s website here - Guidance for Supply Chain Workers Marine Notice 6 of 2020 (updated 18/3/2020) sets out procedures to be followed to submit Maritime Declarations of Health and crew and passengers lists for all ships arriving in Ireland from outside the island of Ireland. The notice also sets out procedures to be followed where there is a suspected case of COVID-19 on board. Marine Notice 14 of 2020 (20/3/2020) sets out the temporary contingency measures for the extension of seafarer documents. A general extension of six months from the date of expiry has been provided for Irish issued seafarer Certificates of Competency and Certificates of Proficiency which expired or are due to expire between March 1 and August 31, 2020. An extension of three months has been provided for medical certificates where a seafarer is unable to secure an appropriate medical examination by an approved doctor. Flexibility has also been provided to shipowners and seafarers to extend a seafarer’s employment agreement by up to six months in agreement with both parties where the maximum period of service has been reached or repatriation is proving too difficult due to travel restrictions. Marine Notice 15 of 2020 (23/3/2020) sets out temporary contingency measures in relation to surveying and certification of ships. An extension of three months is provided to ship certificates for ships involved in international voyages where survey, verification and certification is not possible due to restrictions on personnel movements and travel. The extension also applies to intermediate/renewal surveys. Surveys for vessels involved in domestic voyages will be considered on a case-by-case basis as will surveys and certifications for new build ships under the Irish flag. The notice also sets out advice on the issuing of ships radio licences and servicing of life saving equipment.
Clare Island: book review & competition
New ICC Sailing Directions now in print
On the shore without catching or spreading coronavirus
38 Clare Island
39 New ICC Sailing Directions now in print
40 On the shore without catching or spreading coronavirus
plus COMPETITION
Clare Island
Its association with Grace O’Malley, the Pirate Queen, has added to its mystique. Many have fallen under its spell, including the naturalist Robert Lloyd Praeger - and John Feehan, author of this book. From Hollywood in Co Down, Praeger - a disciple of Darwin - became entranced with the island following a visit with his wife and in 1909, led a three-year survey of its natural history and cultural heritage, under the auspices of the Royal Irish Academy.
he most alluring of islands off the west coast of Ireland, Clare Island stands proud, enigmatic, defying you to visit its shores. The English writer Thackeray (Vanity Fair,
Barry Lyndon) describes the evening view when approaching Westport, of Clew Bay with Clare Island in the background, celestial in the sinking sun, as ‘the finest in all of Ireland’.
Nearly a century later, the Royal Irish Academy repeated the exercise with the objective of monitoring changes over the years.
Comparison surveys
John Feehan’s book compares the scientific outputs of the two surveys, and reports the results in lucid, accessible prose, making the information accessible to a wider audience than is normal for such an exercise. Feehan is recently retired after over twenty years as a senior lecturer in UCD’s School of Agricultural and Food Science. Famous for his award-winning TV work on the environment, he is one of Ireland’s top ecologists with many books on the Irish landscape to his credit. Using his vast knowledge, he helps us to understand the ecological jigsaw of the island and the inter-related role each species plays in its life there. Incredibly, over a thousand different animals live on the island, mostly of the minute variety (the sea spider is particularly interesting) and their multitude of roles in the complex world of nature there is recorded in fascinating detail. One major change in the landscape since the original survey by Praeger is the loss of heather due to overgrazing by sheep, with a consequent negative impact on birdlife and other wildlife such as the hare.
John Feehan’s book compares the scientific outputs of the two surveys, and reports the results in lucid, accessible prose, making the information accessible to a wider audience than is normal for such an exercise.
A treasure trove of information is unearthed on the history of the island’s many rock formations before and after the Ice Age, along with the variety of its soil constituents. Descriptions of the flora and fauna on the sea and shoreline are made in meticulous detail, and comparisons of the two surveys add to the reader’s enjoyment. A plethora of wonderful photographs and maps, old and new, adorn the book’s 320 pages, embellishing the words, delighting the reader.
Words and pictures
The effects of the landscape on the society occupying it in the 19th and 20th Centuries are described with compassion and feeling for the inhabitants. With Ireland’s population reaching 8.5 million in 1845, Clare Island was a microcosm of the national dependence on the potato as a main source of food. Fish too was in good supply on the island. A form of communal farming known as ‘rundale’ had developed. People mainly lived in random clusters of houses known as ‘clachans’. Potatoes were hand-sown in inaccessible places all over the island, with rich harvests, helped by the abundance of local seaweed, which was used as a fertiliser. These potato drills were known as lazy beds; their ridges still visible today all over the island, are grim reminders of the havoc wreaked by the Famine from 1845 onwards. Devastated by the succeeding potato crop failures, the island’s population halved over the years due to emigration and evictions. These tragic events are well documented in the book, along with the efforts of the Congested Districts Board to deal with the aftermath of the crisis. The final chapter on living off the land in the past, present, and future makes excellent use of the author’s many years studying Irish farming and the natural world, and charts a way forward for Clare Island.
Landscape impact
His words should be heeded. The fabric of the islanders’ lives and culture is woven by the natural world existing on the island. The vast amount of work carried out in the two Surveys (1909-1911 and 1992-2017) make Clare Island unique, and its area one of the most researched in the world. This information is invaluable in today’s eco-oriented society and should be studied and utilised. Many species from the original survey have not survived but new ones have emerged. The information gathered could be used in planning Ireland’s future marine strategy in salmon farming for example and also woodlands plans to preserve native flora and fauna. Climate change is the burning question of the day, and is well covered in the book, insofar as the least of the island species affects it and is affected by it.
A debt of gratitude is owed to the Royal Irish Academy for instituting the two surveys, and to the army of fieldworkers operating often in poor weather and in stressful and dangerous locations in order to assemble the data. And not least of all to John Feehan for his scholarly and scientific achievement in distilling their efforts into this fine and professional work. He has shone a light into an area of which he is passionate, in words that enlighten the unenlightened.
book competition
REVIEWED BY Brian Grehan
Dublin
Q. How many years was John Feehan a senior lecturer at UCD's school of agricultural and food science?
Click here to submit your answer to mills@oceanfocus.ie
Deadline: May 31
Competition WINNERS
Winners of the RMS Lusitania book review (Winter 20219/2020) competition are: John Jackson - Bohermore, Galway Liam Breathnach - Monkstown, Dublin
ew editions of both volumes of the Irish Cruising Club's acclaimed Sailing Directions (East & North Coasts, and South & West) published in December.
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Husband and wife team, Norman Kean (editor) and Geraldine Hennigan (photographer), sailed round Ireland’s coastline again last summer with a drone aboard to update the aerial photographs. A drone can be flown low; it can hover and it offers the chance to choose the ideal viewpoint, weather and tidal height. The results are stunning. The new books describe major works, new marinas or pontoon berthing facilities at ten harbours. They include the latest findings of the ongoing INFOMAR project, and deal with the thorny subject of quayside availability of diesel in light of the recent ban on the use of marked fuel in leisure vessels.
East & North includes expanded passage planning and tidal advice, and a co-tidal and co-range chart to help the reader make sense of the strong and sometimes baffling tides of those coasts. In the foreword, Tom Cunliffe, describes this edition as "the exemplar of a modern sailing guide", and Paul Heiney in the South & West, wrote: "I would never dream of trying to sail here without this book on board.”
The two books are available from chandleries and www.iccsailingbooks.com.
The publishers have kindly offered a copy of each issue as competition prizes. Q: Name the husband and wife team who produce the Sailing Directions editions.
COMPETITION
Click here to submit your answer to mills@oceanfocus.ie:
uch talk is circulating about closing beaches, groups congregating on
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So far, Coastwatch has been encouraging people to go out, get fresh air, discover the shore, experience beauty and perhaps even do a bit of citizen science! It’s also good for the head and heart to be in nature, whether in a woodland awakening in Spring or on a seashore. So how do we ensure we can do this in a responsibly and safely? Only venture out with your immediate family – no large groups – or one or two friends but strictly observe social distancing of keeping 2 metres apart. Timing is important. To give you the most exciting time and most space in case others have the same idea, look for low tide www.bit.do/easytide and explore sites that have a wide intertidal area to explore the edge of a kelp forest, rock pools etc. Plan how to get there: social-distancing: walk, bike, car but avoid public transport. Practise physical distancing at home with a measuring tape, especially if going with children. It’s fun to roll play in a family group staying close together, but keeping 2 metres apart. Don’t depend on takeaway outlets which might be crowded or closed. Smile, wave, call over to people you meet but don’t get too close. Wearing a scarf as a mask gives a clear indication of intent. Remember to wash before reusing Observe the normal shore safety code and be on alert not to damage or endanger sea life. Record lovely things you hear and see with your phone. Contact us for project ideas and to participate in citizen science activities to learn more about our shores and marine life and to record vulnerable and special places as well as activities that should be stopped. If you see a pair of Ringed Plovers on the shore for example, behaving agitated and calling out an alert, move away as they are planning to lay their eggs on shingle above high tide.
KARIN DUBSKY
Coastwatch
MARCH
beaches, at take-away, coffee or ice cream
outlets or picnicking with friends. Not observing essential social distancing and observing the advice from the authorities is reckless but we do have enough space for people to be safely outdoors along our 2,500 km of coast. The health and sanity benefits of visiting a seashore are huge.
OUTSIDE IRELAND
Journey to the frozen continent and the Antarctic Polar Circle
Cruising along a Spanish costa should not be rushed
42 Journey to the frozen continent and the Antartic Polar Circle
43 Cruising along a Spanish costa should not be rushed
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VIEW GALLERY
e departed Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, aboard MV Ushuaia*, bound for the
Antarctic Peninsula and the Polar Circle. Ahead lay a land where the environment can be inhospitable, unpredictable and potentially dangerous.
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We made three mainland landings and visited outlying islands where we saw scenery too beautiful to describe and colours that caught the breath. Vast landscapes of smooth and twisted shapes: dome, pinnacle, wedge, dry-dock and blocky ― many formed more than 15,000 years ago. The silence was everywhere, only occasionally broken by the boom of icebergs being born. And we witnessed a world record in the making at 66°33′48.0″ S…
Transiting through the 600 nm Drake Passage between Cape Horne and Livingston Island (Shetland Islands) takes about 48 hours where on average one in four crossings experiences turbulent seas. Southbound the passage was benign but on the homeward leg, north-westerly waves reached 12m. The Antarctic is the world’s largest ice sheet, covering 14,000,000km2. It is the fifth largest continent and on average is the highest and coldest continent.
Antarctica comprises three ice sheets: Antarctica Peninsula, West and East Antarctic. Just two per cent of the surface is free of snow and ice and just the tips of mountain chains poke up through the ice. The ice sheet is drained by fast-flowing ice streams that quickly respond to climate change. They can thin, accelerate, recede or stop flowing entirely. Beneath the thick skin of ice are subglacial lakes where despite the aridity and very cold temperatures, there is life on, in and under the ice. Antarctica is a cold desert where snowfall is equivalent to just 150mm of water per annum. This snow builds up gradually, and ice flows towards the coast as huge glaciers. In many places, these glaciers extend out over the sea as massive ice-shelves. The South Pole is 1,235km from the closest coastline, situated high on the polar plateau where temperatures can drop to -75°C. The lowest temperature ever recorded was at the Vostok Station in 1983 where the temperature plummeted to -89°C.
Antarctica is also a continent of science where all activities are regulated through the Antarctic Treaty* that came into force in 1959. The Treaty reserves the continent for peaceful purposes; all military and industrial activities are banned. There are no native peoples in Antarctica; eighteen countries operate year-round scientific research stations on the mainland and surrounding islands. During the summer months, up to 10,000 scientists and support staff work there and roughly 14,000 people visit per year. Scientific research is in both the physical and biological sciences. In 1985, the annual depletion of the ozone layer above the Antarctic was discovered at a British research base located on Galindez Island. In 1996, the base was purchased by the Ukraine for £1. The Vernadsky Station monitors environmental parameters at all levels of the geosphere (technosphere to geospace). The station also boasts the most southerly bar on the planet where visitors can enjoy a shot of locally brewed ‘Adelie House’ vodka at the Faraday bar! To say our Polar Circle quest was an experience of a lifetime doesn’t do justice; perhaps the photos will explain what words cannot describe.
Ninety-per-cent of the mass of an iceberg is underwater. Small chunks are called ‘bergy bits’, larger chunks (fridge-sized) are ‘growlers’ and chunks of ice greater than 5m across are ‘icebergs’. Icebergs can have many colours: blue icebergs are formed from basal ice, deep within a glacier where the compressed crystals have a blue tint whereas green and red icebergs are coloured by algae that once lived on the ice. Stripy icebergs are coloured by basal dirt and rocks, ground up by the glacier and carried away within the glacier ice. Crevasses and other glacier structures may be preserved, giving yet more texture and beauty to the iceberg.
Icebergs, bergy bits and growlers
Sea-ice can modify climate change’s impact on terrestrial ice because it is highly reflective and has a strongly insulating nature. Each year, the extent of sea ice varies according to climate variability and long-term climate change.
Activities in the Antarctica are governed by the Antarctic Treaty of 1959* and associated agreements, known as the Antarctic Treaty System. In 1991, the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties adopted the Protocol of Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, which designates the Antarctic as a natural reserve. It was ratified in 1998. The Protocol sets out environmental principles, procedures and obligations for the comprehensive protection of the Antarctic environment and its dependent and associated ecosystems. The Protocol applies to tourism, governmental / non-governmental activities and is intended to ensure that activities do not have an adverse impact on the environment or on its scientific and aesthetic values. Specific areas have been afforded special protection because of their particular ecological, scientific, historic values and access may be prohibited.
Protection & access
Antarctic waters brim with krill – a tiny crustacean that feeds large whales (blue, humpback, minke). It is also the diet of penguins, leopard and other seals, seabirds and many fish species. Krill feeds on microscopic algae that forms on snow and ice. (see Lemaire Channel photo.) It can form dense aggregations of several hundred million metric tonnes biomass. In summer, the algae accumulate in sufficient numbers to colour the snow banks red, green, orange and grey.
My thanks to MV Ushuaia Master Sergio Osiroff Calle, expedition leader Kata Marchesi, the guides, lecturers and staff who made our trip to the Polar Circle an exceptional experience of 1,950 nautical miles. Their professionalism and uttermost dedication to our safety first of all and to maximising our landing experiences was faultless.
Antarpply Expeditions
Edward Bransfield, Ballinacurra, Co Cork (1785-1852), ship’s master and Antarctic explorer and leader of the first expedition to see and chart mainland Antarctica on January 30, 1820. On January 25, a monument to the explorer was unveiled in his homeplace to commemorate his pioneering voyage of discovery.
Irish exploration
In Hanusse Bay 66°55’S, Catherine Pendleton (Wales) and Paul Georgescu (Romania) set a world record by swimming an ‘ice mile’ inside the Polar Circular. Under the rules of the International Ice Swimming Association, an ice mile is water of 5°C or less and swimmers can only wear togs, swim hat and goggles. The water temp was 0°C and the air temp 1°C; Catherine’s swim was slightly delayed as the safety team waited for a pod of orcas to clear the area before giving the ‘go ahead’. She completed the 1,610m from the start point back to MV Ushuaia in 0:32:54. Shortly afterwards, Paul entered the water and completed his ice mile in 0:22:44. We departed the Polar Circle and headed northwards. Ireland’s Ger Kennedy, Ireland (expedition organiser of 14 swimmers) completed ice kilometre swims in 4°C (air temp) and 1.6°C (water temp). Other swimmers swam distances from 500m to 200m. At Deception Island, Katheryn Pratschke and Dee Newell (Irl), Redy Redfern and Jane Hardy (Eng) completed ice. Air temp 4°C, water temp 1.6°C and others swam distances from 500m-200m.
World record
“The Governments of Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, the French Republic, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, the Union of South Africa, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America, Recognizing that it is in the interest of all mankind that Antarctica shall continue forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of international discord; Acknowledging the substantial contributions to scientific knowledge resulting from international cooperation in scientific investigation in Antarctica; Convinced that the establishment of a firm foundation for the continuation and development of such cooperation on the basis of freedom of scientific investigation in Antarctica as applied during the International Geophysical Year accords with the interests of science and the progress of all mankind; Convinced also that a treaty ensuring the use of Antarctica for peaceful purposes only and the continuance of international harmony in Antarctica will further the purposes and principles embodied in the Charter of the United Nations”
Antarctic Treaty: December 1, 1959
Click here to view https://www.ats.aq/index_e.html
Treaty Articles I-XIV
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A generous glass kitchen extension offers a powerful indoor/outdoor relationship with the private landscape gardens.
An exquisite townhouse situated in the heart of Chelsea offering an engaging combination of history and contemporary luxury living.
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Ger Kennedy (Irl) and Redy Redfern (Eng) swimming at Portal Point
Ger Kennedy (Irl) completes ice mile in Paradise Bay
Inside the Polar Circle approaching Detaille Bay
Cape Petrel and Northern Giant Petrel
Lemaire Channel: 'stained' iceberg
Lemaire Channel: Algae grows naturally on the compact snow
MV Ushuaia at Hydruga Rocks
New Iceberg
Leopard Seal
Glacier flows into Paradise Bay
Brown Station, Skontorp Cove
Penguins
Sktontorp Cove, Paradise Harbour
Prospect Point
Gentoo penguins at Paradise Bay
This iceberg has flipped over! Water movement over many years moulded this very smooth surface
Hanusse Bay
Vernadsky Station
Hydruga Rocks
Wordie House
Lemaire Channel
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Author swims to iceberg
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Orcas off the bow delay the start of Cath Pendleton (Wales) world record 'ice mile' inside the Polar Circle
Ger Kennedy, Antarctica 2020 Swim expedition leader at the unveiling of the Bransfield monument
Monika Schillat (left) guide leader chatting to Kata Marchesi, expedition leader
November 28, 2019 Green Party leader Eamon Ryan asked Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney “his plans for Ireland to sign the Antarctic Treaty System; his further plans on becoming a signatory and the timeline for such a process”.
Minister Coveney responds: The question of Ireland’s ratification of the Antarctic Treaty and related agreements comprising the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) has been examined in some detail by the Government and Offices concerned. Accession by Ireland to the ATS would require enactment of complex legislation and impose a substantial administrative burden on the Government Departments concerned for relatively minor benefits. The subsequent servicing of meetings and obligations under the ATS by this Department would unfortunately divert resources from areas of priority national interest. There are therefore no plans, at this time, for Ireland to accede to the Antarctic Treaty.
Paul Georgescu (Rom) completes world record 'ice mile' inside the Polar Circle
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he València region on Spain’s east coast, stretches 600km from Alicante in the south to Castellón to the north.
With average south, south-west wind directions of 4kts gusting 9kts and daytime temperatures of 19°C-30°C in mid-summer, the region is a magnet for leisurely coastal cruising, but also for more challenging 45nm trips to the Balearic Islands from the closest mainland town of Dénia. Historical landmarks, rugged cliff-faces and rocky shores dominate the eyeline looking onto the land from crystal clear waters. Average water temperatures of 18°C rising to 26°C during the summer months attract divers to this shipwreck-rich coastline located in three marine reserves abundant in diverse ecosystems and marine life. The waters around the walled island of Tabarca 11nm from Alicante, for example, are rich with flora, fauna and a Posidonia meadow, giving rise to its designation as Spain’s first marine reserve in 1986.
By 2014, marine protected areas (MPAs) covered almost 8.5% of Spain’s territorial waters. An important shift brought about by the Law of the Protection of Marine Environment, underpinned MPA expansion from traditional fish stocks protection to entire marine ecosystems and fostered the establishment of ecological corridors.
legal protection
On the northern coast of Alicante is the Cape of San Antonio Marine Reserve. Cliffs 150m high, rich submarine topography, abundant coral community and a diverse range of marine species are irresistible attractions to divers. Located to the north of the region in the province of Castellón is the Columbretes Islands Nature Reserve. Its waters, marked by volcanic walls, lava runs and near deserted beaches are home to some of the richest and best-preserved sea-beds in the western Mediterranean. Divers can expect to encounter barracudas, Toothed Bream and schools of White Seabream and Common Base. A network of over 50 diving centres ensures easy access. Divers will need the necessary qualifications, diving book, insurance and valid medical certificates. This coastline of over 20,000 moorings at 40 marinas and ports that offer wide-ranging services and water-based activities with a backdrop of small villages offering the best in Spanish cuisine is bound to attract Ireland’s sailing fraternity whose beaching-loving brothers hold this region as a top holiday destination.
ecosystems
Alicante, Valencia’s ‘White Fortress’, has a history preceding the third century BC. Barren mountain terrain to the north/northwest contrasts to the densely populated southern fertile coastal plain. Traditionally a port town, its harbour and waterfront along with abundant moorings, marina services, nautical schools and sailing clubs attract yachting and water-sport enthusiasts from around the globe. The city is dominated by Benacantil Hill (220m) and the citadel of Santa Bárbara (c 230BC) and the Arrabal Roig (old quarter) overlooks the bay from a Mediterranean balcony. Notable landmarks include the Baroque town hall (seventeenth century), the Church of Santa María (fourteenth century) and the Renaissance collegiate church San Nicolás de Bari (eighteenth century). The province’s main products are wine, fruit (citrus), almonds, vegetables and fish and a salt industry at Torrevieja is the largest in Spain. Marina Alicante in the heart of the city has 748 berths and capacity for vessels up to 60m long with draughts up to 12m. Nearby, the Varadero marina boasts a 24,000 m2 boatyard for repairs, painting, joinery, rigging etc. It also offers a lifting capacity up to 270 tonnes and a dry-dock service in an enclosed building (1,250m2, 8m max length), along with 20 berths for floating maintenance of boats up to 40m.
Alicante
Campello Yacht Club was established over 40 years ago in close proximity to popular anchorages at Benidorm and Tabarca. It offers 476 berths (5-15m length), dry-dock for 160 boats, and a nautical school.
el campello
A major attraction of this fishing village is the hilltop old town of narrow cobbled streets, whitewashed houses, shops and restaurants nestled in the historic buildings. In the sixteenth century, the highest point was built to protect the town from attacks, and the remains of the ancient walls and gateways are still visible. Altea Yacht Club was founded in 1997 and offers 185 berths (max length 30m, draught 3m), a dry dock and winter storage. Providing and encouraging nautical sports is at the heart of this Club where cruising, dinghy racing, rowing, fishing, diving, canoeing and swimming are among the activities. The Marina Greenwich, three kilometres from Altea, offers 542 berths (boats up to 30m with 6m draught) chandlery and a full suite of services.
Altea
Given its strategic location on the Costa Blanca, the town is rich in history, boasting Iberian and Roman influence and later Christians and Moors. This fishing village is dominated by the towering rock of Ifach (332m) rising sheer from the sea to a nature reserve at the summit. The area is a magnet for local and international sailors and the beaches either side of the rock are excellent for surfing and swimming. The Calpe Yacht Club lies at the foot of the rock. It offers 274 berths for boats up to 30m, a nautical school, a fleet of charter cruisers and a range of marina services (electricity, security, sewage collection, fuel and travel lift up to 50 tonnes). The town has a fish market where auctions take place Monday to Friday. Boats are assigned numbers on a rotating basis from the Fisherman’s Association that also sets a minimum price. The first four boats unload their catch before the auction starts while the remaining fleet wait at the berth.
calpe
Moraira lies 14km north of Calpe. Eight kilometres of beaches with a backdrop of mountains and vineyards and a small, tranquil village, are major attractions for this location. The Club Nautico Moraira was founded in 1975 as a not-for-profit sports association, offering sailing, stand-up paddle-boarding, fishing and diving. It also has 620 berths (max length 30m, draught 7m), chandlery, ten-ton crane, dry dock storage, and a repair service.
15km north of Moraira, this town is linked to Alicante by the Canal de la Fontana. The canal has had a turbulent past (flooding and silting) but was permanently opened to the sea via a relief canal built in the 1960s. Today, a water-sports centre has evolved along an 800m section where the Xàbia Yacht Club has 350 berths for boats up to 20m long. Nou Fontana marina has 500 moorings (5m-8.25m boats) and will add a further 318 berths and a dry dock area when renovations are complete.
Xàbia
A further 20km north is the historical town of Dénia and the main gateway to the Balaeric islands, roughly 60nm east. A marina of 546 moorings are managed by various nautical clubs that offer a full range of services and water-sport activities.
Dénia
The first America’s Cup yacht race in Europe (2007) was based in València. Affectionally known as the ‘Auld Mug’, it was first contested in 1851 and would become the pinnacle of yacht racing it is today, making it the oldest trophy in international sport. Its origins are rooted in New York where a syndicate of businessmen sailed the schooner America across the Atlantic to attend the premier World Fair exhibition in Hyde Park, London. The schooner won a race around the Isle of Wight against a fleet of British yachts to claim the £100 Cup. For 132 years, the United States held an unbeaten record in home waters, successfully defending the trophy 24 times (1870-1980) until Australia II took line honours in 1983. The trophy has been contested 35 times in 167 years. The 36th America’s Cup is scheduled to take place in Auckland in 2021. Marina de València is the largest marina in Europe at over 800 moorings and a climate that makes sailing possible all-year-round. It can take boats from 7m-170m in length and drafts up to 7.5m. Thirty-nine nautical companies and six sports clubs offer a full range of services and water-based activities.
València
Further information: Alicante Tourismo | El Campello | Altea | Calpe | Moraira Denia | Turisme Comunitat Valenciana |
The town is the backdrop to a coastline of sandy beaches and rocky coves; it sits at the foot of a hill crowned by a castle with visible remains of an ancient wall and bastion structures. Port Dénia provides stern-to berths up to 65m and a138m berth alongside. A shipyard, which offers refit and maintenance services for vessels up to 1,200GT, also has two 80m haul-out slips, a 150GT travel lift, along with dry dock and specialist workshops. Marina Dénia has over 400 berths for boats up to 60m long and a lift for boats up to 150t. Marina El Portet is located in a quiet corner of the port, offering 424 moorings and a range of water-sport activities (diving, sailing, kitesurfing, windsurfing paddlesurfing, flyboard and kayaking) along with boat rental and daily excursions along the coast.
València Mar (240 moorings for boats 8m-120m on four fingers) is located on the southern fringes of the city and is close to the small village of El Saler and the Albufera Natural Park. The park (21,000 hectares) is an area of ecological importance for rare species of waterbirds and has environmental protection status. Two major attractions in the city are the Ciudad de las Artes y las Cincias (City of Arts and Sciences) and Oceanográfic – the largest aquarium in Europe.
In July of that year, 39 new marine protected areas, classified as ‘Special Protection Area for Birds’ (SPAs) under the ‘European Birds Directive’ were established. A further four areas are proposed as Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) under the European Habitats Directive.
