Irish Seas!

MARINE NEWS By Grace Carr

My name is Grace and I’m delighted to join the Irish Wildlife Trust as their new Marine Policy and Research Officer. I worked as a SCUBA divemaster for many years, partly due to my love for sharks and wanting to spend time with these misunderstood animals in their natural environment. Over the years, I could notice a marked decline in not only shark numbers, but also habitat degradation. I knew that I wanted to do more for these animals and the beautiful and diverse places they inhabit and so I decided to complete a BSc in Marine Biology. This was followed by a research Master’s degree, focusing on shark distributions in the North Atlantic and looking at the environmental variables which could impact their movements.

I spent last year working with Atlantic bluefin tuna off the south and west coast of Ireland, tagging them to get a greater understanding of the numbers arriving to Irish waters each year. It was a privilege to be able to spend time with these amazing fish and get to see first-hand how productive and full of life the waters off our coasts can be.

Some exciting news to start of the year, a new ‘Hope Spot’ has been designated off the south-west coast of Ireland. The Hope Spot is in the Loop Head (Co. Clare) to Kenmare (Co. Kerry) area and it will be named the Greater Skellig Coast Hope Spot. This area was identified in the Fair Seas report – ‘Revitalising Our Seas’ – as an Area of Interest for Marine Protected Area (MPA) designation (see the autumn ’22 issue of Irish Wildlife for more information on this report).

This site has the highest density of minke whales and humpback whales recorded within Ireland’s exclusive economic zone, accounting for 30% and 45% respectively of all sightings. The archipelagos in this peninsula are also home to internationally important seabird breeding sites such as Manx shearwater, pu n and storm petrol. Tralee and Dingle Bays are also breeding areas for many threatened species of shark, ray and skate including the critically endangered angel shark. High densities of the elusive basking shark have been recorded around the Blasket Islands with as many as 60 individuals seen at one time!

Hope Spots are the brainchild of Dr Sylvia A. Earle, oceanographer, pioneering woman in ocean science and international advocate for the ocean. She has been National Geographic’s Explorer in Residence since 1998 and was named the rst Hero for the Planet by Time magazine.

DR. SYLVIA EARLE, FOUNDER OF MISSION BLUE SAYS

" is Hope Spot is being announced at a crucial time for Ireland because in 2023, national Marine Protected Area (MPA) legislation will be introduced for the rst time. 81% of Irish people believe that we need to protect, conserve and restore the ocean. is legislation will help achieve this very desirable protection."

She is the founder of Mission Blue (see www.missionblue.org) and set out in 2009 to ignite public support for a global network of MPAs.

Hope Spots are areas that are scienti cally identi ed as being critical to the health of the ocean. ey are o en areas which need new protection, or they can be areas which are already protected but greater action is required. Once a Hope Spot is designated, the Mission Blue team uses its resources to bring this area to the world stage. Having the rst Hope Spot recognised in Ireland means there will be more support, expeditions and scienti c advice provided to help organisations and conservationists build public support and protect this area. is is great timing for Ireland as discussions on the new MPA legislation are underway (see the campaign update). We need this new legislation to be robust and to change how Irish marine conservation, policy and management is handled. is new announcement will hopefully help make the government sit up and realise how critical many areas around our island are for the overall health of the ocean. Our waters are being recognised as scienti cally important at an international level, it is time they are protected and managed at a national level.

Fair Seas is a coalition of Irish NGOs campaigning to get at least 30% of Irish waters protected by 2030. Join us on June 8th at Cork City Hall for their World Ocean Day conference. Ocean advocates, industry, key stakeholders and government o cials will be brought together to map out the next steps for Marine Protected Areas in Ireland. Sessions will focus on the designation and management of Marine Protected Areas and learning from best practices across the world. Visit www.fairseas.ie for more information and to book your spot.