Ardent returns to Killybegs from a 3-4 day blue whiting fishing trip west of Eagle Island. Photo John Cunningham
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If you are reading this then you have subscribed to receive four seasonal editions or a single edition, delivered to your desktop or mobile device - Thank You! If you are reading this 'over someone's shoulder' and would like to subscribe, you can select annual payment of €25 (four editions) or €7.50 (single edition). Without you the reader and customer, we have no audience, so your comments are extremely important and we want to hear from you! Stay safe and well in these very challenging times. Gillian Mills (mills@oceanfocus.ie) Gery Flynn (flynn@oceanfocus.ie)
Welcome to the Winter edition of Ocean Focus!
Ireland’s approach to maritime safety: ‘A broken system that needs to be fixed urgently’
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The revelations in the lead story of this issue makes for uncomfortable reading in their own right. But for those whose work or leisure time involves the marine or maritime environment it will prove shocking. We report that Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan requested to by-pass pre-legislative scrutiny by a Dáil Committee of maritime safety legislation that sought to rectify Ireland’s breach of international regulation. Pre-legislative scrutiny (PLS) is a process whereby parliament scrutinises draft Bills – in the Irish case, a Bill’s General Scheme – and reports back with observations and/or recommendations to the Minister proposing the legislation. Partially introduced to the Houses of the Oireachtas in 2011, PLS was formally adopted into Dáil and Seanad Standing Orders as a requirement for Government Bills in November 2013, a reform which has been retained by the 32nd Dáil and 25th Seanad. PLS is designed specifically to strengthen the capacity of Parliament to engage more fully and effectively in the legislative process, i.e. to strengthen capacity for legislative scrutiny.
ECJ Judgment The legislation that Minister Ryan attempted to progress without PLS was government’s response to a Judgment by the European Court of Justice on July 9, 2020. The ECJ found that Ireland had failed to comply with its obligations under a Directive that establishes the fundamental principles governing the investigation of accidents in the maritime transport sector. The Judgment noted that Ireland’s five-member Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) – comprised the Secretary-General of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport or his or her deputy, and the Chief Surveyor of the Marine Survey Office. In plain language it means there was no division between the Regulator (DTTS) and the Investigative unit (MCIB) – a situation that was in place since 2002. Within three weeks of the European Court’s Judgment, the DTTS Secretary General’s nominee and the Chief Surveyor had resigned from the MCIB Board. Our interview with marine lawyer Michael Kingston, who brought the situation to light, reveals that by constituting the MCIB in this way, Ireland was in fundamental breach of a European Directive. According to Kingston, under the European Directive and reflecting international law, Ireland must have a competent marine casualty investigation system. But the manner in which Ireland has carried out investigations since the 2000 Act and since establishment of the MCIB in 2002, has not met those provisions. Even more worrying is Kingston’s revelation that reports submitted by former and current Department officials and MCIB investigators were altered in such a way as not to reflect their full findings. “We still have a broken system that needs to be fixed urgently, he believes.” Based on what he was told by these whistleblowers, Kingston contacted Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and lodged a complaint that is currently under examination by the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation who are expected to arrive at a conclusion shortly.
Safety message Maritime law and its importance is also a key theme of Vice Admiral Mark Mellet’s opening address to the annual forum of the Marine Renewable Industries Association – the MRIA. His speech is published in full, and should be required reading for anyone with even the slightest interest in the marine – especially those viewing its commercial opportunities.
News
Comment No licence for mechanical extraction of kelp in Bantry Bay EU Commission accuses Ireland of breaching key environmental law Voluntary ‘tie-up’ scheme slammed by fishermen as not fit-for-purpose
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Whistleblower revelations support “damning indictment” allegation of the State’s approach to maritime safety Large vessel exclusion inside six-miles to continue until June at least Agreement reached on provisional EU fish quotas pending UK talks conclusion Seafood taskforce to study impact of Brexit Irish exporters urged to continue preparing for additional UK import controls Seven Irish ports designated for landings from Northern Ireland fishing vessels Penalty point system for fisheries infringements
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When Ireland transposed the Directive into Irish law on June 17, 2011, the Chief Surveyor and the Secretary General or his or her nominee of the Department of Transport were included on the five-person board. This was fundamentally in breach of the European Directive.
Whistleblower revelations support “damning indictment” allegation of the State’s approach to maritime safety
A written request by the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, to bypass scrutiny of maritime safety legislation but which was unanimously rejected by two Dáil committees, has been described by an international maritime lawyer as a “damning indictment of the State’s approach to maritime safety”. The legislation aims to rectify Ireland’s breach of international regulation, following a judgment against Ireland by the Court of Justice of the European Union on July 9, 2020, which found a conflict of interest on Ireland’s Maritime Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB). Two of the five-person board comprised two transport department officials ― the Secretary General or his/her nominee and the Chief Surveyor― who were on the board since the MCIB was established in 2002. Michael Kingston ― son of Tim Kingston who died in the 1979 Whiddy Island disaster ― wrote to the Business Committee on January 4, 2021, explaining why “failures under the current Act were so serious in nature it would be completely the wrong approach to waive pre-legislation scrutiny”. The letter was supported by Marine Hazard Limited’s ‘Report into The Operation and Effectiveness of the Marine Casualty Investigation Board’ (January 4, 2021). The 14-page letter alleges that the Minister did not give ‘full and frank disclosure’ to the Committee, and details the failures of the MCIB and explains why the proposed Act is ‘totally inadequate and does not address these failures’. Whistle-blower revelations outlined in the letter from MCIB investigators along with current and former department officials contend that MCIB reports have been altered and safety recommendations have been removed. Following pre-legislative scrutiny on January 29 by the Committee on Transport and Communications Networks of the General Scheme of the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Casualties) (Amendment) Bill, 2020, Michael Kingston spoke to Ocean Focus:
You have said that Ireland will be soon be subject to an audit by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regarding its implementation of regulations. Given the apparent mess our marine casualty investigation system is in, and our poor implementation of United Nations and EU regulations, how do you think this will all end up? The IMO carries out audits on how members are implementing their regulation. The ECJ Judgment against Ireland is, however, systematic of a broader problem. Ireland has not implemented a raft of international regulations including: the Ballast Water Management Convention; the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks; the Polar Code; and amendments to the SOLAS Convention and the requirements for international passenger vessels and vessels carrying hazardous substances which could have huge environmental impacts for our nation by not having those provisions in our legislation. Ocean Focus readers will be aware of the articles I have written highlighting all of this and pleading with the Department to get our house in order. It’s deeply embarrassing, but that, unfortunately, is the position we find ourselves in.
Kingston & McCarthy give evidence to the Committee on Transport & Comunications Network, January 29
Whiddy Island disaster, 1979
Gery Flynn
Gillian Mills
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Department of Transport responds to Ocean Focus
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) Judgment declared that by failing to provide for an investigative body which is independent in its organisation and decision-making of any party whose interests, could conflict with the task entrusted to that investigative body, Ireland had failed to comply with its obligations under Article 8.1 of Directive 2009/18/EC.
The issue was the presence of two officials of the Department of Transport on the Marine Casualty Investigation Board. The CJEU Judgment contains no adverse finding regarding the competence of the MCIB. The findings of the CJEU in relation to the membership of the MCIB have been addressed through the resignation of the two Board members in July 2020 and the making of amending regulations under the European Communities Act 1972 in October 2020, the European Communities (Merchant Shipping) (Investigation of Accidents) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 444 of 2020), which provide for a revised Board structure for the purpose of decisions relating to investigations that fall within the scope of the Directive. The Department has engaged with the EU Commission regarding the actions that have been taken to address the Court Judgment and the concerns of the Commission. The Department is commissioning an independent review of the structures in place for marine accident investigation. As a further legislative measure to bring a consistency to the investigation of all marine casualties that come within the remit of the MCIB and pending the outcome of the review, a Bill is being progressed to facilitate the replacement of the two Board members who have resigned, the appointment of additional Board members and the revision of some operational provisions in the interest of the continued functioning of the Board as the investigative body in the State.
What gave rise to you giving evidence to the committee on January 29? It came about because of a Judgment by the European Court of Justice on July 9, 2020, that found Ireland was in breach of a European Directive in relation to the manner in which Ireland was investigating marine casualties – namely, that two civil servants were on the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB). This breach has been in place since the MCIB was established in 2002. When Ireland transposed the Directive into Irish law on June 17, 2011, the Chief Surveyor and the Secretary General or his or her nominee of the Department of Transport were included on the five-person board. This was fundamentally in breach of the European Directive. The European Commission was not satisfied that Ireland had implemented the Directive correctly and therefore initiated correspondence with Ireland culminating in the Judgment against Ireland in July 2020. You told the Committee the Bill does not address all the failings of the current system. The Bill does acknowledge that Ireland was in breach of the European Directive and seeks to rectify the issue of independence that was found in the Judgment. The Secretary General’s nominee and the Chief Surveyor resigned from the MCIB Board on July 31, 2020. While the Bill deals with those issues, Ireland is still in fundamental breach of further provisions of the Directive, and critically, relating to competence. Under the European Directive, and reflecting international law, we need to have a competent marine casualty investigation system. The manner in which Ireland has carried out investigations since the 2000 Act and since establishment of the MCIB in 2002, has not met those provisions. We should have in place a full-time Investigative Unit headed up by a Master Mariner with two assistants – namely, a Chief Engineer and a Naval Architect. This is standard practice in the international arena and around Europe. Instead, we have had a part-time Board with part-time investigators who simply have not been able to build up the competence to be able to carry out investigations in a manner that is in line with international best practice. You presented figures to the Committee showing the cost of investigating incidents and casualties in Ireland’s aviation, rail and maritime sectors. How do the sectors compare in terms of the cost of investigations? In 2019, Ireland spent €750,000 on full-time investigators in the field on aviation incidents, and €350,000 was spent on full-time investigators on rail incidents. By comparison, only €27,000 was spent on ten maritime investigations concerning six deaths. This works out at €2,700 per investigation which is simply unacceptable and totally out of line with international requirements.
How out-of-step is Ireland with Europe regarding maritime safety regulation and investigation? We’re completely out-of-step! We need only look next door to the UK’s Marine Casualty Investigation Branch (MIAB) which has a full-time Investigative Unit. Not only does it have a full-time Investigative Unit, based in Southampton, it is also independent in its physical location from the Department of Transport for complete separation between the Investigator and the Regulator. The MIAB was set up following the MS Herald of Free Enterprise accident on March 6, 1987, that people will probably remember as the ‘Zeebrugge Ferry Disaster’ in which 193 people died.
The public enquiry following this accident found there must be a division between the Investigative Unit and the Regulator. The Regulator sets all the regulations while Investigators look into whether the regulation was correct, was it enforced, and was it fit-for-purpose. That’s a fundamental part of any investigation. In Ireland, our regulatory overseers have sat on the MCIB Board, meaning that departmental officials investigated their own regulations. This is completely out of synch with international best practice. Unfortunately, this was already known prior to the enactment of the 2000 Act because the 1998 Report of the Investigation of Marine Casualties Policy Review Group made all these findings, and even cited the example of the MIAB in the UK, saying it was imperative that we followed best practice. But, at the eleventh hour inexplicably, the report went against itself and put the Chief Surveyor and the Secretary General - the regulators - on the MCIB board in Ireland. You asked Minister Ryan to take all your evidence on board and respond to all of it. What has been the response? The latest position is that the Committee was quite forceful with Minister Ryan. I was supported by Barrister Ciaran McCarthy, a specialist in Maritime Law, who also gave evidence. The Committee was very supportive of our evidence, and requested Minister Ryan to take it on board and to respond on a point-by-point basis. I believe Minister Ryan was trying to hold out on moving the legislation forward and wanted to then carry out a Review of all these issues which he admitted were in line with the Review period (1996-1998) prior to the current Act.
The Act didn’t come in until 2000, and the MCIB wasn’t set up until 2002 – that’s six years! We all know what that ‘Departmental speak’ means: putting it on the long finger. The Committee was quite forceful in explaining the proposal I had put forward that Section 16 of the current Action would allow the appointment of a full-time–Investigator on a part-time basis to fill this current competence gap. The Committee urged the Minister to do this and to make the proposed Act fit-for-purpose. They added there was no need for another Review as the findings of the 1998 Review were sufficient. Barrister Ciaran McCarthy and I were asked to provide a briefing note which is now before the Department. It is their responsibility to respond to the Committee. Now is the time to get this right, once and for all.
You have made complaints to Garda Commissioner Harris based on information provided to you from whistle-blowers both within the Department of Transport and the MCIB structure regarding the manner in which reports were finalised. This is currently being investigated by the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. What is the latest position, and what do you think will happen? Yes, separate to the Dáil proceedings in relation to the analysis of the Bill I have been contacted by former and current Department officials and MCIB investigators, indicating that recommendations they made were changed, and that their reports are not reflective of their full findings. Given the seriousness of these allegations, I had no option but to report it to Garda Commissioner Harris. As an officer of the Supreme Court, I was duty-bound to do that, and I did so on January 8, 2020.
I think that our Department is being held to account, once and for all. We must remember that regulation is the foundation block for all trade and for all projects around Ireland to succeed. If we get that right then we prosper; if we don’t, we fail.
Following the Judgment, I was contacted by the Garda Commissioner’s Office which is now investigating those allegations. I understand they will arrive at a conclusion shortly, which could result in a full investigation into these issues. What do you think would have happened if you had not intervened with the Ceann Comhairle, the Business Committee, and the Transport and Communications Committee? If I had not intervened, we would have an Act that is totally unfit for purpose. We would have a continuation of a system with no proper competence, and we would continue to have failed reports into marine casualties. We would continue to not learn the lessons from those accidents to protect people’s lives, and we’d have some sort of a Review promise that would take years. Effectively, we would have the status quo which is, I believe, a broken system that needs to be fixed urgently.
Producer Organisation status for island fishers
Large vessel exclusion inside six-miles to continue until June at least
Conway Maritime Solicitors has announced that Michael Kingston, maritime lawyer with international recognition, has joined their team as a consultant on issues relating to Ireland’s fishing industry, injuries and safety at sea, pleasure craft, brokerage and shipping. “I’m delighted to be joining Conway Maritime solicitors. As someone who has been deeply involved in the development of world regulation for the protection of merchant seafarers and fishers, I have admired the work that Conways have been doing. “Conways are a firm that stand up for clients wholeheartedly and with great skill when they face difficulties in the maritime sector. I’m pleased to be associated with such a successful firm which complements my own area of work to date.’
The Irish Islands Marine Resource Organisation has received official recognition as an EU Producer Organisation (PO). IIMRO is based on Árainn Mhór island, Co Donegal, and represents the interests of island fishers throughout Ireland. “In our Programme for Government, we committed to supporting the inshore fishing fleet in generating greater marketing and promotional capacity by facilitating the establishment of a PO for these smaller fishing vessels,” remarked Charlie McConalogue, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Recognition will provide additional opportunity for island and coastal communities involved in the inshore sector, he added. In 2020, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine established a recognition-criteria that must be satisfied by producer groups seeking recognition as a producer organisation. “These were designed in particular to make it easier for inshore fishermen to achieve recognition. I expect further inshore POs my soon follow.”
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Majority of fishing activity in the inshore zone is for lobster and shrimp
International maritime lawyer joins leading Cork firm
Árainn Mhór: Producer Organisation status for IIMRO
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After hearing the motion on March 19 last, the Court was persuaded that the balance of justice leaned in favour of the State and granted a stay on a High Court Order up until the appeal hearing at which time the matter of the stay will be reconsidered by the Court. Charlie McConalogue, Minister for the Marine has welcomed the ban that will prohibit vessels over 18m in length from trawling within the six-mile zone “except for a restricted sprat fishery, which would usually not occur during the late spring / summer period.”
The Court of Appeal has upheld a policy directive that excludes large vessels from trawling within six miles of the coast. This temporary ban will be in place at least until the full hearing of the case in late June.
BACKGROUND The Policy Directive was introduced in March 2019 following a decision of the then Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine Michael Creed. It stated that from January 1, 2020, trawling by vessels over 18 metres in length inside Ireland’s 6-mile zone was to cease, except for a sprat fishery that would be phased out during 2020 and 2021. Two fishermen applied for a Judicial Review and were successful in their challenge to the validity of the directive. On October 6, 2020, the High Court made an Order in favour of the applicants and the Policy Directive was declared void/or of no legal effect. A stay on the Order was refused by the High Court on December 10.
Michael Kingston is from Goleen, Co Cork, and comes from a long family history of fishing and merchant seafaring. He is a consultant to the International Maritime Organization on
Polar issues and fishing vessel safety. He is also the 2014-2015 Lloyd’s List Gobal Maritime Lawyer of the Year for his contribution to safety of life at sea in the Polar regions as the Polar Code was being finalised. Michael is also currently a Special Advisor to the Arctic Council’s Protection of the Arctic Marie Environment Work Group, and is a key member of their Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum organising team, established in 2017 to assist in the harmonised implementation of the Polar Code. Michael has advised several governments and international organisations, and is currently representing the Icelandic government in a work group of interested parties developing draft guidance to assist competent authorities in the implementation of the 2012 Cape Town Agreement for Safety of Fishing Vessels.
BACKGROUND Seafood Producer Organisations are officially recognised bodies, established by groups of fishery or aquaculture producers to manage the activity of their members. They improve conditions for product placement on the market, improve economic returns for their members and stabilise the market. POs also help to reduce unwanted catches an contribute to the elimination of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) fishing and help coordinate the activities of their members. Regulation 1379/2013 on the Common Organisation of the Market for Fishery and Aquaculture Products provides an EU legal framework for the recognition of seafood producer organisations.
SCIENTIFIC ADVICE In line with the EU / UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement, these provisional quotas for seven months will follow scientific advice. The Council agreed increases in provisional quotas for monkfish in Area 7 (+8%) and Nephrops in the Porcupine Bank (+25%), compared to 2020. A provisional quota for pollock stocks remained at the level set for the first three months, reflecting the precautionary advice from ICES. For pelagic species, including mackerel, Arctic herring and blue whiting, the Council has agreed full twelve-month quotas. “I am pleased with the outcome of the consultations with Norway in respect of blue whiting. The ICES advice is for a 20% cut in this stock, and this advice is being followed. “I took a strong line internally in the EU in relation to the recently concluded EU negotiations with Norway. As a result, EU negotiated successfully to reduce the customary transfer of this stock to Norway. This reduced transfer of EU blue whiting to Norway has resulted in the necessary scientific cut to the TAC being significantly mitigated. “As a result, Ireland’s quota has been reduced by only 8%, giving us a quota of 35,373 tonnes. The level of transfer of EU blue whiting to Norway for 2021 has been set at the lowest transfer level we have seen, and represents a recognition at EU level of the need to use every opportunity to improve the situation for our pelagic fleet,” Minister McConalogue concluded.
Agreement was reached at the March Agriculture and Fisheries Council to set provisional quotas for EU fishermen in line with scientific advice for fish stocks up to 31 July 2021.
Agreement reached on provisional EU fish quotas pending UK talks conclusion
Rachel J returns to Killybegs following a 3-4 day blue whiting fishing trip west of Eagle Island. Photo John Cunningham
Welcoming the decision, Charlie McConalogue, Minister for the Marine, said the aim was to achieve a “satisfactory conclusion” of the negotiations between the EU and the UK on setting shared TACs and quota to year end. As negotiations continue “this is a practical measure to provide continuity for our fishing fleets because the existing interim quotas expire at the end of March,” he said.
BACKGROUND At the EU Council of Fisheries Ministers in December, Minsters agreed to set interim Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and quotas for the first quarter of 2021, pending the outcome of negotiations on a future relationship with the UK. On behalf of the EU, the European Commission has been negotiating with the UK on setting fishing opportunities for shared stocks for 2021. While an agreement has not yet been reached, setting provisional TACs and quotas will provide certainty and continuity for the fishing industry, added Minister McConalogue. “It is encouraging that the UK are engaging in these consultations in a pragmatic and cooperative way. “An agreement with the UK would provide much needed certainty to our fishing industry” but it must be fair and balanced, and provide a level-playing-field in order to protect the long-term sustainability of our shared stocks and our fishing industry. As soon as the talks conclude, I will be seeking to have Council adopt the EU quotas for the full year without delay.”
Seafood taskforce to study impact of Brexit
STEERING GROUP • Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation • Irish Fish Producers Organisation • Irish South & West Fish Producers Organisation • Irish South & East Fish Producers’ Organisation • Irish Islands Marine Resource Organisation • National Inshore Fisheries Forum • Fishermen’s Cooperatives (two reps of the four main coops) • Irish Fish Processors & Exporters Association • Irish Farmers Association (aquaculture) • Fisheries Local Action Groups (one rep of the seven FLAGs) • Department of Public Expenditure and Reform • Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine • BIM • Enterprise Ireland • Tourism Ireland • Local government management agency (two coastal local authority reps • Údaras na Gaeltachta
A Seafood Sector Taskforce has been established to make recommendations to the marine minister on measures to mitigate the impacts of fish quota share reductions arising from the EU/UK Trade & Cooperation Agreement on Ireland’s fishing industry and on coastal communities dependent on fisheries.
Killybegs, Co Donegal: Ireland’s premier pelagic port
The Agreement brokered on Christmas Eve last will see significant reductions in Ireland’s quotas for some key stocks, most notably mackerel and prawns, as part of the agreed transfer of quotas to the UK. Beginning with a 60% reduction, total loss of stocks by 2026 will be €43m per annum, equivalent to a 15% reduction overall in Ireland’s fish quotas.
In a written response to a query from Deputy Bernard Durkan on European support arising from Brexit, Paschal Donoghue, Minister for Finance, said Ireland was set to receive roughly €1bn during 2021 under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR). Despite recognition that Ireland has been hardest hit by Brexit, its share - the largest allocation - could be slashed by €200m under a French proposal to change how payouts are calculated. The calculation method has not yet been signed off by member state governments and France is proposing a different ‘allocation key’ that would result in additional money going to the bigger states of France, Spain and Italy.
The outcome of Brexit “could have been much worse in a no-deal scenario” with no access to UK waters for one-third of fish catches in UK waters and displacement of EU fleets into Irish waters, remarked Minister Charlie McConalogue. He acknowledged however that the Agreement “will still have a significant impact for our fishing fleet and the coastal communities build around it”. VOLUNTARY TIE-UP Minister McConalogue has asked the Taskforce, chaired by Aidan Cotter - barrister and former CEO of Bord Bia - to produce an interim report within two months that focuses on “recommended arrangements” for a voluntary fleet tie-up scheme to “temporarily counter” the impact of the quota reductions. The final report, to be delivered within four months, will address the voluntary tie-up proposal “to adjust and re-balance certain segments of the fleet with the reduce fishing opportunities available” along with other recommended initiatives. The Taskforce will also consider and recommend “constructive actions” to help alleviate the “inequitable relative contribution” of Ireland’s quota share and will take account of all available funding streams.
Irish exporters urged to continue preparing for additional UK import controls
Traders moving controlled goods into Great Britain will continue to be ineligible for the deferred customs declaration approach. They will therefore be required to complete a full customs declaration when the goods enter Great Britain. Controls and checks on Sanitary and Phytosanitary goods are of course a devolved matter and we continue to work closely with the Devolved Administrations on their implementation, in particular with the Welsh Government on their timetable for completing supporting Border Control Post infrastructure in Wales. We will continue to engage extensively with businesses to support them to adjust to the new requirements already in place and to prepare for the new requirements set out above so that they can continue to trade successfully under the new arrangements.
Introduction of additional, phased import controls into the UK have been deferred until July 1. The announcement means the requirements are “postponed and not cancelled”, remarked the Minister for the Marine, Charlie McConalogue.
“Irish exporters should maximise their use of the additional time to prepare in a comprehensive manner for the next phase of Brexit changes that will now come into force on 1 October this year. My Department continues to engage proactively and extensively with stakeholders and food business operators, and will support the sector in preparing for these changes.” Government supports including training and grants are available to help businesses prepare for these changes.
Statement by Michael Gove, Minister for the Cabinet Office On 31 December last year, the UK left the EU’s Single Market and Customs Union. This was the biggest change in the UK’s trading relationships for decades. The Government has always been clear that this meant change for business and for citizens, including new processes and requirements.
The first phase of such changes came in on 1 January. The Government has put in place the staffing, infrastructure, and IT to deal with the situation. Thanks to the hard work of traders and hauliers, we have not seen anything like the generalised disruption at our ports which many predicted, and supply chains have shown themselves to be robust. However, the Government recognises the scale and significance of the challenges businesses have been facing in adjusting to the new requirements, at the same time as dealing with the impacts of COVID. Last June, we announced a timetable for the phased introduction of controls on imports from the EU into Great Britain, to ensure businesses could prepare in a phased way. This timetable was based on the impacts of the first wave of COVID. We know now that the disruption caused by COVID has lasted longer and has been deeper than we anticipated. Accordingly, the Government has reviewed these timeframes. Although we recognise that many in the border industry and many businesses have been investing time and energy to be ready on time, and indeed we in Government were confident of being ready on time, we have listened to businesses who have made a strong case that they need more time to prepare. In reviewing the timeframes, we have given strong weight to the disruption which has been caused, and is still being caused, by COVID, and the need to ensure that the economy can recover fully.
Pre-notification requirements for Products of Animal Origin (POAO), certain animal by-products (ABP), and High-Risk Food Not Of Animal Origin (HRFNAO) will not be required until 1 October 2021. Export Health Certificate requirements for POAO and certain ABP will come into force on the same date. Customs import declarations will still be required, but the option to use the deferred declaration scheme, including submitting supplementary declarations up to six months after the goods have been imported, has been extended to 1 January 2022. Safety and Security Declarations for imports will not be required until 1 January 2022. Physical SPS checks for POAO, certain ABP, and HRFNAO will not be required until 1 January 2022. At that point they will take place at Border Control Posts. Physical SPS checks on high-risk plants will take place at Border Control Posts, rather than at the place of destination as now, from 1 January 2022. Pre-notification requirements and documentary checks, including phytosanitary certificates will be required for low-risk plants and plant products, and will be introduced from 1 January 2022. From March 2022, checks at Border Control Posts will take place on live animals and low risk plants and plant products.
We are therefore announcing today a clear revised timetable for the introduction of controls, as follows:
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Seven Irish ports designated for landings from Northern Ireland fishing vessels
Designated landing ports for UK registered, Northern Ireland fishing vessels, has increased to seven, with the addition of Ros a Mhil, Howth, Greencastle, Rathmullen and Burtonport. These ports join Killybegs and Castletownbere for landings from vessels of any third-country origin.
PROCEDURE CHANGES Up to Christmas Eve when a future relationship was concluded between the UK and the EU, it was unclear whether Northern Ireland vessels that had access to Irish waters would continue to do so. “This is an important decision which will allow fishers in small vessels to continue their livelihoods in a safe manner,” remarked Minister McConalogue. “Following Brexit, it is important now more than ever to support our fishers and fishing communities and to do all we can to help them continue their livelihoods.” Any UK Northern Ireland registered boats landing into any of the seven Irish ports will have to comply with additional documentary and procedural requirements than before Brexit. Designation of ports is within the State’s authority but all requirements and protocols are subject to EU and international law and must be strictly adhered to to gain entry to ports, the marine department has stated. Thanking the Sea-fisheries Protection Authority for organising the additional designated landing ports, Minister McConalogue said the outcome would be good news for fishers who were unable to operate under the Brexit deal.
Quota transfers from Ireland • 25% reduction in western mackerel • 14% reduction in Nephrops (prawns) • Hake (Celtic Sea) 3%; Haddock (Celtic Sea) 11%; Haddock (Irish Sea) 16%; Haddock (Rockall) 22.6%; Megrim (Celtic Sea) 8%; Megrim (West of Scotland) 19%; Monkfish (Celtic Sea) 7%; Monkfish (West of Scotland) 20% and Pollack (Celtic Sea) 9% • Herring (Irish Sea) 96% The report was compiled by the Department of Agriculture, Food in association with BIM and the Marine Institute. The figures represent best available estimates based on the mean fish price per species in 2019 from Irish Sales Notes data and 2020 quotas.
A preliminary analysis report on the reduction of fish quota shares under the EU/UK Trans and Cooperation Agreement shows Ireland will have transferred 15% of its quota by 2026 (€43m) compared to the overall value of Irish quota in 2020.
Ireland’s fish quotas set to drop 15% by 2026
Marine minister Charlie McConalogue has said he is “working to make sure the necessary notifications and requirements are in place to have these ports operational by Monday February 1 next. Ros a Mhil and Howth will be able to accommodate landings of demersal fish from vessels under 24 metres and will operate Monday-Friday from 10am to 10pm. From January 1, the UK became a ‘third country’ and is subject to illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) legislation and North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) requirements. All UK (including Northern Ireland), registered vessels must now comply with third-country landing requirements when landing in the EU. This includes Ireland and is as a direct result of Brexit and included in the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
The UK has or will receive a Total Allowable Catch for 105 stocks, 41 of which will remain unchanged from their current relative stability share. For eight stocks there is no transition period, and the new UK quota shares ‘it is understood’ apply from 2021. For the remaining stocks, 60% of the transition to the new shares occurs in 2021, followed by 70% in 2022, 80% in 2023 and 92% in 2024.
Penalty point system for fisheries infringements
A penalty point system for serious infringements of fisheries regulations came into effect in late January. Required under EU law, the system follows the appointment of the independent Determination Panel, comprising three legal professionals nominated by the Attorney General.
The SI also enables establishment of the independent Determination Panel along with procedures in relation to notifications of serious infringements, submissions by the vessel licence holders and appeals officer in relation to a decision of the panel.
LÉ William Butler Yeats (2016) is Ireland’s largest offshore patrol vessel
All EU member states are obliged to establish a points system, to be applied to licence holders of fishing vessels when a serious infringement of Common Fisheries Policy rules is detected. Ireland’s penalty points legislation has been described as “scandalous and a very misguided step” by Seán O’Donoghue, Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation. The points system is intended to be a more ‘immediate and harmonised sanction’. Regardless of where in the EU a serious infringement is committed, the licence holder will receive the same number of points, according to the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority.
TWELVE INFRINGEMENTS The Determination Panel will consider suspected infringements notified to them by SFPA officers and whether points should apply. Twelve serious infringements are covered under the Irish points system with varying points applying, in keeping with the points system already in place in other EU countries. Detailed rules regarding the effect of the accumulation of points are also included in the EU regulations, requiring the establishment of a points system. These include suspension or permanent withdrawal of a licence. An independent Appeals Officer has been nominated by the AG and appointed by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Statutory Instrument for the points system was published last August in Iris Oifigiúil, Ireland’s official State Gazette. It regulates procedures and includes notification to sea-fishing vessel licence holders and the time limits that apply, as well as requirements around submissions, appeals and decisions.
Unlike vessels registered in other parts of the UK, Northern Ireland registered vessels can land frozen product into Howth, Ros a Mhíl, Killybegs and Castletownbere once they comply with NEAFC and IUU requirements
Ros a Mhíl: one of four designated Irish ports for landings of frozen product from NI registered fishing vessels
Image caption if required
Post-Brexit landing requirements for non-EU fishing vessels
Fishing communities around Ireland with UK-registered (including Northern Ireland) fishing vessels or food business operators who deal with these vessels, are being urged to familiarise themselves with EU fisheries and food safety controls in a post-Brexit era.
These controls arise from the UK’s status as a ‘Third Country’ since their departure from the EU on December 31, 2020, and particularly focus on designated ports and additional documentation. Food business operators must also ensure that the product they are purchasing has legally entered the EU. While movement of fish and fishery products is mostly unrestricted within the EU, imports from outside the EU are ‘strictly regulated’. Under current illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries (IUU) legislation, ‘a landing by UK (including NI registered) vessels to Irish ports are regarded as direct landings by Third Country vessels’. As a consequence, landings ‘can only take place in ports designated specifically for this purpose’, says the Sea-Fisheries Production Authority.
DESIGNATED PORTS Under NEAFC Port State Control and IUU regimes, Ireland has seven designated ports: Killybegs, Castletownbere, plus Burtonport, Greencastle, Rathmullan, Howth and Ros a Mhíl recently designated for landings of NI registered vessels ‘in certain scenarios’. Physical inspections of landings to verify quantities and species declared ‘are also possible’ the SFPA adds. IUU regulations specify several cases where fishing vessels registered to a Third Country ‘must always be inspected’. The SFPA is also reminding vessels owners that prior to importing fish landed into an EU port from a Third Country vessel, a catch certificate validated by the fisheries authority of their flag state (e.g. the UK) ‘must be submitted for the catch’. Dr Susan Steele, chair of the SFPA, said UK vessels are now experiencing “significant change” from their past EU status when they could land at up to 22 ports.
OBLIGATIONS Northern Ireland registered fishing vessels “need to consider four broad additions to their obligations when landing to Irish ports: They must go to designated ports; they must provide advance notification together with various completed mandatory documents; they must await authorisation from Irish authorities before entering port or discharging fish, and they should expect inspection from time to time”. Unlike vessels registered in other parts of the UK, Northern Ireland registered vessels can land frozen product into Howth, Ros a Mhíl, Killybegs and Castletownbere once they comply with NEAFC and IUU requirements, following prior notification of 72 hours. (As these are not border control posts, food regulations would generally preclude landings of frozen fish by Third Country vessels.)
Twenty-eight aquaculture businesses are to receive almost €2m funding under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Programme. The grants will support total investment of €4.5m and are co-funded by the exchequer and the EU.
Crocknagee Oysters, Co Donegal. Photo BIM
State funding to support Irish aquaculture businesses
The funding will support investment in oyster, mussel, trout and seaweed farming enterprises. Despite the challenges of Covid 19 and Brexit "these 28 aquaculture businesses are showing confidence in the future of their sector and are expanding their production to meet strong market demand for their quality products", remarked Charlie McConalogue, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. "In recent years my Department invested in eliminating the licensing backlog for shellfish aquaculture producers and this is I believe being reflected in the large number of grant applications being submitted by shellfish aquaculture producers, showing renewed confidence in their capacity to expand with regulatory certainty."
freshwater focus
Ireland’s 2021 salmon angling season opens under ‘careful management’ Anglers welcome root and branch review of freshwater fisheries All Along the Barrow - Book Competition
Ireland’s 2021 salmon angling season opens under ‘careful management’
River Erriff opens for catch and release angling
Ireland is internationally recognised for prioritising the conservation imperative as fundamental to our salmon management efforts and our contribution to the continuing global initiative that is International Year of the Salmon 2020 has been second to none.
Eighty-three of Ireland’s rivers have opened for the 2021 salmon and sea-trout angling season, subject to legislation published by the Minister with responsibility for the inland fisheries sector.
The selected rivers will open under “careful management” where conservation “will be to the fore”, remarked Minister Eamon Ryan. Forty-nine of the rivers will be fully open – an increase of 20% on 2020 – and thirty-four on a ‘catch and release’ basis. Sixty-four rivers remain closed having no surplus fish available. “Continued improvement in a positive direction is only possible over time and is entirely dependent on everybody redoubling our conservation efforts in the face of environmental, climate and human impacts.”
Management advice from Inland Fisheries Ireland relating to more than 140 genetically individual wild salmon stocks informed the legislation, supported by independent scientific assessments by an all-island Technical Export Group on Salmon. Over thirty public, stakeholder submissions also informed the 2021 advice. “Ireland is internationally recognised for prioritising the conservation imperative as fundamental to our salmon management efforts and our contribution to the continuing global initiative that is International Year of the Salmon 2020 has been second to none. Environmental and climate change and human impacts continue to place salmon and other species at risk, he added.
Independent assessment
Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme (Amendment) Regulations S.I. No. 667 of 2020
These regulations provide for, the quotas of fish that can be harvested by commercial fishing engines and rod and line from those rivers identified in Schedule 2. The Regulations also provide for the use of brown tags in specified (low surplus) rivers which are identified in Schedule 4.
Angling Bye-law No. 982 of 2020
This Bye-law prohibits the use of any fish hooks, other than single or double barbless hooks, and also prohibits the use of worms as bait in angling for all species of fish in the waters specified in the Bye-law. This is to avoid the use of hooks and baits which are not conducive to fish survival and to ensure that the objective of C&R fishing is not frustrated.
Conservation of Salmon and Sea trout (Bag Limits) Bye-law No. 983 of 2020
Provides for an annual bag limit of 10 fish being either salmon or sea trout (over 40 cm) per angler and provides for a season bag limit of 3 fish in the period 1 January to 11 May, a daily bag limit of 3 fish from 12 May to 31 August and a daily bag limit of 1 fish from 1 September to the end of the season. The Bye-law also provides for the use of single or double barbless hooks and prohibits the use of worms as bait once the specified numbers of fish have been caught in the specified periods.
Conservation of Salmon and Sea trout (Catch and Release) Bye-law No. 984 of 2020
Provides for catch and release in respect of salmon and sea trout (over 40 cm) in rivers that are meeting at least 50% of their Conservation Limit as mentioned in the Bye-law. The Bye-law also provides for the use of single or double barbless hooks and prohibits the use of worms as bait in angling for salmon and sea trout over 40 cm.
Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout (River Suir) Bye-law No. 986 of 2020
This Bye-Law provides for catch and release in angling for salmon (any size) and sea trout (over 40cm) in the River Suir (including the waters of the Rivers Clodiagh, Lingaun and Blackwater) and also prohibits the use of worms, prawn, shrimp or any other crustacean, or artificial forms thereof, as bait and any fish hooks other than single or double barbless hooks during the period 17 March to 30 September.
Conservation of Sea Trout Bye-law No. 987 of 2020
This Bye-law provides for a daily bag limit of 3 sea trout (less than 40 cm in length) and provides for the use of single or double barbless hooks and prohibits the use of worms as bait once the specified number of sea trout have been caught. Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout (River Slaney) Bye-law No. 985 of 2020 This Bye-Law provides for catch and release in angling for salmon (any size) and sea trout (over 40cm) in the River Slaney and also prohibits the use of worms, prawn, shrimp or any other crustacean, or artificial forms thereof, as bait and any fish hooks other than single or double barbless hooks.
Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout (Closed Rivers) Bye-law No. C.S. 331 of 2020
Prohibits the taking or attempting to take by rod and line salmon and sea trout (over 40 cm) in the rivers specified in the Bye-law.
Anglers welcome root and branch review of freshwater fisheries
Noel Carr
FISSTA
The business of game angling grew out of a love for the sport which became ever more popular when fish were abundant. However, as fish numbers began to fall, the sport was sustained by local club members who conserved and developed fisheries enough to still attract visitors, season after season to deliver a sustainable source of much-needed income for many communities.
The business thrived, especially on the Atlantic seaboard where farming income was limited compared to the rich pastures on the south and east coast of Ireland. And while the traditional hunting, shooting and fishing lodges of old had transformed into golf courses and leisure hotels, rural villages and towns on good rivers relied on the visiting angler to pack their guest houses during the season in their quest for salmon -the King of Fish.
Finite resource Then in the late 1960s, just like the salmon, anglers stopped coming as commercial drift-net licences were handed out as political favours to local people who bought boats and became fishermen overnight. It was a lucrative trade for a while and everyone thought it would last forever. Only the anglers, fishery managers and river owners realised the salmon resource was finite. I recall a report in the Donegal News about members of my local fishery board who were so perturbed by the number of new licences being granted for the 1971 season that they sent an urgent telegram to the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Jim Gibbons, requesting a meeting with him in Dublin.
NASCO Nothing much changed throughout the 1980s as our angling federation fought hard to get someone to listen. That all changed however when the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation was founded in 1987, giving an international perspective and a warning of the wipe-out facing wild Atlantic salmon. For the past twenty years FISSTA members have pleaded with government to halt the decline in spawning salmon. Throughout the 1990s, salmon numbers fell alarmingly, but eventually, our campaigns for conservation were heard in 2007. The relevant state bodies however - mainly in the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources - continued to approve applications for salmon farm licences, turbines and afforestation on upland bogs. On the Glen river in Southwest Donegal, some so-called ‘eco warriors’ released thousands of stock from a mink farm licenced by DCMNR. The result of that misguided action was swift and severe: it wiped out the entire river spawning stock in October 2010 and led eventually to its total closure.
Root and branch review Some remedial actions for conservation were welcomed by anglers in 2007, but the angler was still penalised by the State which doubled their rod licence fee to €120 per season and closed over 65% of rivers to fishing. A case of the victim paying for the sins of the perpetrators. Such mismanagement dealt a heavy blow to angling tourism that had taken millions of Euro in investment and decades to build, despite plummeting stocks. Thankfully Minister Ryan has taken stock of what we have been campaigning for by announcing a ‘root and branch review’ outlined in Towards a Policy Framework for Inland Fisheries in Ireland - A Roadmap 2021. In the preamble the minister says: ‘Ireland’s inland fisheries are a precious natural resource that form part of our cultural, environmental and economic identity. We have over 77,000 kilometres of freshwater rivers and streams and a quarter of a million hectares of lakes, as well as sea-angling resources within the national 12 nautical mile limit. These waters support a wide-range of species including salmonids, pike, coarse and other fish, and sea fish and represent a significant part of Ireland’s overall rich biodiversity. In terms of angling alone, the inland fisheries sector supports over 11,000 jobs – mainly in rural areas – and is estimated to be worth well in excess of half a billion euro annually to the economy. As a recreational activity, angling is enjoyed by individuals, clubs, and communities across Ireland and attracts visitors from around the world. However, an imbalance exists currently in terms of the economic, social and environmental considerations around inland fisheries. Ireland has seen a decline in stocks of a number of species on which commercial fishing activities are based. Unabated, this decline could lead to irretrievable losses in the resource. Not only would this lead to fundamental biodiversity and cultural loss, it would also critically undermine the existing and potential societal and economic contribution of the inland fisheries sector. Moreover, the true potential of the sector as a catalyst for health and well-being, for social inclusion and youth development has also been held back by a fractured stakeholder context which, on occasion, has held the sector back. This roadmap represents the first step in developing a policy framework for inland fisheries in Ireland which will be focused, primarily, on conservation and sustainable management and on reimagining our relationship with this precious national resource. The policy framework will put conservation and sustainability first but will also show how this shift in emphasis can allow the true economic potential of the sector to be realised simultaneously.’ This is a great opportunity now for Inland Fisheries Ireland to reclaim the respect and credibility they lost to anglers a long time ago. Publication of the roadmap is predicted to be Spring 2022 which will include legislation to enable implementation following a comprehensive public consultation. Time will tell if what is promised will be delivered.
But the Kilkenny man from the River Nore did not respond. He did not understand the problem of over-netting, and the mixed gauntlet that returning salmon faced around the coast ranging from stake nets, fixed engines, and ring netting that were all then permitted.
All Along the Barrow
Liam Walsh
dublin
The author brings the reader into a wonderful world of intrigue, conflict of religious conscientiousness, terrorism, power play, love and murder. In his seamless style of writing, he has interwoven history, geography, life events and fiction into a fascinating read. He reflects a period in Ireland when pregnancy outside of marriage was traumatic and adoption was the only option with menfolk unanswerable for their actions. He portrays a depressed economy that forced young people to emigrate, the plight of the Irish navvy in England and plots the scarcity of poorly paid jobs in rural Ireland. The hard graft of farming life, especially to produce sugar beet is illustrated alongside examples of abusive power by trusted people in positions of authority, and the activities of certain republicans…. The story is told by characters from different walks of life who reflect the strengths and weaknesses of us mere mortals. From beginning to end, Brian Grehan’s story keeps you fully engaged and tantalised enough to keep your craving for more knowledge of the characters and who-dunnit. A very enjoyable read.
Author Brian Grehan has anchored his story in Bagenalstown, Co Carlow. In his narrative you can detect the influence of the River Barrow on him: swimming, barge life, and social and business life activities in the local environs.
The author has generously offered a competition prize copy Q: In which county is the book based?
A: By email to mills@oceanfocus.ie or by post card to Ocean Focus, 3 Hillview Cottages, Pottery Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin Deadline: June 11, Good luck!
Published by New Generation Publishing and available from Amazon. All proceeds going to Sightsavers ISBN: 978-1-78955-847-0
Fish Producers’ Organisation calls for more investment in Ireland’s seafood sector From ocean to plate: Neptunus project to boost sustainability of Ireland’s seafood sector Strong Irish performance in pelagic exports to Africa
fisheries & seafood
To make up the €43 million shortfall the European Commission decided to take three species - mackerel, prawns and Celtic Sea herring - from Irish waters.
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Fish Producers’ Organisation calls for more investment in Ireland’s seafood sector
‘Saving Seafood and Harnessing our Ocean Wealth - a strategy for action and investment in Ireland’s seafood sector’ says that Ireland’s seafood sector ‘should be a prime candidate for investment’ due to its huge potential for sustainable, community-based recovery in coastal areas. The strategy argues that a thriving seafood industry will ensure an economic recovery that is healthier; emits less carbon; and would benefit coastal communities most marginalized by Covid-19. It adds: “Even before Covid, the fishing industry was set to shrink by one fifth. But new fishing opportunities – particularly in high-value species like bluefin tuna and swordfish must now be obtained to compensate for this”. Highlighting the “vast potential” for Ireland’s seafood industry, the submission notes:
The Irish South & West Fish Producers’ Organisation (IS&WFPO) has called for government action to mitigate the effects of Brexit which it claims will reduce the value of the annual catch from €252.6 million to €208.6 million.
ISWFPO Castletownbere
Patrick Murphy, CEO of the Irish South & West Fish Producers' Organisation
• • • •
Ireland’s geographical position means our waters stretch to the continental shelf with the most productive fishing waters in Europe. Ireland’s global reputation for producing fresh, sustainable and safe food produce, and a coastline of with clean, accessible seawater. EU per capita consumption of fish at 24.4 kg per person per annum, low by global standards. EU consumption convergence with global norms will lead to growth in demand. With 20 per cent of EU waters, Ireland is well placed to serve this need if investment in upscaling and technology is made. Irish consumption (23.1 kg per person per annum) is lower still, and well below potential. Targeting increased fish consumption is environmentally sustainable.
How many people rely on fishing around Castletown Bere? I recently attended a meeting of the Northwest Waters Advisory Council in the city of Vigo in north west Spain. Vigo is built on fishing and has a population of 250,000 which swells to a million during the Summer. That’s what fishing can do! Now, ask yourself where does Vigo’s fish come from? Answer: the vast, vast majority of it comes from Irish waters. It could well have been landed in Castletown Bere and transported by truck to Vigo. As a coastal community we are far from reaching our potential with the amount of fish that’s coming in here. So much more could be done here, but we urgently need government to get behind us instead of on top of us. That’s the problem. Ireland has several Producer Organisations. Are they united enough to influence government? Absolutely! Just like in families, the POs don’t always see eye-to-eye, but when we find a common thread we all get behind each other. There should be no doubt whatsoever that the POs always put their members’ interests first. The Seafood Sector Task Force was established in February and IS&WFPO is one of its eighteen members. What was your impression following the Task Force’s first meeting recently? Membership has already gone up! I’d say twenty-seven attended that first meeting but I don’t know how many of those actually will have a casting vote. The Chair of the Task Force gave everybody an opportunity to speak, and I know that the twelve fishing industry representatives were all united in our approach and on the one page, which listed three issues:
Ocean Focus spoke to Patrick Murphy, CEO of the Castletown Bere-based Irish South & West Fish Producers’ Organisation.
first, that there has to be burden sharing; second, that financial funds should go to those who create the wealth; and the third issue was about Ireland’s wealth. Ireland could be the richest fishing country in the world by a country mile because the waters off our coast are the most productive spawning grounds anywhere. The problem is that we have not been given our fair share of fish. And until that is rectified we’ll be in serious trouble trying to keep people living in our coastal towns and villages. If others are allowed to take our own fish away from us our coastal communities are going to die a slow economic death. I’m hoping now the Minister will take note of what the Seafood Task Force is saying about those three key issues.
In the run up to the EU/UK Trade & Cooperation Agreement the Producers’ Oranisations warned that Ireland’s fishing industry would be impacted negatively. Have your fears been realised? Absolutely! We are now seeing EU-registered fishing boats landing fish into Ireland’s ports and harbours that we never saw before. We were always afraid of displacement and that there would be a Tsunami of boats in. That fear has been realized. All we got from the Brexit deal was a pause for five-and-a-half years. We’re back to the same table that we started from. We haven’t the technical measures or the annexes agreed or anything else agreed. The deal was done in haste, and Ireland got a raw deal. Simple mathematics is the easiest way of calculating it. The equivalent of forty-three million was paid by Ireland. Forty-three million paid by Ireland is not an equal share when there are ten contributors.
Explain that in a bit more detail. The European Union decided arbitrarily to take as much fish as they needed to pay off the UK. Right up to the wire Barnier was offering €140 million, but suddenly, another €43 million had to be found. The total bill in the end was €183 million, and Ireland paid €43 million of that. Was that equal burden sharing? No, it was not, because the maths don’t add up. To make up the €43 million shortfall the European Commission decided to take three species - mackerel, prawns and Celtic Sea herring - from Irish waters. It doesn’t take a genius to come up with the conclusion I came up with. It was all done at the eleventh hour just before the negotiations ended before Christmas. Show me that I’m wrong and I’ll be the first one to make a public apology.
The IS&WFPO strategy calls for grant-aid to the fishing sector to be increased from 40% to 75% and investment to be increased from €177 million in 2019 to €330 million by 2021. Is that realistic?
It all depends on the return you want back from it. This isn’t about giving free money to anybody, it’s about putting investment into fishing boats in order to improve them. There has to be an output from any money invested. If you improve your vessel’s engine you will reduce your carbon footprint; if you install new gear you will catch more fish, and eliminate small catches; new floors will improve safety conditions for your crew. This is not about a skipper deciding to spend €20,000 for a new seat in the wheelhouse just because there might be 75% grant available. Today’s sea fishing is a complicated art. It’s no longer just hit-and-miss and throwing a net out over the side. Fishermen have to target their fish species, and take account of time and weather conditions and many other issues. Fishermen spend money on their boats because they want the best gear at sea and because they are required to have the best gear. Fishermen invest in their boats because if something goes wrong out at sea and they don’t have the right gear, it’s very a dangerous place to be. So, of course I want to see them getting more investment.
Your strategy to government concludes with a twelve-point, five-year recovery strategy up to 2025. Is this overly ambitious in such a short time span? I’ll never apologise for being ambitious for the fishing industry. I’d rather aim high for my IS&WFPO members and get as far as I can up the ladder rather than be low and regret it later. Bloody right we aim high, and I make no apologies for it. Ambitious? I know that if Ireland’s fishing community puts its shoulder to the wheel there’s nothing we couldn’t accomplish.
The seafood sector is of vital importance to the Irish economy, particularly in rural, coastal communities, accounting for 16,000 jobs either directly or indirectly.
From ocean to plate: Neptunus project to boost sustainability of Ireland’s seafood sector
When it comes to collecting data about Ireland’s €1.25bm seafood sector, Ireland lags behind many of its European counterparts, according to Irish researchers heading up a new seafood sustainability initiative.
Dr Sinead Mellett, Prof Neil J Rowan and Lorna Walsh of the AIT Bioscience Research Institute are working with Neptunus – a €2.3bn INTERREG Atlantic Area project to improve sustainability and resource efficiency in the seafood sector. “The seafood sector is of vital importance to the Irish economy, particularly in rural, coastal communities, accounting for 16,000 jobs either directly or indirectly. Despite this, it faces serious challenges and threats, including climate change and rising fears around marine debris,” remarked Dr Mellett. Previous research from the FAO shows that two of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions from wild fish are fuel consumption and farmed fish feed due to high volume. Working with NUIG Morefish researchers and Neptunus project leads Dr Eoghan Clifford, Dr Ronan Cooney and Alan Kennedy, the team is making the process from ocean to plate more sustainable. “We’re looking at the different inputs, outputs and impacts associated with seafood production and along the value chain. This helps with process and energy efficiency, along with decision-support systems,” Dr Mellett added.
Seafood exports As smoked salmon is one of Ireland’s largest seafood exports the team is carrying out a lifecycle assessment of the production chain to see how it can be improved. “We’re undertaking scenarios to show whether it is more sustainable to smoke the salmon in Ireland, or whether it would be more economical or sustainable to do so in the country where it is consumed.”
Neptunus draws on the expertise, knowledge and experience of eleven academic partners across five countries based along the Atlantic coast. Several Irish companies are involved, including Wild Atlantic Oysters, Irish Seaspray, Hexafly and Sure Engineering. BIM, Ireland’s seafood development agency, is also a partner, providing expert opinion and links to public bodies. “With all of the skills from these partners we’re able to develop strategies and recommend policies to help companies transition from a linear economy (harvest, consume and dispose) to a circular economy where you recycle instead of disposing of the waste.” The researchers hope that by modelling the environmental impact of recycling versus putting product into landfill, they can demonstrate to companies what their resource usage is from a water and energy perspective. As global population continues to rise around 80 million per year, it is estimated that by 2030, 30% more water, 40% more energy and 50% more food will be required. “Food, water and energy are some of the most important resources we have and they need to be managed more efficiently.” The team is also looking at ways to help consumers make better choices when buying seafood, such as eco-labelling. “Consumers will be able to make more informed, sustainable and environmentally conscious decisions based on what’s on the label, Dr Mellett explained. The project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and will run for three years.
Strong Irish performance in pelagic exports to Africa
Pelagic exports to Africa increased by 100% during 2020
Figures released by Ireland’s food export board, Bord Bia, show that the value of food, drink and horticulture were held to a marginal 2% decline in 2020 (€13bn), during a period of ‘unprecedented challenge and disruption’ to normal market operations.
The figures underline a dividend of a ‘decade-long diversification strategy that has seen Ireland achieve a broad global base for its food and drink exports’ to more than 180 countries. While Bord Bia’s Export Performance and Prospects report 2020/2021 records a 10% decline in the value of primary Irish seafood exports (€443m) in the shellfish category – normally destined for the foodservice channel in key EU27 markets, and Asia – pelagic exports to Africa increased by over 100%, valued at €60m. This 62% increase in volume is described as a ‘success story for the pelagic category’. The main markets (Nigeria, Cameroon and Egypt) all recorded ‘exceptionally strong growth during 2020’ as increasing volumes of pelagic fish were targeted at this market due to weaker demand in Asia and the possibility of securing reefer vessels to facilitate shipments directly from Killlybegs, Co Donegal, to the region.
Exports to France declined by 28% to €78m and volumes dropped by almost 30% across a range of species sold into this market. Similar trends were observed in the Spanish market where exports were down 15% to €37m and 17% in volume. The UK market recorded an 8% decrease to €38m on sales of shellfish, and salmon exports reduced by almost 50%. Whitefish exports however increased by 19% and pelagic exports increased by 32% during the period. Irish seafood exports to Asia suffered ‘major declines’ as an impact of Covid-19 in these markets, the report notes. Year-on-year seafood exports to Asia worth €29m were down 58%, and exports to Japan declined by 45% and by 70% to China. The decline is blamed on logistical difficulties (poor container space and lack of air cargo space) along with the impact of the pandemic The Trade and Cooperation Agreement reached between the EU and UK on December 24 will see a 25% reduction in quota from UK waters coming into effect in June 2026. ‘This will likely have notable effects for the Irish fleet on pelagic and prawn catches’ where roughly 60% and 40% respectively are sourced in UK waters.
Exports to Egypt grew in value by 20% against a backdrop of ‘static export volumes’ while exports to Camaroon increased almost six-fold to €13m and a value that increased by 442%.
AT A GLANCE
New report advises on the need to widen Ireland’s network of MPAs Marine Protected Areas: learning from the past Public consultation on a marine protected areas network for Ireland ‘Reflections on the emerging new world at sea’ Ireland’s new world class marine research vessel to honour world renowned Irish explorer Tom Crean INFOMAR graduate training in marine remote sensing INFOMAR 2021 seabed mapping activities in the Celtic Sea and Atlantic Ocean ‘Blubber book’ for aspring junior marine biologists
Marine R&D
New report advises on the need to widen Ireland’s network of MPAs
An independent report on the implications of expanding Ireland’s Marine Protected Areas network notes that under current legislation, many threatened marine habitats, species and ecosystems are not covered by the EU Birds and Habitats Directives.
These marine habitats, species and ecosystems therefore ‘cannot be afforded the protection necessary to meeting Ireland’s international commitments and legal obligations.’ The report, presented to Minister Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State Malcolm Noonan, says stakeholder engagement and participation in site selection and in the management process, could be ‘greatly improved’. The report will assist government to meet its target to create 10% of Ireland’s maritime area as MPAs ‘as soon as practicable, aiming for 30% by 2030’.
Ocean Focus spoke to Professor Tasman Crowe: What’s your definition of a Marine Protected Area? There’s a long answer to that, and a lot of debate and discussion about some of the different aspects of a definition for MPA. But in broad terms, and the most succinct version that I like is that it’s a geographically defined area; a spatial approach which is different from other approaches to environmental management. An MPA would have to have conservation as its primary objective, that’s the main thing. But there can be other objectives as well, such as long-term commitment. It can’t be a temporary or short- term measure or just a seasonal thing that kicks in periodically. It has to be a longer-term commitment. Is the MPA concept very different from other systems of environmental management? MPA is distinct from other approaches to environmental management because it’s spatially defined but it has to be complimentary to other approaches to environmental management. It cannot be the only solution. It needs to combine with other activities that consider the environment as a whole, such as the movements of animals. Many animals may spend some time in a protected area, but at other times they are not in a protected area. So there needs to be other kinds of protections for those species. And some impacts occur much more pervasively than can be controlled. You need to be concerned with things like climate change or diffuse pollution. There are other approaches to try to grapple with in addition to protected areas.
Chaired by Professor Tasman Crowe of the UCD Earth Institute, the advisory group comprised 20 experts in life and ocean sciences, marine socio-economics, marine culture, governance and legislation. MPAs are geographically defined maritime areas that provide levels of protection to achieve conservation objectives. MPAs support economic activity associated with the sea by ensuring that activity is kept at a level that ensures the seas and oceans continue to support life and human health. They also help reduce the effects of climate change and ocean acidification.
There are some good examples of MPAs internationally, such as Australia and France. Where should Ireland look to for best practice best in class? In preparing the report we looked at best practice in many places. For example, Australia has a good model, and France has got some good elements of what they do. North America also has areas that are very well managed and protected where they declared some of the largest protected areas off the Californian coast, for example. I don’t think we need to be trying to take a whole framework off the shelf from another country. But we do need to learn from them, and we do want to bring the core elements that have been established and tested and refined from around the world. I think there are opportunities for Ireland to do things in its own way and to engage people in the discussion about how it should be done here.
Ireland is a particular place, and it has a particular society. And that relationship with the sea is what it’s all about ― and that’s very much an evolving relationship. While many people just see the surface and don’t understand what goes on beneath the waves, there’s a deep sense of attachment to the sea. It’s a fundamental part of our heritage and culture. So, to me, it’s very important that the general public is engaged and involved in the process, and that ways are found for people to benefit as much as possible. The MPAs we already have were declared under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive but these were developed in quite a ‘top down’ way with little input from the public. We now have an opportunity to develop a better system that involves a much stronger connection with people on the ground. But this takes time and resources to have that conversation and to reach consensus. You’ll never reach a place where everybody’s happy but you can reach a place where people accept there’s been a fair and inclusive process.
What government support will be needed in terms of legislation and funding to make a success? Quite substantial support will be needed and that’s one of the critical things. Government has already made a commitment in the Programme for Government to expand the MPA network. My sense is that there’s a genuine commitment to enact the legislation that will be required. A Public Consultation is now underway and will run until July 30. In terms of resources, we make recommendations at the end of the report about what needs to be funded. This will be a long-term process. To make the right selections and designations properly will take time and money and consultation with the public and advisory groups etc. There’s a lot of strong individuals with sectoral interests, sea fisheries for example. Is there a hierarchy of sectors most likely to be impacted by MPAs? That last phrase was quite the critical question. It varies considerably with precisely where a MPA is proposed. It’s about taking stock of a particular situation and saying ‘alright, this is where we think it will be good to put an MPA. What are the fisheries’ interests in this area, and how best can they be accommodated and served. ’ ‘If we moved the MPA a little bit, would that improve access to fishing grounds so they are accessible to local communities?’ We’re conscious that an MPA close to the shore can force fishers further offshore, and that the additional fuel required may be more than their business can accommodate. Protecting areas of the marine environment is something that the fisheries sector does already. Fishers themselves often propose that a particular area should be closed There’s a long and careful process trying to minimise the impact in the round. Almost all of the people we spoke to – which included a lot of fisheries organisation representatives, and recreational fishers – very much recognised the need for some sort of process to maintain, conserve clean healthy productive seas. They fully appreciate what is at stake. I think it’s understood that fishing may be displaced from certain areas, and that there will be a short-term cost. But there’s good evidence that in the longer term you start to get a benefit to fisheries as well the stocks. I’m not trying to completely gloss over. It’s not all going to be rosy, but I think it is possible to find the less damaging approaches if there’s dialogue and an approach to compromise.
Where did the MPA concept originate? That goes back a long way. The place where it’s most clearly defined at an international level is through the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, IUCN. The first declarations were in Australia in the 1970s, and Australia did lead the way. While the Royal National Park was the first, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was one of the first flagship agreements by which a large area of the marine environment was managed in a very carefully structured way. And it’s still an exemplar of how to manage protected areas. There’s one large protected area but it has different zones. In some of the zones you are allowed to do certain things, in other zones you are not. And there’s a very active decision-making and management and enforcement process around it. Why are MPAs increasingly considered to be so important, and where does Ireland stand regarding implementation? The importance of MPAs is increasing worldwide with many global initiatives being built into national strategies to conserve and sustainably manage biodiversity in our ecosystems. MPAs are very important because they focus attention very clearly on particular kinds of issues and areas. If they are done well, you have a very clear mandate and a strict set of structures and rules to determine what should and shouldn’t be allowed in an area, given the particular features of interest in that area. Otherwise, management is all a bit diffuse, whereas this gives a real focus.
Ireland so far has lagged behind, and we’re on a bit of a catch-up curve now. Nevertheless, we still have the opportunity to do things very well and to make Ireland another exemplar of the new evolution in the way MPAs work. What are their real values? MPAs provide an opportunity to strategically protect particular combinations of features, species, habitats and ecosystem processes that they support. You can strategically think through how best to look after them and protect and design areas in that way. But it has to be done well. It’s very important, there’s a clear set of aims and objectives to what you want to try and achieve, and that these are discussed and agreed. Management measures must then be put in place to link those objectives. Do MPAs seek to exclude as much human activity as possible? There’s a common misconception that if an area is declared as an MPA, nothing should happen in it anymore from a human activity point of view, and that’s really not the case. The IUCN has a framework of protection categories that many nations follow and which Ireland needs to be conscious of. But we’re proposing a more individual, tailored approach that is not constrained by those categories. You first consider what is the objective of the protected area and then you consult widely with the stakeholders, the scientists and the public to get a rounded view of what needs to be done, and what doesn’t need to be done. Many activities can continue without impacting on what you are trying to protect. That’s very important.
Professor Tasman Crowe
Fishermen recognise the need for sensible fishery regulations, and will abide by them as long as everyone does so.
Marine Protected Areas: learning from the past
Irish MPAs
NATURA 2000
When a retired fisherman in Brandon village County Kerry was asked if he had a magic wand what would he do to regulate sea fishing, he replied that he would reintroduce the old by-law that allowed only spillet or long-line fishing inside a line from Brandon Head to Coosanea. He went on to point out that hook size controlled the size of the fish that were caught; no small and juvenile fish were killed; and the fish were usually in good condition. According to him, fish caught by trawling and other netting methods included small fish that should be allowed to grow, and many of the fish in the bottom of a trawl were often crushed and not in as good condition as those caught by long-lining. And while not being unequivocally in favour of the British Navy, he said that one thing they did do well was to enforce this particular fishing by-law. A retired fisherman on Inis Mór in Galway Bay gave essentially the same answer to the question, adding that the channels between the three Aran Islands were also protected fisheries in which only spillet fishing was allowed. He too pointed out that spillet fishing was more selective, allowing juvenile fish to go unharmed. And, like his colleague in Brandon, he said that in this respect the British Navy had played a positive role by strictly enforcing this by-law.
Several historic Inspector of Irish Fisheries reports from the 1800’s list fisheries by-laws for specific areas restricting trawling and trammel nets: the area inside a line from Howth to Skerries; from Clogherhead to Dunany Point in County Louth and on to Cranfield Point in County Down are examples on the east coast. On the west coast, steam trawlers were also prohibited inside a line from Bian Rock to Doorin Point in Donegal Bay. This was to protect the fishing gear of small inshore fishermen in the Inver area of south County Donegal from being destroyed by the much bigger boats; their livelihoods depended on their fishing gear. It was also suggested in 1889 that no steam trawling should be allowed inside a line from St. John’s Point in County Donegal across to Mullaghmore in County Sligo. The Steam Trawling (Ireland) Act of 1889 is one of the laws that regulated fisheries in Ireland at that time. In the present day, part of the EU’s Natura 2000 network of nature protection areas is The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, or OSPAR Convention drawn up by fifteen governments and the EU intent on protecting selected Marine Protected Areas, or MPA’s. Examples of United Kingdom MPA’s are in Dogger Bank in the southern North Sea, and in the English Channel. Both areas attracted controversy recently when Greenpeace dropped fifteen 3-tonne boulders on the Dogger Bank MPA in September 2020 in a bid to obstruct bottom trawling in the area. Greenpeace dropped similar boulders, this time adorned with celebrities’ names, in a Channel MPA in February 2021. While such actions attract public attention to MPA’s and their management, fishermen’s representatives point out that fishing boats, particularly beam trawlers, whose nets get stuck run the risk of capsizing, endangering lives and threaten livelihoods.
The network of Irish MPA’s is to be expanded. In 2009 nineteen MPA’s were submitted to the OSPAR Convention, and in December 2019 the Irish Government set up the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Advisory Group to advise government on the expansion of the MPA’s in Ireland. Their report was published in October 2020 (www.gov.ie/en/publication/135a8-expanding-irelands-marine-protected-area-network/). Amongst the conclusions is that national legislation needs to be introduced to underpin the MPA network. The question is, against the background of existing fisheries regulations, is there a need for these MPAs? The opinion voiced by some retired fishermen on the west coast is that if certain specifically demarcated areas are protected in terms of juvenile fish survival, it would be very good for the sustainability of our sea fisheries. Such protected areas have existed for generations, and were deemed to be necessary even when fishing effort and technology was very much less than they are today. One aspect of such regulation highlighted in Brandon and Inis Mór was that fishing regulations should be enforced equally for everyone. Once one boat breaks the rules and is allowed to do so, others will follow, hence the need for a legal footing for MPA’s. Fishermen recognise the need for sensible fishery regulations, and will abide by them as long as everyone does so. A network of MPA’s, properly managed and controlled, could have the support of stakeholders including fishermen, and has the potential to significantly contribute to the sustainability of the entire fishing industry.
Brendan Connolly
St. John's Point in Donegal Bay: Liz Morrow
“The government has a vision of clean, healthy, diverse and productive oceans and seas around Ireland. This report is a solid basis for a national dialogue on how we progress that vision.”
Public consultation on a marine protected areas network for Ireland
A public consultation has begun to assess expanding Ireland’s Marine Protected Areas network from a current level of 2.13% to 30% by 2030. MPAs are geographically defined marine areas with certain protections for conservation purposes. Creating an MPA regime will constitute a ‘major change in marine environmental protection’ as no definition of an MPA is currently defined under Irish law. Environmental protections under the Wildlife Acts only apply to the foreshore; protection in marine areas beyond 12 nautical miles is limited in terms of space and species, according to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Citizens, stakeholders and industries are invited to submit their views on the final report of the MPA Advisory Group chaired by Professor Tasman Crowe of UCD’s Earth Institute. The report quotes data on Ireland’s ocean economy which has a turnover of over €6bn and provides ‘stable, sustainable work for 34,132 full-time equivalent employees’.
Sleeping Giant, Ventry, Co Kerry: Expanded MPA network to protect threatened marine species, habitats and ecosystems
Twin crises
Launching the consultation, Minister O’Brien said Ireland along with the rest of the world faced the twin crises of climate change and accelerating biodiversity loss on land and at sea: “The government has a vision of clean, healthy, diverse and productive oceans and seas around Ireland. This report is a solid basis for a national dialogue on how we progress that vision.” Malcolm Noonan, Minister for Heritage and Electoral Reform added that expanding Ireland’s MPA network would give vital protection to vulnerable marine species and habitats. An expanded network would “also support the functioning of these ecosystems to provide us with a whole host of benefits including climate change mitigation and enhanced resilience for fisheries into the future”. By realising this vision “Ireland will play an exemplary role in global efforts to protect marine ecosystems, the extraordinary species and habitats they hold and the benefits they provide to people,” he added.
Government is also expected to soon publish Ireland’s first Marine Spatial Plan – the National Marine Planning Framework – and the Marine Planning and Development Management Bill 2021 (MPDMB). The NMPF is the national plan for Ireland’s maritime area that sets out how to use and protect the oceans. It will outline the national approach to managing activities ‘to ensure sustainable use of marine resources to 2040’. The Bill will serve as the ‘cornerstone of the marine planning system in Ireland’ and brings together and creates the ‘legal foundation for forward planning and streamlined development management and enforcement’. The ‘forward planning model’ and MPA regime ‘will secure the objectives of the NMPF’, says DHLGH. The public consultation runs to July 30, 2021. Submission can be made online, by email to marine.env@housing.gov.ie or by post to MPA Public Consultation 2021, c/o Marine Environment, Dept of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Newtown, Wexford Y35 AP90.
Marine Spatial Plan
ocean Focus | spring 2021
ICES advance and share scientific understanding of marine ecosystems and the services they provide
This is a time for collaboration, building and nurturing diverse networks - nobody has all the answers
‘Reflections on the emerging new world at sea’
It’s a privilege to be asked to open today’s event, the 12th edition of this Forum. I am aware from my prior engagements with the Marine Renewables Industry Association just how popular it is, and the fact that we have over 525 participants today from across the world tells it owns story. When I first went to sea in the 1970s, we had a three-mile territorial sea and a rudimentary national fishing fleet. There was some oil and gas exploration; foundation of the Marine Institute, for instance, was over a decade away; our capacity to undertake research and mapping at sea was essentially zero, and notions such as offshore renewables would simply have been regarded as a joke! That’s all changed, and offshore renewable energy is where our future lies. For most of my Naval career serving in a variety of appointments on a variety of ships in the Atlantics and the Mediterranean, on many occasions I was up close and personal with the power of the sea which, quite simply, is unforgiving if you do not show it respect. The largest wave ever measured by a scientific instrument was aboard the RS Challenger about 300 miles off my own Mayo coast. Today, besides having one of the richest food producing ecosystems in the world, Ireland has the greatest renewable energy environment on the planet.
The Marine Renewables Industry Association (MRIA) which represents companies and interests in Ireland in the marine renewables emerging technologies field of wave, tidal , floating wind and ‘hybrid’ energy held it’s annual forum in February. This year’s event - the 12th in the series - featured more than twenty-five presentations which were viewed online by over five hundred participants around the world. Ocean Focus decided to publish - in full - the opening address to forum which was given by Vice Admiral Dr Mark Mellett, Chief of Staff of Defence Forces Ireland.
It is nearly fifteen years ago since I first started dipping my toe into the marine renewable energy space in terms of opportunities. I was encouraged by the likes of Val Cummins - now with Simply Blue Energy - and the Father of all renewable energy visionaries, Tony Lewis. Indeed, I hope that Peter Coyle will admit that I recruited him into the sector. I have an eye for talent!
‘The tragedy of the commons’ We co-created the Irish Maritime Energy Resource Cluster between the Navy, University College Cork and Cork Institute of Technology. We also had a significant role in the advocacy for the Beaufort Laboratory in Cork and the establishment of the Science Foundation Ireland MaREI Centre. For centuries two doctrines have characterised the law of the sea, that established in Roman times of Mare Clausum, or ‘enclosure’, and that articulated by Grotius in the 1600s of Mare liberum, or ‘freedom of the seas’. Over the centuries the world’s seas and oceans have been used as dumping grounds, nuclear testing sites, over exploited, over fished, highways for pirates. In many ways they reflect what so eloquently has been set out by Garrett Hardin, ‘the tragedy of the commons’. By the 1960s it was widely acknowledged that the oceans’ resources were not infinite – and in some extreme cases were already nearing exhaustion, and the view that anything could be harmlessly dissolved in the sea had been widely discredited. We had come to the point so succinctly captured by Sir Alan Beasley, who said the Law of the Sea was in a state of disorder bordering on chaos. It was clear that new arrangements and comprehensive global rules were required, and so they were codified in what remains one of the most remarkable international conventions, that of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. What is often forgotten however is the key role played by Irish scientists and Irish diplomats in aspects of this Convention, in particular those dealing with sovereignty and sovereign rights. In fact, Ireland’s team became part of what was known colloquially as ‘the margineers’. Lawyer diplomats like Mahon Hayes, geophysicists like Piers Gardiner who gave his name to the Gardiner Formula in offshore continental shelf delimitation.
Science But the law only provides one key element to the framework within which others can act. There is another key element, and that’s Science. Before I understood the importance of renewables, I understood the impact of climate change. Like its impact on vulnerable marine ecosystems such as cold-water corals. An ecosystem that is under threat from ocean acidification due to the amount of carbon dioxide our seas have absorbed. You can take it as a fact the very reason we as a species are alive is because of the ocean. I will go as far to say the very reason we might survive as a species will be because of the ocean, and the critical role it will play in renewable ocean energy. The key to science are data. Data drive information, which lead to the creation of knowledge and understanding. So it is work, initially led by people like Peadar McArdle of Geological Survey Ireland; Michael Geoghegan and Peter Heffernan of the Marine Institute who drove the Irish National Seabed Survey and it’s follow-on INFOMAR programme that helped give rise to really rich data sets which are globally recognised and so important. So, we have the high level international law; we have some great data sets; what we need now is the set of governance framework to facilitate this concept to reality. When I look at ocean governance, I think of three key social systems: first, Government & Policy; second, Market and Industry; and third, Civil Society and the Citizen.
Government and Policy Looking first at Government, and I know there are officials here from the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, and the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage, as well as many respective agencies with a competence in the area. Government’s commitment to the sector is clear, with Minister Ryan leading to the priority of devising the Climate Action Plan - first issued in 2019. And he’s doing that to take account in particular of the Programme for Government’s daunting target of reducing carbon emissions by 7% per annum. Offshore Renewable Energy is vital to the Climate Action Plan, and current aim is for up to 5GW of wind - only in water and energised by 2030. A plan is to be prepared to exploit up to 30GW of wind and, hopefully, wave off the west coast in the 2030s. I am sure you are all aware that this is referenced in the Programme for Government. I think it is reasonable to predict that much of the new capacity for the 2030s may well be aimed at export markets, and the new interconnectors under development such as Greenlink and Celticlink are no doubt the forerunners of further links in due course, helping make Ireland the battery of Europe. Of course, the onshore grid will require attention. Everybody with an interest in maritime affairs should be cognisant of the rich and vital tapestry of policy changes now underway to facilitate our maritime development, particularly with regard to offshore renewable energy: the forthcoming Marine Planning and Development Management Bill will, for example, give Ireland a leading edge and a body of maritime governance law. And I am sure Martina Hennessy from Dept of Environment, Climate and Communications will elaborate on this.
Market and Industry Market and the Industry is the Centre of gravity to harnessing the resource. That is where the risk takers are, that is where the investment is. There is huge talent there. Whether it be fixed or floating wind, solar, wave, tidal or other, some of the segments include the technology developers, manufacturers and suppliers, project developers, development services, engineering and construction, operations and maintenance, research and development, policy and industry support, and business services. Of course, it does not stop there with areas such as the grid, environmental assessment, commercial diving, shipping and transport, remote sensing, analytics, automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, intelligence augmentation and virtual reality - all driven by innovation.
Civil Society Which brings me to our third social system - Civil Society. At our peril do we ignore the importance of Civil Society institutions and the citizen? They are our greatest advocates for getting this right. Sustainable development principles are based on the fundamental recognition of humans as an integral part of the ecosystem. Participation of civil society must be central to all our processes and enabling ecosystem-based management, and development of mechanisms for effective participation and input to this sector are critical. If we are really ambitious we must ensure the role of Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations (ENGOs) in public participation is respected. The role in communicating complex policies, representing members’ interests and contributing towards participatory governance in, for example, marine planning is critical with innovative outreach required by government and industry to translate technical information, integrate local knowledge, improve public representation and conserve resources. This could include collaboration with Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations to help promote public participation in decision-making processes. Which brings me to Principles and Security. Good ocean governance is built on principles such as authority, accountability, good science, integration, stewardship, subsidiarity, simple rules, sustainability, transparency, timeliness, precaution and rights-based. These types of principles must form part of the ecosystem governance approach that is institutionalised and upheld and enforced if necessary.
We are a key component of the security architecture of the State, and when all is said and done, we are part of the bedrock that underpins our sovereignty, part of the framework that uphold the institutions of our civilised society, where people are free, where the institutions of state function, where the vulnerable are protected and where the market and industry can thrive. For the renewable industry to work, the sovereign rights of the state need to be translated into property rights for stakeholders – you need a certainty to invest.
Security Which brings me to Security. A big challenge for the future will be providing security to the new offshore assets. Ireland has jurisdiction of almost 1,000,000 square kilometres in which it has sovereignty or sovereign rights. Sovereign rights that are not upheld are more imaginary than real. That’s why we have a Defence Forces.
Collaboration So, to conclude. This is a time to move from having a closed or fixed mindset to having an open or growth mindset. An open, growth, innovative mindset which is about sharing ideas, technology and knowledge. Einstein said we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. This is a time for collaboration, building and nurturing diverse networks - nobody has all the answers. In a world where we are physically experiencing climate breakdown, and we can see unprecedented biodiversity loss, where we have security challenges the likes of which we have never seen before - at every level, from individual to state and beyond - we must collaborate across diverse institutional and organisational boundaries if we are to overcome the most complex challenges. The offshore renewable energy sector is at a decisive point of opportunity. Opportunities come to pass not to pause - that means we need to be courageous. It’s a time for the triple and quadruple helix to blossom; state; enterprise; research; and civil society. It’s the collective who have the answer. Thank you very much, and I wish you all the best today. I now declare the conference open.
And I know Pat O’Connor’s company, Virtual Reality Artifical Intellignce (VRAI), is looking at this space. A Key infrastructure of course is our ports, including even small ports like Ros a’ Mhíl with my school mate, Cathal Groonel, is primed and ready there. Today, with a rate of change so fast that every moment new technologies and new ways of doing things are being created, we must be open to a constant state of innovation, and that requires a systemic change in mindset. The market however doesn’t always tell the ecological truth, and that’s one reason we have climate change.
The CoCliME study indicates that the ocean is changing with similar trends to that observed by other European and global predictions in both climate scenarios and altered harmful algal bloom occurrence patterns in the last two decades.
Ireland’s new world class marine research vessel to honour world renowned Irish explorer Tom Crean
Ireland's new marine research vessel will be named the RV Tom Crean.
Due to be completed in summer 2022, the new state-of-the-art multi-purpose marine research vessel will carry out a wide range of marine research activities, including vital fisheries, climate change related research , seabed mapping and oceanography. The new 52.8 metre research vessel, which will replace the 31 metre RV Celtic Voyager, has been commissioned with funding provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine approved by the Government of Ireland. Ireland's new marine research vessel will be named the RV Tom Crean, after the renowned seaman and explorer who undertook three major ground breaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th Century which sought to increase scientific knowledge and to explore unreached areas of the world, at that time.
Ireland's RV Tom Crean. Image courtesy of Skipsteknisk.jpg
Critical Research Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D. said, "I am delighted to announce the name of Ireland's new marine research vessel is the ‘RV Tom Crean', acknowledging the contribution of a legendary Irish Explorer. The new vessel will enable Ireland to undertake critical research work which will support many of the projects outlined in the Programme for Government including fisheries assessment, offshore renewable energy, marine spatial planning, marine protected areas and addressing the challenges of climate change." The new marine research vessel will provide a year round service for expanded fisheries surveys, seabed mapping, deep water surveys and support increased research in the Atlantic Ocean. The new vessel will enable 300 operational days at sea each year, and up to 3,000 scientist days per year. The new vessel will also enable the Marine Institute to continue to lead and support scientific, high quality surveys that contribute to Ireland's position as a leader in marine science.
A native of Annascaul in Co Kerry, Crean volunteered for Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery expedition in 1901 and for his Terra Nova expedition in 1910. During the Terra Nova expedition, Crean made an 18 hour solo journey in desperate conditions to save the life of a fellow crew member and was awarded the Albert Medal for his acts of heroism. In 1914, he joined Ernest Shackleton on the Endurance expedition and, again, he proved himself to be a much trusted crew member and someone capable of great endurance and heroism. Dr Paul Connolly, CEO of the Marine Institute said, "The decision to name Ireland's new research vessel after Tom Crean honours his achievements and gives due recognition to an Irish explorer of international renown. The Institute greatly appreciates the support of the descendants of Tom Crean in this decision. This naming decision also reflects the values of the Marine Institute, the collaborative efforts and achievements of its staff, particularly the service provided by all staff who go to sea." Speaking on the announcement today, grand-daughter of Tom Crean, Aileen Crean O'Brien, on behalf of the family, said: "We welcome the decision by the Irish government and the Marine Institute to name their new marine research vessel after Tom Crean, of whom we as a family are very proud." Dr Connolly continued, "This new multi-purpose research vessel, the RV Tom Crean will greatly enhance Ireland's capacity to undertake collaborative research and acquire the data and knowledge essential to managing our marine resources." The two Marine Institute research vessels currently in operation, the RV Celtic Explorer and RV Celtic Voyager, are among the most intensively used research vessels in the world.
The new vessel will replace the RV Celtic Voyager, which was Ireland's first purpose-built research vessel and was commissioned in 1997. It has been vital in providing marine scientists, researchers and its crew members with many years of valued experience at sea, expanding and strengthening marine science in Ireland to help inform decisions affecting our oceans. It was joined by its 65 metre sister RV Celtic Explorer in 2003. The construction of the new national research vessel continues on schedule in 2021 at a total build cost of €25 million, with the build process expected to be completed by summer 2022. Spanish shipyard Astilleros Armon Vigo S.A. were awarded the contract to build Ireland's new state-of-the-art marine research vessel in 2019, following the completion of the design by Norwegian ship design consultants Skipsteknisk AS. The new research vessel will be a modern, multipurpose, silent vessel, capable of operating in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The new vessel will be able to go to sea for at least 21 days at a time and will be designed to operate in harsh sea conditions. Based in Galway, the vessel will be used by the Marine Institute, other state agencies and universities to undertake fisheries research, oceanographic and environmental research, seabed mapping and other multidisciplinary surveys. It will also maintain and deploy weather buoys, observational infrastructure and our Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Holland I. It will be designed to incorporate the latest proven technologies to ensure that it operates as efficiently as possible, ensuring minimal fuel consumption and minimising the vessel's environmental impact and carbon footprint.
RV Tom Crean. Image courtesy of Skipsteknisk.jpg
Irish company designs floating green energy solution
SolarMarine Energy Ltd, an Irish small-medium enterprise (SME) based in Co Mayo, has designed an innovative floating hybrid renewable energy system, which could offer a sustainable low carbon solution for Irish coastal communities.
The research and development project was funded by the Marine Institute’s 2018 Industry-Led Awards scheme. Under the scheme, the Marine Institute provided €2.4 million in funding for research projects to twelve companies, working in collaboration with five Higher Education Institutions. For this research project, SolarMarine Energy Ltd designed a floating solar energy structure to produce green hydrogen. Green hydrogen is generated using excess renewable energy that can be used as a clean fuel, for heating and transport or to store and transport energy. SolarMarine Energy’s research indicates that floating solar energy is ideal for island and coastal communities. Eamon Howlin, CEO of SolarMarine Energy said, “The floating solar industry is only emerging in Europe having been established in Japan in 2014, and has a projected market value of over $1 billion by 2023. Thanks to our collaborative study in partnership with the Marine Institute and University College Cork, SolarMarine Energy Ltd are playing an important part in this developing industry.”
Dr Paul Leahy, Science Foundation Ireland MAREI Centre at University College Cork (UCC) said, “Our collaboration with SolarMarine Energy has been very successful and we would like to continue working with the company on a follow-up demonstrator project. A floating solar array prototype located near UCC’s Beaufort Building in Ringaskiddy, Co Cork, would allow SolarMarine and UCC to capitalise on the design work undertaken under the Marine Institute funded project, and bring the SolarMarine floating solar concept closer to market.” Dr Niall McDonough, Director of Policy, Research and Innovation at the Marine Institute said, “Supporting new marine renewable energy solutions is a strategic priority for Ireland to meet the targets of the Climate Action Plan 2019. Through our competitive funding programme, the Marine Institute provides grants to companies in Ireland to undertake research and to develop innovative concepts, prototypes, solutions and business models. This kind of support is essential to boost ocean business and to enable the transition to a climate-neutral blue economy.”
100kWp Floating Solar Energy Plant. Photo courtesy of Upsolar Floating Srl.jpg
The final report for the Floating Solar Energy Hybrid Project can be downloaded from the Marine Institute Open Access Repository.
Industry-Led Awards In May 2018, the Marine Institute launched the Industry-Led Call, designed to provide funding for SMEs to raise the maturity levels for their research theme across these three dimensions (human capacity, infrastructure and networks & relationships). The call aims to fulfil national strategic priorities as follows:
• •
National Marine Research and Innovation Strategy 2017-2021 - Implementation of Action 8 Increase opportunities for SMEs to participate in marine research. Innovation 2020 - Action point 2.4 Optimising Enterprise RDI Supports.
The funding aims to:
• • •
Support research and innovation costs for the development of innovative technologies, products and services from existing or new marine-based business. Help marine companies to develop capacity, capability and their networks & relationships. Support “novel” marine research that has not previously received funding to create new knowledge or a new product, process or service or to substantially improve existing products, processes or services.
Changes in Harmful Algal Bloom patterns show climate change is evident in Irish waters
Latest research shows that the impacts of climate change are already evident in Irish marine waters, with the patterns of harmful algal blooms changing in recent decades.
The research, undertaken by the Marine Institute, also indicates that the ocean off southwest Ireland will likely become warmer and less salty by 2035. Naturally occurring blooms of microscopic algae species can sometimes harm ocean health. While most marine microalgae are beneficial, some species can produce chemicals that can be passed on via filter feeding shellfish and occasionally making them unfit for human consumption. These harmful algal blooms can therefore cause substantial damage to the shellfish industry through prolonged farm closures and loss of produce. Ireland has a national monitoring programme in place to ensure that all Irish shellfish placed on the market are tested and safe for human consumption. By investigating harmful algal bloom patterns in Irish marine waters over a 20-year period, from 1997 – 2016, Marine Institute scientists discovered that the timing of harmful algal blooms has changed. Two species, Karenia mikimotoi and Dinophysis acuta, show a clear recent increase in their average monthly abundances, peaking later in the year compared to the previous decade. The data from recent years also shows a notable increase in the number of weeks these organisms are present each year.
Mussel culture. Photo Credit Caroline-Cusack.jpg
Warmer and less saline by 2035 Dr Caroline Cusack of the Marine Institute said, “By looking at the data on harmful algal blooms over the past two decades, we can see that climate change is already having an impact on our marine environment. Harmful algae usually bloom during the warm summer season or when water temperatures are warmer than usual. As human-induced climate change continues to impact our ocean, we must remain vigilant to the stress and damage this is having on marine ecosystems.” Researchers at the Marine Institute have developed computer models to investigate the regional oceanic climate off the southwest of Ireland. This climate model indicates that under future projected medium and high greenhouse gas emissions, the ocean off southwest Ireland will become warmer and less saline by the year 2035. The results of the ocean climate model are consistent with other European climate models and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) climate models.
Mick Gillooly, Director of Ocean Climate and Information Services at the Marine Institute said, “Our ocean and climate are inextricably linked. Small changes in the marine ecosystem, such as changing harmful algal bloom patterns, could have a big effect on our shellfish industry, economy and marine environment over the next decades. Adapting to a changing climate is one of the greatest challenges facing society, and scientific knowledge is essential to forecast changes in our oceans, so Ireland can effectively respond to, mitigate and adapt to those changes in our ocean and climate.”
CoCliME Project This research was carried out by the Marine Institute, as the project coordinator of the CoCliME (Co-development of Climate Services for adaptation to changing Marine Ecosystems) Project, funded by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the European Commission and other European national funders. CoCliME modelling efforts undertaken by project partners in France, show that existing ocean currents have the potential to bring tropical warm water species such as the microalgae Ostreopsis to the southern shores of Ireland. One potentially harmful Ostreopsis species is now confirmed in coastal regions off southwest France with genetic markers detected off the Brittany coast indicating it can establish in areas further north.
This project is funded under the EPA Research Programme 2014-2020. The EPA Research Programme is a Government of Ireland initiative funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. It is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency, which has the statutory function of co-ordinating and promoting environmental research.
For more information, please contact: Sheila Byrnes e. sheila.byrnes@marine.ie m. +353 (0)87 815 5271 Sinéad Coyne e. sinead.coyne@marine.ie m. +353 (0)87 947 7090
INFOMAR graduate training in marine remote sensing
In partnership with Maynooth University (MU) and SMART Sea School, the level 9 post-graduate module was successfully delivered as part of MU’s Master of Science in GIS and Remote Sensing, coordinated by the Department of Geography. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, all aspects of the module (lectures, tutorials and the ship-based training) were prepared to facilitate an online delivery. This 10 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) module encompasses a broad range of topics with lectures covering subjects such as oceanography; earth observation for coastal mapping; seafloor sediments and processes; marine geophysics; multibeam echosounder technology; geodesy; positioning and data levelling; marine habitat mapping; survey planning and marine data science.
For the second consecutive, year Ireland’s marine mapping programme, INFOMAR (Integrated Mapping for the Sustainable Development of Ireland’s Marine Resource) has delivered a Marine Remote Sensing Masters level module co-developed with Maynooth University, offering a unique combination of lectures complimented by ship-based training.
Ocean geography and evolution lecture
QPS Qimera tutorial focused on multibeam echosounder data analysis of a shipwreck
Janine Guinan
GSI
Conor Cahalane
MU
Online learning Innovative online teaching tools such as Mentimeter, Kahoot and Moodle quizzes helped to enhance student engagement and to monitor the lecture learning outcomes. The tutorials provide students with a unique hands-on practical experience using different software where teaching includes understanding how images of the coastline taken from space can be analysed using Geographic Information System (GIS) tools to reveal hidden details on the seafloor. Students learn to differentiate between various marine spatial data sets and derive seabed maps from the Sentinel-2 satellite sensor almost 800 km above the Earth’s surface. Furthermore, seabed mapping data are analysed in a GIS where seabed type is delineated. This is an important application for fisheries habitat management.
Additionally, students access industry standard software for acquiring, processing and visualising seabed mapping data, lending a real-world authenticity to the learning experience. Multibeam echosounder data processing is experienced first-hand, facilitated by a set of sponsored licences provided exclusively for the module by Quality Positioning Services (QPS). High-resolution ship-wreck mapping and reporting is carried out by the students as they learn to adjust the multibeam echosounder settings to capture more detail when surveying, e.g. reducing swath width, increasing ping rate, lowering vessel speed and enabling water column data acquisition.
Bespoke experience The ship-based training component aims to give students a bespoke learning experience on board a research vessel at sea, where they apply the knowledge gained in the lectures over two days. Students develop their own seabed mapping skills during the training on the fully equipped research vessel RV Celtic Voyager. As a multi-disciplinary research vessel that carries out a range of surveys from oceanographic to geophysical and fisheries, she is fully-equipped with dry and wet/chemical laboratories along with a suite of scientific survey equipment. In February 2021, in response to Covid-19 public health advice and in order to safeguard everyone involved, the ship-based training component was curtailed to one day and was delivered remotely from Galway Bay. Training was enabled through the Strategic Marine Alliance for Research and Training programme (SMART), a marine science partnership programme. SMART builds capacity for marine research, monitoring and resource management through the delivery of accredited offshore training programmes to students, researchers and practitioners of marine sciences and technologies. Partners include Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, NUI Galway, University College Cork, Maynooth University, INFOMAR, GSI, and the Marine Institute Ship-to-shore communications were tested in advance with vessel crew and scientists to ensure video conferencing software would facilitate the remote learning in Galway Bay. The INFOMAR and SMART Sea School scientists set sail on RV Celtic Voyager for a day of training, with the students viewing the vessel’s location in real-time on the Marine Traffic tracking map. The students experienced training activities such has marine mammal observation, deck watch, online multibeam echosounder and sub-bottom data acquisition, benthic ecology sampling, sedimentology classification along with the deployment of oceanographic equipment. The training marked the first ever live-streaming of student training from RV Celtic Voyager, aided by staff from RV Ops at the Marine Institute and P&O Maritime who ensured the training was successfully delivered.
Take home achievements Overall, the combined experience of online lectures and offshore training provided the MU students with a core understanding of marine remote sensing techniques, helping them to understand the key principles, systems and practices used in the field of hydrographic surveying. The module is designed to develop proficiencies in marine geospatial data analysis, data processing, interpretation and the importance of instrument calibration, quality control of bathymetry datasets, before product delivery to the end user. In addition, students develop competency in accessing and downloading marine data online from INFOMAR’s Interactive Web Data Delivery System, Web Viewers, and via web-based portals operated by the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) and the Copernicus Marine Environment Service. Above all, the module was taught within the context of end users, stakeholders and the policy framework underpinning ocean science and literacy, highlighting both the relevance and importance of mapping the Earth’s seafloor. Participants benefited from the fact that significant parts of the module were delivered directly by the INFOMAR team, who have extensive experience of offshore surveying.
Real-time learning The INFOMAR module co-developed with Maynooth University as part of the MSc GIS & Remote Sensing is a unique opportunity to learn from industry specialists in the field of marine remote sensing. During the ship-based training, students are required to apply their learning and prepare solutions to real-world applications, e.g., carrying out a survey to determine the optimum location for an underwater observatory. This type of student learning experience is unrivalled. The training also gives the students an opportunity to ask the INFOMAR scientists about their own training and varied career paths in a focused career development Q&A session, where the team share their experiences in making the transition from education to industry. In order to manage the ocean more sustainably we need to explore it to better understand it and address ways to ensure that ocean resources are around for future generations. 2021 marks the start of the UN Decade of the Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the vision of communicating the value of our marine resource is realised through educating the next generation in the importance of our oceans to society. INFOMAR is Ireland’s national marine mapping programme funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) and jointly managed by Geological Survey Ireland and Marine Institute. Under Action 23 of Ireland’s Integrated Maritime Plan, a key component of the INFOMAR programme is the development of training and education opportunities in the latest techniques in seabed mapping, in partnership with the academic sector.
INFOMAR 2021 seabed mapping activities in the Celtic Sea and Atlantic Ocean
Covering 125,000 square kilometres of underwater territory, INFOMAR will produce integrated mapping products covering the physical, chemical, and biological features of the seabed. The Marine Institute will operate the following two vessels RV Celtic Voyager (call sign EIQN) and RV Celtic Explorer (call sign EIGB). These vessels will display appropriate lights and markers. They will be listening on channel 16 throughout the course of the survey. The vessels will be towing a magnetometer sensor with a single cable of up to 200 metres in length and a Moving Vessel Profiler cable of variable length up to a maximum of 200 metres. GSI will operate five vessels: RV Keary (call sign EI-GO-9), RV Geo (call sign EI-DK-6), RV Mallet (call sign EI-SN-9), RV Lir (call sign EI-HI-2) and RV Galtee (call sign EI-2F-G). The vessels will display appropriate lights and markers. The vessels will be listening on channel 16 throughout the course of the survey.
INFOMAR will undertake hydrographic and geophysical seabed mapping activities in the Celtic Sea and Atlantic Ocean between April and October 2021.
Survey area RVs Celtic Voyager, Keary, Geo, Mallet, Galtee, Lir are expected to carry out survey operations in the northwest Celtic Sea, Atlantic Ocean and the southwest coast stretching from Roaringwater Bay, Co Cork to Kilkee, Co Clare. Three offshore areas have been selected: two south of Mizen Head and another in the Atlantic Ocean, between Kerry Head and the Aran Islands.
The two sites south of Mizen Head are denoted by the purple-coloured hatched areas in Fig 2; the coordinates are: Latitude Longitude 51° 16.625’N 009° 49.463’W 50° 55.624’N 009° 34.263’W 51° 16.315’N 010° 20.588’W 50° 58.923’N 010° 06.151’W The inshore section is denoted in the purple-coloured hatched areas in Fig2, the coordinates are as follows: Latitude Longitude 51° 38.229’N 008° 41.806’W 52° 44.936’N 009° 35.475’W The offshore section in the Atlantic Ocean is denoted in yellow and purple hatching in Figure 2, the coordinates are as follows: Latitude Longitude 53° 03.404’N 009° 58.144’W 52° 22.755’N 010° 52.510’W 52° 44.431’N 011° 53.757’W 52° 25.858’N 011° 44.602’W Detailed coordinates of each survey polygon can be provided on request.
Fig 1: 2021 offshore survey areas
Fig 2: RVs Voyager, Keary, Geo, Mallet, Galtee, Lir - Celtic Sea survey areas
RV Celtic Voyager is expected to carry out survey operations in the Celtic Sea, within the yellow hatched area marked in Fig 3. The generic coordinates where the survey operations are expected to take place are as follows: Latitude Longitude 50° 30.073’N 008° 25.221’W 50° 29.648’N 010° 00.598’W 50° 57.657’N 010° 01.203’W 50° 47.658’N 008° 13.366’W Detailed coordinates of each survey polygon can be provided on request.
Fig 3: RV Celtic Voyager: Celtic Sea north survey area
Fig 4: RV Celtic Voyager: Celtic Sea south survey area
Fig 5: RV Celtic Voyager: Donegal coast survey area
Fig 6: RV Celtic Explorer: Celtic Sea survey area
Location and dates of planned operations April-October (Celtic Sea, Atlantaic Ocean & southwest coast): RVs Keary, Geo, Lir, Galtee, Mallet (GSI) May 6-June 4 (Celtic Sea): RV Celtic Voyager (MI) July 7-29 (Celtic Sea): RV Celtic Voyager (MI) July 30-August 4 (Donegal coast): RV Celtic Voyager (MI) Sept 1-29 (Celtic Sea): RV Celtic Voyager (MI) Sept 21-Oct 6 (Celtic Sea): RV Celtic Explorer (MI) The INFOMAR Programme (Integrated Mapping for the Sustainable Development of Ireland’s Marine Resource), is a jointly managed seabed mapping initiative between the Geological Survey Ireland and the Marine Institute, funded by Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.
RV Celtic Voyager is also expected to carry out survey operations in the Celtic Sea, within the yellow hatched area marked in Fig 4. The generic coordinates where the survey operations are expected to take place are as follows: Latitude Longitude 49° 21.792’N 009° 03.012’W 49° 21.564’N 009° 32.987’W 49° 38.532’N 009° 33.178’W 49° 44.844’N 008° 35.920’W
RV Celtic Voyager is also expected to carry out survey operations off the Donegal coast within the yellow hatched area marked I Fig 5. (Detailed coordinates of each survey polygon can be provided on request). The generic coordinates where the survey operations are expected to take place are as follows. Latitude Longitude 54° 41.664’N 008° 48.624’W 55° 16.996’N 008° 15.710’W 55° 13.582’N 006° 55.701’W
RV Celtic Explorer is expected to carry out survey operations in the Celtic Sea, within the orange hatched marked in Fig 6. (Detailed coordinates of each survey polygon can be provided on request). The generic coordinates where the survey operations are expected to take place are as follows. Latitude Longitude 48° 48.655’N 009° 58.758’W 49° 02.200’N 010° 50.680’W 49° 20.726’N 010° 51.371’W 49° 21.365’N 009° 59.511’W Detailed coordinates of each survey polygon can be provided on request.
All mariners are reminded of their responsibilities under the International Collision Regulations and are reminded of Marine Notice No. 17 of 2007, which gives general advice in relation to the activities of vessels engaged in survey work for hydrographic, seismic, fishing research and underwater operations. The International Regulations for Prevention of Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) are implemented in Irish law by the Merchant Shipping (Collision Regulations) (Ships and Water Craft on the Water) Order 2012 [S.I. No. 507 of 2012], and the Signals of Distress (Ships) Rules 2012 [S.I. No.170 of 2012]. See Marine Notice No. 06 of 2013.
On June 7, 1991, the Irish government declared Ireland a whale and dolphin sanctuary.
The Irish Whale & Dolphin Group (IWDG) has launched ‘Blubber Book’ – an educational resource for young and aspiring marine biologists on cetaceans found in Irish waters. The IWDG was founded in 1990 to establish an all-Ireland sighting and stranding scheme and to campaign for the declaration of Irish territorial waters as a whale and dolphin sanctuary. Its mission is to promote better understanding of cetaceans and their habitats through education and research through collection and distribution of information and collaboration with universities, government and research groups. On June 7, 1991, the Irish government declared Ireland a whale and dolphin sanctuary.
Classroom & virtual workshops
‘Blubber book’ for aspring junior marine biologists
Blubber Book cover
Ireland’s Blubber Book; Junior Vol 1 is a comprehensive workbook for primary school children aged 9-12 that sets out ‘the relevant knowledge (the what), the key dispositions and skills (the how) and the values (the why)’. The book will also ‘motivate and empower them throughout their lives to become informed active citizens, who take action for a more sustainable blue future’, says IWDG. Created to support the aims of the National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development, teachers can use the resource in a classroom setting, and the IWDG will provide virtual workshops for interactive and engaging experiences. Schools can contact the IWDG education and outreach officer Sibéal at education@iwdg.ie. The book, available on the IWDG shop, is sponsored by Inis, Energy of the Sea and illustrated by John Joyce.
Shell to float Emerald offshore wind energy project
climate change / ocean energy
This announcement represents an important milestone in the ability of the Emerald project to ensure the government meets it climate target of 5GW of offshore wind by 2030.
Emerald: 1GW floating wind project in the Celtic Sea
The partnership combines ‘floating wind track-record and local knowledge of Simply Blue Energy with Shell’s offshore experience, floating wind expertise and an ability to develop large complex projects. ‘The Emerald Project is a fantastic example of the energy transition, located in the vicinity of the Kinsale gas fields, currently being decommissioned,’ according to Shell.
Shell has signed an agreement with Irish developer Simply Blue Energy to acquire a 51% share of their Kinsale venture to develop the Emerald Project floating wind farm in the Celtic Sea. The joint venture will be operated by Simply Blue Energy supported by Shell floating wind experts, with the project office based in the Cork City Docklands rejuvenation area.
Energy transition The project, which will use state-of-the-art renewable floating wind-powered generators, is targeting 300MW of installed capacity in the early stages with the potential to scale-up to totalled installed capacity of 1GW. This is equivalent to powering 800,000 Irish homes or the capacity of the Moneypoint power station, Ireland’s largest electricity generation station. Floating wind technology can be installed in deeper waters than fixed wind turbines, thereby allowing this project to be placed 35km-60km offshore and reducing visual impacts. Depending on the size of the turbines selected, the first phase will include between 15 and 25 turbines. ‘Assembly, installation and deployment of the turbines could stimulate hundreds of high-quality jobs in the local supply chain. Long-term operations and maintenance will also require local skills and services for up to 25,’ says Shell. Integrated power business Colin Crooks, VP Offshore Wind, Shell, says the company aims to build an integrated power business spanning electricity generation, trading and supply:
“This project could provide green power to consumers and businesses alike and contribute towards Shell’s ambition to be a net-zero emissions business by 2050, or sooner.” Sam Roch-Perks, CEO Simply Blue Energy said floating wind energy was a major opportunity for Ireland to become a ‘Green Gulf’ by realising the benefits of its vast marine and offshore resources without negatively impacting the coastline. “Simply Blue Energy is delighted to work with Shell to further our portfolio of floating wind projects in the Celtic Sea. Our shared vision for Emerald is to do the right thing for stakeholders, the community and the environment. “This announcement represents an important milestone in the ability of the Emerald project to ensure the government meets it climate target of 5GW of offshore wind by 2030.”
Dublin Port opens debate on post 2040 capacity challenge Storytelling to share ocean literacy Galway Atlantaquaria lends its voice to the Global Coalition United for Biodiversity
MariTIME NEWS
Dublin Port opens debate on post 2040 capacity challenge
Additional capacity will be needed elsewhere on the east coast to cater for growth potential and the challenges are documented in a series of papers: Dublin Port Post 2040 Dialogue. The papers present a ‘considered view’ of the potential costs and the environmental impacts of building a greenfield port site, estimated to cost in the region of €4bn, ‘assuming of course, that the enormous challenges of financing and securing the necessary consents to deliver such a megaproject could be achieved’. “We need to plan for how, when and where additional port capacity might be provided on the east coast of Ireland by 2040. Eamon O’Reilly, Dublin Port chief executive, said a plan was required now of when and where the additional capacity might be provided: “We know from experience that twenty years is a relatively short period in the context of delivering large scale infrastructure projects, let alone a once in 200 years megaproject, which the construction of a new additional greenfield port would be. “Consideration of any plan of this scale must take account of as wide a spectrum of viewpoints as possible. That is what the Dublin Port Post 2040 Dialogue is designed to facilitate, and I would encourage people and organisations to get involved. This is everyone’s opportunity to help answer important questions in the national interest about the environmental, planning and financial challenges that lie ahead in providing the future port capacity needed for the long-term. “Our canvassing of views on the long-term provision of port capacity once Dublin Port reaches its limit some-time between 2030 and 2040 coincides with DCC’s preparation of the Dublin City Development Plan 2022-2028, with NTA’s review of the Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area to cover the period 2022-2042 and with Government’s review of the National Development Plan as part of Project Ireland 2040. “Ensuring there is enough port capacity for the decades and even centuries ahead requires coherence and co-ordination among all these plans and strategies,”concluded Eamon O’Reilly. Be part of the dialogue is open until June 30, 2021
Dublin Port is inviting public comment on its long-term plans for the port which is expected to reach maximum throughout capacity between 2030 and 2040.
First submitted to Irish Times, March 22(?) Dear Editor, It’s very surprising to read that Dublin Port Co (DPC) are in such denial as to what is happening literally under their feet. The sea level rise at Dublin Port has been alarming over the last 6 years, as DPC monitor it with a Tide Gauge they are fully aware of what is happening. Maynooth NUI published Recent Rapid Sea Level Rise in Dublin Bay Based on Tide Gauge Analysis in May 2020. Dublin Bay sea level rose by less than 2mm a year from 1938 to 2016, mean sea level at Dublin Port in 2016 was 130mm higher than in 1938. But dramatically, sea level in Dublin since 2015 is rising by 10mm a year. This could be a cyclical thing, it more likely is due to ice melt and global warming. So, by 2050 its likely based on current observations that there will be no Dublin Port, it will be underwater. There are a number of websites where you can you can enter the year and see the low coastal areas that will all disappear in the coming years. (coastal.climatecentral.org) Peadar Farrell Dublin
Ocean Literacy is understanding our connection with the ocean and its connection to our lives. Someone who has a high level of ocean literacy will be able to communicate about these connections and be able to make informed decisions for the ocean. According to Dr Noirin Burke, “People love stories; they help connect us to our place and space, to our identity. "Stories and visual aids can be powerful tools for communicators. They can help us create empathy or anger, sadness or joy, and can connect us to our audience so that we are part of a shared conversation. Never before has storytelling and visualization been more important. “We’re delighted to have the opportunity to run this workshop and would love for people to take part so that we can hear their stories and learn from their experiences, albeit virtually.”
As part of this year’s European Maritime Day (EMD) conference in Den Helder, The Netherlands May 20-21, the Irish Ocean Literacy Network (IOLN) will hold a virtual workshop about how stories can be used to connect people to the oceans.
IPatrícia Conceição, Directorate General for Maritime Policy
Nathalie Van Isacker, EMODnet Secretariat, European Atlas of the Seas
Storytelling to share ocean literacy
IOLN Formed in 2016, IOLN aims to create an ocean literate society across the island of Ireland. Free to join, this network includes over 120 members from a diverse range of backgrounds including academia, government, NGO, education and private individuals among others. The network is also hoping to host a number of EMD in my country events which will be take place in Ireland between April and May 2020. Contact us if you would like to become a member of this growing network.
Keynote speakers include Patrícia Conceição, Directorate General for Maritime Policy; Portuguese Blue Schools (Escola Azul); Nicola Bridge, President, European Marine Science Educators Association; Nathalie Van Isacker, EMODnet Secretariat, European Atlas of the Seas, plus members of the IOLN. Breakout groups will also discuss the future of ocean literacy in Europe.
The Coalition, which was launched exactly one year ago by EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, calls on all zoos, aquariums, botanic gardens, national parks, research centres, science and natural history museums to boost public awareness about the nature crisis. “All species - from bacteria to mammals, plants to insects - are pieces of the big puzzle of life. They’re all connected and depend on each other. Yet one species, our species, is now responsible for the climate crisis and the nature crisis, causing massive biodiversity loss.
On World Wildlife Day (March 3), Galway Atlantaquaria joined the European Commission’s Global Coalition, ‘#UnitedforBiodiversity’.
Galway Atlantaquaria lends its voice to the Global Coalition United for Biodiversity
“By destroying Earth ecosystems, we humans are jeopardizing our food, our health, our economy and our own future. World botanic gardens, zoos, parks, museums, research centres and aquariums show us what we need to protect and restore on this planet. “We urgently need to act, at all levels, from local to global, otherwise, our only chance of seeing nature is in these institutions. That would be a failure of humankind. It is time for us to reconnect with nature,” the Commissioner urged. “We belong to nature and the ocean, they feed us and allow us to breathe, as well as providing mental wellbeing,” added Garry Kendellen, Galway Atlantaquaria. “This time in our lives with lockdowns and pandemics should shake humanity into readjusting its course that is self-destructive and illogical. We need to change and to stand up for biodiversity.” United voices Galway Atlantaquaria joins more than 200 institutions and organisations worldwide, including zoos and aquariums associations in Ireland and Europe, and also Leave No Trace Ireland and Dublin Zoo. “Together we join forces to speak up for nature ahead of the crucial CoP15 meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming, China later this year,” Kendellen added.
During this summit, the 196 parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity are expected to adopt a new global framework to protect and restore nature. For over 20 years, Galway Atlantaquaria has laid the foundation of education, conservation and ocean literacy as its ethos. “Our Aquarium has proudly shown the diversity of life in our oceans and rivers and focuses on native Irish species. We’ve worked with our local community to champion clean beaches and community initiatives. “We’re delighted to accept the Global challenge and by adding our voice to this campaign, we invite all our partners to join the movement too!
Women of the Arranmore RNLI A case of foot in mouth… Biosphere and SAC status fails to halt dumping of dredge material into sensitive areas of Dublin Bay Replica James Caird underway to honour Shackleton’s epic voyage Swapping stories: Reducing plastic pollution and creating recycle products
COASTLINE NEWS
The women of Arranmore were very resilient ― from dealing with the hardships and tragedies of island living in their everyday lives to playing a vital role in supporting families when the crew were responding to a difficult rescue in horrendous weather conditions.
“I would encourage anybody to join their local RNLI. It really helps you think outside the box and the crews are very supportive and helpful to new recruits.” Competence-based learning All crew members are required to serve a probationary period where they learn all the skills involved in saving lives. Learning is competence-based and crew members must prove their competency in one skill before taking on another. This training enables all volunteers - many of whom have little or no knowledge of boats or the sea - to become first-class life savers. The first RNLI female award was to honour Grace Darling - a lighthouse keeper’s daughter who helped rescue nine people in 1838. Voluntary fundraising committees are an essential part of the RNLI, and women are very much to the fore in raising funds to keep the lifeboats afloat. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we salute the selflessness and dedication of the many women of the RNLI involved in saving lives at sea.
Grace Gallagher has been a member of the Arranmore fundraising committee for over 25 years. She has been honoured and recognised by the RNLI as the longest-serving member of the fundraising committee of the Arranmore Lifeboat Station and has raised thousands of euro of funds for the RNLI. Grace said “I can’t believe I’ve been fundraising for the RNLI for over 25 years. Living by the sea and with many of our families involved in the fishing industry we rely on the Lifeboat and the contribution of the public to continue with this essential voluntary service. It has been a pleasure to be part of it”.
Women of the Arranmore RNLI
Sadie Bonner is a former post woman and started supporting the RNLI by collecting fundraising buckets from shops, selling badges and is now treasurer of the fundraising committee.
Nora Flanagan
Women helping to launch the Lifeboat at Dungeness, Kent, England Photo credit RNLI
Crew member, Erin Mc Cafferty, who is a student at NUIG with Arranmore RNLI Station President, Majella O’Donnell
Today, women are taking their place at the forefront of the RNLI rescue service, serving as crew members, leading fundraising campaigns and of course still supporting their families who are crew members. The RNLI Arranmore Lifeboat was founded in 1883 and although it was only men with a knowledge of the sea who crewed, without the support of female family members they would have had difficulty manning the lifeboats while looking after young families. The women of Arranmore were very resilient - from dealing with the hardships and tragedies of island living in their everyday lives - to playing a vital role in supporting families when the crew were responding to a difficult rescue in horrendous weather conditions. An example such rescues was in December 1940 when they rescued 16 crew members of The Stolwyjk in the most challenging weather conditions. The crew were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals for the very memorable rescue. Today, as with every Lifeboat station throughout Ireland and the UK, Arranmore RNLI Lifeboat station is proud to have female crew members. I was the first female to join the Arranmore RNLI crew, followed by four women who have joined the crew in this vital life-saving service. Arranmore female crew Karen McGowan, a registered advanced nurse practitioner in Beaumont Hospital and President of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO); Sharon O’Donnell, round-the-world sailor; Erin McCafferty, student at National University of Ireland, Galway and primary school teacher, Aisling Cox. Karen joined the crew at age 17 and continued to serve throughout her nursing training. Speaking to Karen about why she joined the RNLI, she said: “I enjoyed the adrenaline rush and I knew I wanted to train as a nurse; as a crew member on the lifeboat, I gained a huge amount of experience with the excellent training the RNLI provides. “Dealing with medical emergencies on a call-out served me well in my student nurse training. I had quite a few memorable rescues during my time as a crew member but the most poignant was rescuing the crew of a sinking trawler. “As soon as the crew were brought on board the lifeboat, the trawler sank very quickly. It was very hard to watch somebody’s livelihood sink beneath the waves and witness the raw emotion on the faces of both the Lifeboat and the trawler crews.
Since Sir William Hillary founded the RNLI in 1824, women have had a role in the service, initially working in the background by helping to launch and recover the lifeboats, fundraising for this voluntary service and supporting their husbands and sons when the lifeboat went to the rescue of lives in peril on the sea.
Nora Flanagan. First female crew member and press officer of the Arranmore RNLI Lifeboat.
Karen Mc Gowan. Arranmore RNLI Lifeboat former crew member, nurse and now President of the INMO
Teacher and Arranmore RNLI crew member, Aisling Cox with her father, Kieran who is a long-term member of the crew.
Round the world sailor, Arranmore RNLI crew member, Sharon O’Donnell.
This is a fascinating long-lived fish in the shark family. It can grow up to adult human size, goes for internal fertilisation, lays hand-sized eggs, a single egg per oviduct.
A case of foot in mouth…
The embryo feeds on the yolk sac like a chicken in an egg and then hatches; but has the gestation period of a human or even longer of between 9-12 months according to the research. (The National Biodiversity Data Centre map shows Nurse Hound records confined to the Irish Sea). A few weeks earlier, many live sea animals were swept up onto Ballymoney beach: common whelk, octopi, starfish and even fish in relentless February onshore winds. Hundreds of ray, skate and dogfish egg cases, as well as whelk egg balls found on the tide lines. Among all these we found, five single fresh Nurse Hound eggs; one still had an embryo inside but it was dead. The photo of the single egg (photo 1) gives a clue where Nurse Hounds chose to tie their eggs and illustrates how much care a fish can take with their precious offspring. This egg was found February 17, 2021. The strong tendrils at the end of the egg had been tied by the mother to the Mermaid’s Glove Sponge Haliclona oculate, going round and round the base and top of the sponge.
Young male nursehound swept onto Ballymoney beach
Stomach content surprise: -3 Curly Octopi
Karin Dubsky
Coastwatch
A thin blue plastic fibre and something ‘tongue-like’ was sticking out of its mouth. When opened up by Paul Dubsky, the stomach content revealed this young male fish had managed to swallow three whole intact Curled Octopi Eledone cirrhosis and the foot of one was in its mouth.
A dead Nurse Hound (also known as Bull Huss) Scyliorhinus stellaris was swept up on Ballymoney beach on March 10. It was 68 cm long and was found with a bloated stomach.
“It was the closest to ‘stuffed to the gills’ I have ever seen,” remarked Paul Dubsky. Was this Nurse Hound caught right in the middle of its meal and didn’t have time to fully swallow the last octopus, or did it die of gluttony or choking as the last octopus fought back from inside? The fish was swept up just after an Arklow whelk boat got into difficulty on the Ballymoney rocks and had to be rescued by another boat. Lifecycle This is a fascinating long-lived fish in the shark family. It can grow up to adult human size, goes for internal fertilisation, lays hand-sized eggs, a single egg per oviduct. These leathery big eggs are tied securely to seaweed or other anchors in shallow water.
Protection Regrettably there is no protection yet for these amazing long-lived shark species in Irish waters. Not even inshore egg-laying or nursery grounds are marked out in our biodiversity maps and there are no figures for how much is caught in gill nets and kept as bait, or how much is discarded in other fisheries. Now that Ireland is developing its first Marine Spatial Plan, there is an opportunity to mark special features like sea grass beds, shark, rays and skate egg laying sites, along with nurseries on this plan. The Nursehound is listed in the Red List of European marine fish (Nieto et al., 2015) and IUCN classifies the Nurse Hound as ‘Near Threatened’. This is based on an assessment in 2006 that considered fishing as the main threat. Since then, wind energy has taken off along our East and South coast and looks to overlap significantly with some inshore ray, skate and shark nursery habitats, (see page 39). These elasmobranchs have an ‘electric sense’ and may well be disoriented far more by wind power and related cables than most other fish. We need to identify egg laying and nursery hot spot sites and avoid development here until we have enough information. Sponge and Flustra ‘meadows’ along the North Wexford coast are important for biodiversity in their own right. The Nursehound egg tied onto the sponge is a clue that might now focus our research.
Nursehound egg tied onto sponge alongside a dogfish egg case, the smallest shark, for size comparison
Nursery Mermaid’s Glove Sponge grows upright on the seafloor as part of an underwater forest or meadow in shallow water down to 20m. It is flexible and can withstand silt and sand movements. The amount of branching in this particular sponge with the egg tied onto it suggests that it was set in a strong current. Flatter versions, more like antlers, are associated with more sheltered habitats.
Acknowledgements: Thank you to Alan Walshe Coastwatch Waterford and Declan Quigley SFPA for confirming the fish ID and commenting on the draft and Paul Dubsky for stomach content analyses. The author found both the nurse hound and eggs.
If people could see the scale and realise what all this dumping is doing to Dublin Bay, there would be a major outcry.
Biosphere and SAC status fails to halt dumping of dredge material into sensitive areas of Dublin Bay
Dublin Port disposal site
Dublin Port has applied to the EPA for a licence to dump almost four million tonnes of dredged material into Dublin Bay over the next eight summers. Over the last four years, Dublin Port has been deepening its access channel from 7.5m to 10m deep.
“This channel is a massive track excavated out into the sea bed, stretching from the Tom Clarke Bridge out to almost the Bailey Lighthouse,” Peadar Farrell told Ocean Focus. “It’s a 13 kilometre gouge into the sea floor. The natural depth of Dublin Bay at the exit of the Port at the end of the Bull Wall, is one to two metres on the North side and four to five metres on the south side, gradually sloping of to 10 metres deep after 6,75km out near the Bailey where the excavated channel ends.” Many millions of tonnes excavated during the channel deepening was dumped into a dispersive dumpsite off the Bailey Lighhouse. “The sloping dumpsite empties and disperses its material all over the bay and thus never fills up. The excavated sand channel is a very short-lived unstable thing, as every child that ever played on a beach knows.
Easterly storms drive silt towards the shoreline
Water quality in Dublin Bay during the dredging and dumping activity. January 21 and February 12
“So, to keep it open, Dublin Port must now dredge it annually and remove the sand that will have built up after Easterly storms, plus normal tide and wave action. The EPA application is to dredge 300,000 cubic meters annually. “That’s equal to 500,000 tonnes each year, so after eight years they will have dredged and dumped four million tonnes into the bay. “That’s equivalent to 160,000 high-sided trucks. With each carrying 20 tonnes and spaced out 20 metres apart, they would stretch 3,200km from Dublin to Catania in Sicily,” Farrell explained. While Dublin Port has been regularly dredged for over 100 years, this is something entirely different; it’s a 13Km excavation across Dublin Bay, he says.
Summer impact Dublin Port’s licence is to dump during the summer months of April to September at a time that will most affect swimmers and scuba divers. Dublin Port has applied for a second licence, to dump dredged material (750,000 tons) from the new eastern extension MP2 Project in the port.
“But they want to dump this material during the Winter months so in effect they’ll be dumping all-year-round. If people could see the scale and realise what all this dumping is doing to Dublin Bay, there would be a major outcry about it.” Farrell says the “enormous financial cost” is being buried from public view at a time when trade via Dublin Port is set to lessen considerably. Is this a waste of public funds, he asks?
Last Autumn after dumping recommenced, diving was cancelled and eventually called off for the year due the dirt and silt in the water, making it impossible to dive in Dublin Bay. “During the winter, the water was a dreadful colour, but it is now starting to settle out again. The dumpsite is on the shallow, easterly sloping face of the Burfort Bank. Every wave driven by easterly wind, washes more off the dump site back into the bay. The excavated track and the dump site are both inside a special area of conservation (SAC) and inside the Dublin Bay Biosphere. “If Dublin Port had the slightest regard, they could move the dump site a few kilometres out past the Burfort Bank at the entrance to Dublin Bay where the damage would be much less to the reefs and the juvenile fish living along the shore, but they refuse to consider this.”
Born in Ireland in 1874, Ernest Shackleton is synonymous with the pioneering years of expedition. At the age of 16 he joined the Merchant Navy and ten years later joined a British expedition team on a quest to be the first to reach the South Pole.
Replica James Caird underway to honour Shackleton’s epic voyage
Ben McDonagh (top) and Jarlath Cunnane in happy days pre Covid, working the James Caird replica
gillian mills
Construction is underway in a boatyard outside Westport, Co Mayo, of a replica James Caird – the 22 foot vessel that successfully crossed 800 nm of treacherous waters to the island of South Georgia to raise help for the crew of Ernest Shackleton’s stricken vessel, Endurance.
Born in Ireland in 1874, Ernset Shackleton is synonymous with the pioneering years of expedition. At the age of 16 he joined the Merchant Navy and ten years later joined a British expedition team on a quest to be the first to reach the South Pole. Shackleton served on various polar expeditions until 1914 when he mastered his own ship, Endurance, only to become ice-trapped in the Weddell Sea for eleven months. In November 1915 Endurance succumbed to the ocean, leaving 28 men stranded on the ice with just three small boats. After five months on an iceberg floating further from the continent, they landed on Elephant Island where Shackleton planned what would become the greatest small boat journey of all time...
South Aris The idea to build a replica sprung from the 1996 Irish expedition ‘South Aris’ that attempted to react Shackleton’s epic voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia. Among the original crew were two Irishmen: Tom Crean and Tim McCarthy.
In early 2020, Jarlath Cunnane, Michael Brogan, Ben McDonagh among others - deep ocean wooden boat sailors and skilled timber craftsmen - decided to build a replica of James Caird. She would be fashioned from 25mm x 12mm steamed oak ribs with a skin of 150mm x 20mm larch. Jarlath and Michael visited Dulwich College to take the lines of the James Caird. After lifting the lines, the team began the slow process of making the moulded frames until work halted with the onset of the pandemic.
“Our primary focus will be to decide whether to fully plank out the 300 mm freeboard that 'chippy' McNeish insisted was added before the epic 800 nm crossing, or to leave one side open to showcase the original lines,” Ben McDonagh told Ocean Focus. Depending on when work can restart, the teams hope to complete the build by late summer, and to attract the interest of a maritime museum for her display and to tell her story.
The charity soon realised the Citarum problem was not only about monstrous amounts of waste, but also the impact on health, education and water quality, especially affecting children’s living conditions.
Swapping stories: Reducing plastic pollution and creating recycled products
In July 2019, Flossie and The Beach Cleaners - an Irish charity founded by 13-year-old Flossie Donnelly to raise awareness of the impact of plastic pollution on marine life - took an environmental journey to Bandung Indonesia, visiting part of the Citarum River.
“We link children from countries that have ‘plastic rivers’ and no refuse systems with school children in Ireland, to learn from each other ways to clean up beaches and what can be made, such as a paddleboard, out of the rubbish they find,” explains Harriet Donnelly, the charity’s managing director.
The charity soon realised the Citarum problem was not only about monstrous amounts of waste, but also the impact on health, education and water quality, especially affecting children’s living conditions. “These children not only live by the water they also play in the river, bathe in the river and wash their clothes in the river!” Monsoon rains During the flood season, the only reliable transport for evacuation is a boat, especially in the slum areas where the streets are very narrow.
When the rainy season eases, local fishermen use the boats to clean the Citarum River which can no longer be fished due to the level of poison and garbage. Communities are now ‘fishing for rubbish’ and get paid for the quantity of rubbish they collect, which is then sent to recycling centres. “We’re delighted to have funded this boat thanks to the very generous support of our sponsors and through public donations. “We’re now working with Citarum Care and Equator ID to link more children and communities to schools in Ireland.”
Outreach programme “We’re planning within the next three years to take TY students to do work experience with these organisations. “The charity will launch nationally so that the fun, educational beach clean-ups and workshops, will become something everybody wants to get involved in! The charity would be delighted to connect with companies interested to get involved.
Accelerating the transition to sustainable and fair food systems in the Mediterranean
OUTSIDE IRELAND
oodnected – a project designed to promote the transition to sustainable and fair food systems in the Mediterranean region – was launched at a virtual event as part of the international festival, Terra Madre Salone del Gusto (March 10).
Project partners, Slow Food, Global Footprint Network, Low Impact Fisheries of Europe and GOB Menoraca advocate the importance of education and raising consumer awareness about the value of their food and its connection with producers. “We’re excited to collaborate with sustainable fishing and farming organisations to progress to a world where all the actors can come together through common initiatives to improve each other’s lives through an essential aspect of what it means to be human: the food we choose to consume, to not only feed our bodies but also nurture our spirits and communities,” remarked Paula Barbeito, Foodnected coordinator.
F
Sustainability initiatives The foundation supports sustainability initiatives that protect nature and support people's livelihoods. “The way we consume and produce food impacts our environment. We believe that short-chain food systems grounded in local traditions hold a great potential to maintain and preserve biodiversity -- both cultivated and wild,” added Julien Semelin, MAVA Foundation. Foodnected is driven by the vision of bringing producers and consumers together through a ‘community of practice’ grounded in shared values. By shortening the distance between producers and consumers and developing an ethical code of environmental and social values for the way food is produced and consumed, ‘the project will address shortcomings in the prevailing market system and reverse the unfair situation faced by small-scale producers,’ the partners contend. Fair access rights Gaining fair access to resources and markets is a fundamental struggle for small-scale low-impact fishers who make up the majority of the European fleet,” explains Brian O’Riordan, Life Executive Secretary. “We believe that working together with others is essential to achieving a positive and meaningful change in our food systems. To be viable, fishers must be rewarded for the value they add through their good practices. “On the other hand, consumers need to be able to easily identify sustainable, healthy and fair products, and to know their story, so they can value and select them.”
Long-term objective Ultimately, Foodnected intends to facilitate the emergence of short-chain food systems that work for nature and people – both consumers and the small-scale producers who depend on them for their livelihood. The project is scheduled to unfold in three phases. Firstly, it will clarify an approach to fair and sustainable food systems through nurturing the development of a ‘community of practice’ composed of actors along the value chain. “All of us – as citizens, producers and consumers – can play a central role in the transition towards sustainable food systems. But making the right choices depends on the possibility to rely on scientifically-sound information. “For this reason, relying on a science-based approach to identify pertinent practices is going to be a strong aspect of this project. By applying Ecological Footprint accounting, we will be able to quantitatively monitor the impact of such practices,” remarked Alessandro Galli, senior scientist and the Mediterranean-MENA Program Director at Global Footprint Network.
Market solutions Secondly, pilot initiatives are planned to develop market solutions for fair and sustainable food production and consumption at local level, especially in the Balearic Islands (Spain). “The work we’ve been developing through our local network of farmers is set to enjoy a wider impact thanks to this collaborative project. We’re excited to be actors and to witness first-hand how we can accelerate change at home and inspire other communities,” explained GOB Menorca’s Programme Director Miquel Camps. Finally, the project aims to share lessons at a regional level. Results from the first two phases will be disseminated through advocacy work at national and wider regional – Mediterranean (GFCM) and EU – levels, especially within the framework of the EU Farm to Fork Strategy and in the context of the FAO International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, 2022. Funded by the MAVA Foundation over a two-year period, Foodnected is about “Connecting people and nature around local, fair and sustainable food systems.”
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