Inshore ireland 10 1 feb mar 2014

www.inshore-ireland.com The Marine & Freshwater Environment Publication

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ICZM

the silence is deafening

p6

Eamon Dixon and inshore fisheries p13

February/March 2014 Vol 10 Issue 1

ONLINE EDITION

You can now view the January/December issue on www.inshore-ireland.com or you can follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/inshore_ireland and Facebook www.facebook.com/InshoreIreland

Without robust data, fisheries management is ‘destined to fail’ Gillian Mills

“

The Irish inshore fishery is on the brink of collapse due to a lack of proper policy and regulation. Going as far back as the 1990s, BIM produced a number of reports outlying in clear terms, pathways to deal with this issue. Those blueprints have gathered dust in the interim, in tandem with the decline in economic potential of the crab and lobster fisheries.

“The Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) and others have made this point clear

when making submissions to a joint subcommittee on fisheries in March 2013,” Francis O’Donnell, CEO of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation and former chair of the FIF told Inshore Ireland.

Under-resourced

Also speaking to this paper, Eamon Dixon of the Erris Inshore Fishermen’s Association said it was only in the last two years that the Sea-fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has been in a position to address the problems. But he cautions that the current level of control is not a deterrent as the agency is under-resourced, with too many areas to cover:

food safety, sampling, EU audits and fisheries control.

“Unlicensed fishing is the norm in the inshore fishery, posing market risks and biological instability and a significant black market economy has developed. If we are serious about tackling this problem, Ireland needs to put real and robust long-term management plans in place on a species by species basis.” (see full interview pg 13)

Coastal and island report

Eamon Dixon’s comments follow the recent publication of a report compiled by the Joint Sub-committee on Fisheries: Promoting

Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities which is calling for government policy to focus on the survival of rural coastal and island communities by promoting a diverse range of activities.

It contends that aquaculture, inshore fishing, sea angling, marine tourism and seaweed initiatives could contribute to vibrant coastal and island areas.

The report, suggests that ‘proactive government support with proportionate and sensible bureaucratic controls’ could ensure such activities can co-exist.

‘Government must urgently develop a management structure grounded in reliable data for inshore fisheries.

For instance, explore how “heritage

licences” might be issued to rural coastal and island communities to facilitate traditional fishing practices.

The report also recommends that aquaculture projects for fin-fish should be licensed on adherence to the world’s ‘highest environmental standards’ and for structures to be put in place to allow maximum local ownership.

Issues identified by the sub-Committee are listed on a thematic basis, subsectioned into three areas, and specific recommendations follow for each section: »» Rural Coastal and Island Communities: a socioeconomic profile »» page 12

February 1, 2014, waves break at Garnish on the Beara Peninsula behind what used to be the Garnish Post Office which closed in 2007.

Photo John Eagle (www.johneaglephoto.com).

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inshore ireland February/March 2014

news

EU fisheries and aquaculture fund agreed to 2020 Gillian Mills

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political agreement on the European Maritime Fisheries Fund (EMFF) has been reached following protracted negotiations between the European Parliament, the European

Commission and the Council of Ministers. The fund is worth €6.5 billion to the fisheries and aquaculture sectors from 2014 to 2020. Negotiations had broken down before Christmas due to a disagreement over the allocation of funding for data collection and control.

MEP Pat the Cope Gallagher

“I am pleased that a broad political agreement is in place for the EMFF, which is the last major EU fund still to be formally adopted for the period 2014 to 2020. The EMFF is vitally important to coastal communities throughout Ireland as it is designed to support the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy,” remarked MEP Pat the Cope Gallagher.

“I believe that the main aspects contained in the EMFF agreement will help maintain employment in the fisheries sector and in peripheral coastal communities dependent on fisheries. I am particularly pleased that an amendment, which I had originally tabled in the European Parliament calling for the provision of funding for small ports has been included. My amendment will allow the Government to ring fence funding for small ports that have experienced declining fish landings.”

He added that the provision of seed capital was badly needed to allow these ports to diversify into new economic activities and confirmed that the agreement will now be put to a vote in the Fisheries

Marine Institute Foras na Mara

Our Ocean - A Shared Resource Ár n-Aigéan - Acmhainn Comhroinnte Ireland’s National Agency for Marine Research and Innovation An Ghníomhaireacht Náisiúnta um Thaighde Mara agus Nuálaíochta

www.marine.ie

Committee of the European Parliament before a vote at plenary level in April.

»»

Key initiatives:

»» A new scheme for young fishermen under the age of 40 »» New funding for small ports affected by a decline in fish landings to allow for diversification »» Funding for quality and safety initiatives »» The establishment of a targeted de-commissioning scheme »» Support for Producer Organisations to help them implement the production

»» »» »»

and marketing plans including the discard ban Support for a range of measures for the processing sector (e.g. improvements and innovative manufacturing techniques Support for greater gear selectivity to reduce discards Increased funding for fisheries data collection and control Member States including Ireland with a significant small scale fleet will have to prepare an Action Plan for the development, competitiveness and sustainability of these fisheries.

Possible blue whiting increase for polyvalent sector

By Pauric Gallagher

C

urrent management measures in place for the blue whiting fishery may change shortly as some in the polyvalent sector are lobbying marine minister, Simon Coveney, for an increase in its share from the current 6% to 9%.

This has arisen after the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation requested a review of the existing management arrangements in December.

Currently the refrigerated salt water (RSW) fleet manages this fishery on a rotational basis. Depending on the available quota, only a limited number of RSW vessels operate in any given year, in a bid to make it economically viable for those prosecuting this fishery.

Indeed in 2011, only one RSW vessel out of a possible 23 fished due to a small quota of approximately 1200 tonnes. On the other hand, the same polyvalent vessels have enjoyed access to the 6% on an annual basis for the last five years, giving them an advantage over the RSW sector.

The likely increase in the Irish quota for 2014 and a steady increase over the next number of years could see the quota reaching 27,000 tonnes and would make the blue whiting an economically important fishery.

Quota increase Under the current draft proposal it is proposed

to give a 9% allocation to the polyvalent sector. This will result in individual polyvalent vessels getting a larger tonnage than individual RSW vessels.

According to the Killybegs Fishermen’s organisation (KFO) and the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO) this is totally unacceptable considering it was only the RSW vessels that contributed to Ireland’s percentage share of the TAC in terms of setting track record.

“It might be time to consider requesting a review of the Celtic Sea Herring fishery policy. I can assure you that many of my members who have been excluded from this fishery can put up a good argument for such a review. I doubt we would get anywhere with such a request,” Francis O’Donnell of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO) told Inshore Ireland.

He added that individuals in the polyvalent sector are lobbying hard to secure extra quota for themselves.

“There is simply no justification to increase the polyvalent share from 6% to 9%. It’s quite telling that the draft proposal has set out in advance an increase for the polyvalent sector.”

The decision to increase the share of blue whiting quota to 9% for the polyvalent sector has now led to calls for the minister and his department to amend the Celtic Sea herring policy decision, where track record was used to ring fence the fishery, excluding the vast majority of the RSW vessels and allow those vessels access back into the Celtic Sea Herring fishery again.

inshore ireland February/March 2014

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comment

Ten years on and ICZM is still somewhere on the distant horizon

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look back ten years to Inshore Ireland’s first lead story sees us bemoaning the lack of an effective, workable national policy for Integrated Coastal Zone Management.

Looking deeper into that article, a key finding of a 2004 review of ICZM by the Heritage Council leaps out: the stark reality that up to 2005 there had been no advances in policy or legislative developments for ICZM since the publication of a draft policy for Ireland in - 1997!

And staying with that first article we also reported that when compared to national case studies of how the policy of coastal management is

handled in the UK, Norway, New Zealand and Australia, the Irish way of doing things is characterised by a sectoral approach to resource exploitation.

This almost chaotic and shambolic approach to designing and implementing a workable coastal zone policy is also complicated by the finding that progress is clearly hampered by a plethora of government departments, local authorities and national agencies - all apparently with roles to play in the management of the coastal area.

When it comes to ICZM policy in Ireland ad hockery is the modus operandi of choice.

Fast forward to seventeen years after government first dipped its toe into the undeniable complexities of defining a workable coastal policy, what has changed?

According to Dr Anne Marie

O’Hagan - a recognised expert on the law of coastal management from the Beaufort Laboratory in Cork - sadly not much.

Dr O’Hagan’s responses to our questions (see pg 6) should be enough to make the reader sit up and take notice. More importantly however, they should be a wake-up call for the politicians who, instead of progressing an imaginative, progressive and workable coastal zone policy, would appear to have turned a blind eye for fear of upsetting a myriad of vested interests.

What also emerges from this interview is that it may not in fact be a dereliction of political duty that has seen no real measure of progress in this area for some time.

According to Dr O’Hagan, instead of pursuing Integrated Coastal Zone Management

now there seems to be an EU-led preference instead for Maritime Spatial Planning.

Why? Because, as she suggests, ICZM has always been seen as a strongly environmentalbased management approach as opposed to one that fully addresses economic or social aspects.

According to Dr O’Hagan, MSP is very much advocated in the EU as being a driver to increase economic investment by providing more certainty to developers. MSP is viewed as one of the cross-sectoral tools essential for maximising the opportunity for economic growth from the ocean, so in that sense it could be more attractive to industry.

With our coastline now under threat from the ravages wrought by recent bad weather, there is no time to be lost in having a national debate on ICZM.

comment

Gery Flynn

Fundraising day for the RNLI

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annet Fishmongers – fish wholesaler and retailer in the west of Ireland – is marking its tenth successful year in business with a major fundraiser in aid of the RNLI on Saturday, April 5.

With a target to raise €10,000 for the three Galwayway based lifeboat stations (Aran Islands, Valentia and Clifden), all sale proceeds on the day from Gannet’s Galway market stall and Eyre Square Shopping Centre store will be donated directly to the RNLI. “The RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) is a charity that saves lives at sea. They provide a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service around the UK and Ireland along with a seasonal lifeguard service and rely totally on charitable donations. They have protected and aided the

trawlers, boats and fishermen that we have relied on for fish over the past 10 years and we want to give back to them and say thanks with this fundraiser,” remarked Stefan Griesbach, owner of Gannet Fishmongers.

In addition, shoppers who spend over €20 on seafood on April 5 will be entered into a draw to win dinner vouchers, gourmet hampers and a weekly supply of fresh fish for six months!

In coloured box Gannet Fishmongers was founded in 2004 by Stefan Griesbach. The company now trades at five market locations throughout Co. Galway on a weekly basis: Loughrea; Oranmore; Ballinasloe; Moycullen and Market Street in the city – along with their shop located in the Eyre Square Shopping Centre.

Nominated as Supplier of the Year 2013 by Bord Bia, Gannet’s primary focus is

on sourcing and the sale of seasonal Irish caught seafood thought a network of Irish

suppliers. Nine-five per cent of product is purchased whole, filleted and processed

in their EEC approved, HACCP compliant fish processing unit in Ballybane.

“Capturing ireland’s Share of the Global Seafood Opportunity” A BIM-leD NAtIONAl SeAfOOD INDuStry CONfereNCe

BIM will host its 2014 national conference for industry at

The AvivA STAdium, dublin on

WedneSdAy 2 April 2014 “Capturing Ireland’s Share of the Global Seafood Opportunity” will be the premiere seafood event of 2014.

Download a copy of the conference programme and register today by visiting @ www.bim.ie.

“Capturing ireland’s share of the global seafood opportunity” A bim-led nAtionAl seAfood industry ConferenCe

@ AvivA stAdium dublin 2 April 2014 Stefan Griesbach, Gannet Fishmongers, Stormy Stan and Tony Hiney of the RNLI.

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inshore ireland February/March 2014

news

Christmas Eve on Inis Oírr.

Photo: Paddy Crowe

Government pledges €70m towards storm damage Gillian Mills

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he State is to provide €70m for a programme of repair and remediation works following storm and flood damage caused over the period December 13-January 6, 2014.

This is in addition to a humanitarian assistance scheme of €25m already announced by the Department of Social Protection.

The level of storm damage however does not meet threshold conditions of the EU Solidarity Fund.

The EU budget has been reduced from €1bn to €534 million per annum, according to the Department of the Environment.

A statement adds that the Commission has signalled this will mean grants for successful applications will be cut from 2.5% to about 1.33%. For every €100 million of damage, the best that could be hoped for is €1.33m assistance under this fund.

Exchequer funds of €70m will enable local authorities in the areas worst affected,

to restore roads, coastal protection and other infrastructure and amenities. »» €16 m for roads »» €20 m for restoring coastal protection infrastructure; »» €26 m for local authority infrastructure, tourism, amenity and community infrastructure, and piers/ harbours; and »» €8 m for other transport and OPW infrastructure

Government commitment

Speaking after the cabinet meeting, Minister Phil Hogan, TD said the funding “clearly demonstrated the Government’s financial commitment” to respond to the needs of communities devastated by the storms: “It is based on the requests from local authorities and facilitates them [to immediately] begin a programme of prioritised works... It will also help many areas that rely on tourism to get back in business.” he said.

“I know there has been further damage in many areas from the most recent spell of storms and flooding.

The important thing is that the local authorities and the communities they serve can

Inshore Ireland is published by IIPL Ltd

be assured they can draw down the necessary funds from the three departments involved in this programme.

“My department and others involved will be meeting the local authorities concerned to set out working arrangements in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform,” he said.

Government also noted initial damage estimates to 500 domestic properties and more than 250 commercial properties; damage estimates to private property are not yet available from Insurance Ireland. The Department of Finance has been mandated to liaise with the insurance sector and to report back on a range of issues.

Government has also been updated on the Department of Social Protection’s support for individuals and households affected under the various schemes for which €25m has been made available.

Other points raised in a report presented to Government relate to severe weather and flood mitigation programmes of the OPW. The agency is to report to Government separately regarding additional

coastal defences and flood protection works, and a national flood forecasting and warning system.

The Report, prepared by the National Directorate for Fire

and Emergency Management in the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, is available on www.environ.ie.

Fishermen call for compensation scheme

T

he Irish South & West Fish Producers Organisation has called on the minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, to urgently address the plight of inshore fishermen who have been severely impacted from the cycle of relentless storms.

“Many have lost tens of thousands of Euros worth of gear and are unable to earn a living,” remarked Eibhlín O’Sullivan, CEO of the IS&WFPO. “These ongoing storms have left the majority of fishermen unable to fish for some two months now. No fish means no income for these fishermen, their families and the rural coastal peripheral communities who rely on the. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that as most are self-employed they have no access to any sort of social welfare,” she said.

Ms O’Sullivan added that for the many inshore fishermen who have lost gear or had it so badly damaged that it is useless, “the cost of replacement is so high and their access to any source of finance so limited, it makes the situation impossible.”

The IS&WFPO wrote to Minister Coveney in January asking him to put in place some sort of compensation or aid package.

“Without such a scheme, [many] fishermen will be forced to leave the industry, an industry they have been involved in for all of their lives. We therefore, urge Minister Coveney to make this issue a priority.”

Editor

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Gery Flynn

Durgan Media

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Gillian Mills Gery Flynn

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The publishers do not accept responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors and advertisers. While care is taken to ensure accuracy of information contained within Inshore Ireland, we do not accept responsibility for any errors or matters arising from same.

inshore ireland February/March 2014

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news

Sustainability, competitiveness, growth and expansion – key objectives for Ireland’s seafood sector Gillian Mills

B

IM is to host a national industry conference: Capturing Ireland’s Share of the Global Seafood Opportunity on Wednesday 2 April at The Aviva Stadium, Dublin.

“This conference will be the first national industry-wide event organised by the agency under its strategy 2013-2017.

A busy conference agenda should stimulate discussion and promote debate on how industry collectively shapes the future of the sector as we maximise Ireland’s share of the global seafood opportunity,” remarked Jason Whooley, BIM chief executive.

“The conference’s speaker line-up gives delegates access to business heavyweights operating nationally and internationally at the top of the seafood and agri-food sectors. Their experience as seafood leaders should be of benefit to the Irish industry

as it continues to strategically develop the fishery and aquaculture resource.”

He added that while Ireland may be a small player in the context of world seafood it did not mean the sector shouldn’t have major ambitions for growth.

“Ireland is being presented with opportunities for unprecedented sectoral growth that are largely dependent on our ability to produce and supply fish and related products to an increasing world population.

Demand increase

Increasing demand for seafood will see the global requirement for fish grow by an additional 42 million tonnes per annum by 2030, he added.

“The potentially transformational opportunities being presented to industry can only be fully utilised if Ireland increases sustainability, competitiveness, and grows industry scale and expands the raw material base.

“These and other critical

Left: Jason Whooley, Chief Executive, BIM and keynote speaker Ian Smith

issues will dominate the agenda for the conference which will help inform current strategy aimed at leading the Irish seafood sector to new levels of output, employment and prosperity,” he said.

The conference is aimed at seafood professionals actively committed to strategically enhancing Ireland’s share of the global seafood opportunity.

The conference underlines BIM’s 2013-2017 strategy under which the agency will deliver 1,200 new jobs and €1 billion in seafood sales as part of the seafood targets and objectives set out in the Food Harvest 2020 national food production plan. For more information visit www.bim.ie.

What’s on offer?

»» a conference agenda tailored to challenge and inform national and international industry thinking on the future for Ireland’s global opportunity in seafood »» a speaker line-up that gives delegates the opportunity to hear directly from some of the world’s most highly rated captains of the seafood industry »» a series of panel-led discussions on the critical economic, political and environmental issues that will shape the future of seafood in Ireland »» expert analysis and opinion on the financial trends affecting market forces and consumer behaviour »» contact with some of the world’s leading seafood companies for business generation and networking opportunities

BIM’s 2013-2017 strategy to deliver 1,200 new jobs and €1bn in seafood sales

World seafood demand expected to grow by an additional 42 million tonnes per annum by 2030.

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inshore ireland February/March 2014

Report

Will government jump-start Integrated Coastal Zone Management in wake of recent storm damage?

Gery Flynn

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en years ago, in January 2005, under the provocative headline Government lacks motivation to develop policy on Integrated Coastal Zone Management, Inshore Ireland’s first lead story suggested that no new national initiatives had been introduced to promote coastal management for almost a decade.

So, what has happened in the meantime? Surely by now Ireland has a world class, progressive, integrated, and highlyeffective legal mechanism in place to deal with the land-sea interface - probably our most vulnerable and increasingly busy zones?

To find out, we spoke to Dr Anne Marie O’Hagan of Beaufort Research at UCC’s Hydraulics and Maritime Research Centre.

A recognised expert on coastal zone management, Dr O’Hagan believes that ICZM has been sidelined in favour or Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) because it is seen by government “as a strongly environmentalbased management approach as opposed to one that fully addresses economic or social aspects”.

Instead, Maritime Spatial Planning is being advocated in the EU as one that can increase economic investment by providing more certainty to developers.

In 2005 and 2009 we published two detailed articles on ICZM. Can you summarise what has happened in the meantime?

Going back to 2002 the EU published a Recommendation on Integrated Coastal Zone Management that requested Member States to develop national ICZM strategies by 2006, but Ireland didn’t do that. So, at the moment we still have no over-arching policy, plan or strategy.

When you say that ‘Ireland didn’t do that’ what do you mean?

The instrument requiring action was a Recommendation; it urged action rather than imposed

a legal obligation to do something - and we weren’t the only country - that’s important to point out, Italy and Estonia didn’t do it either.

The Commission exerted no real pressure on Ireland, so what happened then?

Nothing, in terms of strategy. DG Environment continued to catalogue best practices across Europe. At a European level, the focus changed somewhat, and the Commission really started to look more at MSP than ICZM ― and that had a big influence on what countries were doing because obviously, if the EU was providing no clear steer, there was less of an obligation at Member State level.

I think another issue is that ICZM has always been seen as a strongly environmental-based management approach as opposed to one that fully addresses economic or social aspects. MSP is very much advocated in the EU as being a driver to increase economic investment by providing more certainty to developers.

Why has the Commission put more emphasis on MSP than on ICZM? MSP is viewed as one of the cross-sectoral tools essential for maximising the opportunity for economic growth from the ocean, so in that sense it could be more attractive to industry. The European Commission is very clear that there must be coherence between planning systems at land and sea.

MSP may only apply further offshore but in my view we still need ICZM to cover the land, coast and marine environments. ICZM is the over-arching management framework, essentially.

You say there has been no advances or legislative developments in the past ten years, and that Ireland adopts a sectoral approach.

Is that still the case?

Yes. I suppose there’s been a little bit more development on that side because the government did establish a cross-departmental Marine Co-ordination Group in 2009. It was tasked with addressing, amongst other items, protection of the marine environment and legislative issues.

Gradually over the past few years it has worked on those aspects. In 2012 the Group published what it calls an integrated marine plan - Our Ocean Wealth. But this document is very much about growing the maritime economy, and it doesn’t mention ICZM at all, even though it’s an integrated marine plan.

Do you regard that omission as a missed opportunity?

I do, because if you’re putting the effort into developing a marine plan, and particularly branding it as an integrated marine plan, you should include coastal management.

After all, the coast is what integrates the marine and the terrestrial environment.

Everything that’s created or generated offshore has to come onshore, so it has to cross the coast.

Prior to the publication of OOW, was there any public submission to government or were submissions simply excluded from the document?

That’s a difficult question! Our Ocean Wealth recommends more integrated planning but they see that very much as maritime spatial planning, and are working towards that. A Task Force was established to look specifically at that issue but I think there is a reticence on behalf of Government to raise ICZM from the dead because they’re afraid it will be viewed as a strongly conservation-led environmental management approach, which it’s not.

Is there a model of ICZM that Ireland could adopt?

There’s probably a lot of examples of where it is actually implemented. What’s more difficult is to gauge success of that management how do you gauge successful integrated management?

It’s not something that you can readily have metrics or indicators for, even though quite a lot of academic work does this.

And yes, there are lessons to be learned from other countries. Actually, even here we have had a lot of ad hoc and communityled coastal management projects that have worked

very well. The problem is maintaining those projects because obviously, you need funding, you need staff, and those are all the things that are missing because we don’t have a policy and we don’t have somebody willing to take responsibility.

If successive Irish governments have failed to publish any kind of ICZM framework, how have we managed our coast up to now?

I suppose traditionally the way the coast has been managed here is through application of the Foreshore Act which dates from 1933 and is woefully out of date and was never ever intended as a coastal management instrument.

Many Government departments recognise the need for reform of the Foreshore Act, and that is in the process of happening.

A Bill was published last year and is currently going through parliament but it’s very much focused on the actual procedural aspects of consenting marine development.

It doesn’t look at broader management issues and it will not address any of the

Dr Anne Marie O’Hagan

outstanding problems that we have regarding coastal management. Nor will it give a frameworkfor ICZM because it takes a narrower perspective. Arguably it’s heavily directed at fasttracking marine renewable energy. To me, it’s another missed opportunity.

Without a robust ICZM strategy/mechanism in place how can we develop?

We need an over-arching vision for where we want our marine and our coastal zone to be. We also need to know of all the activities going on in that zone - or which should not happen there if it’s a highly-sensitive environment.

What we see now is very much a sector-led approach where each sector is publishing its own development strategy for the next five to ten years. This will only place more pressure on coastal and marine environments. And then, if you couple that with climate change and adaptation to that change, coastal erosion etc - all the impacts that go with rising sea levels, for example - we don’t have a holistic integrated strategy to deal with any of these issues.

inshore ireland February/March 2014

YOURVIEW

Inishturk; well-maintained moorings, used as intended.

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Inshore Ireland and its publishers do not accept responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors. While every care is taken to ensure accuracy of information, we do not accept responsibility for any errors, or matters arising from same. Contact the editor at mills@inshore-ireland.com.

Clare Island: busy, but room for all

Photos: Geraldine Hennigan

Visitor moorings – an opportunity Norman Kean, Marine Consultant, Author and Editor

T

wo yachts, visitors to Ireland, arrive in two widely separated bays of a summer evening. The forecast is bad. The crew of Silent Night is very glad to find a row of big yellow buoys, each with a pickup buoy and a hefty bridle attached along with an information tag.

Securely moored, they enjoy a pub meal and a pint or two ashore, pay their tenner for the mooring and head back to their bunks in the knowledge that no matter how hard it blows, they aren’t going to be wakened by that awful yaw and scrape that speaks of a dragging anchor.

Restless finds one of the same yellow buoys in her bay, but as she approaches it she is gruffly warned off by someone who seems to regard it as his own. They hurriedly turn about and go in search of an anchorage where they have a sleepless night, disturbed as much by the memory of the threatening reception as by the rising gale.

Both scenarios have been played out in Ireland. The first is the ideal: the second crew will probably never return, and certainly not to that bay.

There is a case to be made for the man they met, if not for his manners; but some visitors’ moorings in Ireland have had to be lifted because a County Council could not prevent their misuse by local boats, to the exclusion of visitors.

Moorings for visiting yachts are a facility that can be provided and maintained at modest cost.

For the visitor, they provide welcome added security and encourage leisure sailors

to stretch their horizons.

For the community and local businesses, they attract a source of revenue and foster Ireland’s welcoming reputation. Visitors expect to pay for their use, and are often surprised to find that there is no mechanism to do it. The standard of moorings varies widely. Some are evidently well-maintained, clearly labelled, and provided with good pickup buoys and bridles. A few are anonymous, weedy and neglected.

How can the strengths be built on, and the issues addressed?

There is a great opportunity in empowering local communities to manage these facilities. Where there is a harbour authority and an active harbour master, clearly he has to be in overall charge.

But where there isn’t, you may be sure there is someone, or

a group of people, with an interest in the marine, and attracting marine tourists.

At one end of the scale, that may mean a specific business - either marine or hospitality - that maintains its own moorings for visitors.

Moorings of that kind tend to be well-maintained, and money is collected either directly or indirectly. But elsewhere, give a small volunteer group the authority to make some decisions and to collect the fees on behalf of (say) the Council, and the system can become virtually self-managing.

It might even be practicable to say to our friend the squatter: “All right, you think you’re entitled to a mooring.

We’ll allow you the use of one, and in return, you keep the others available for visitors and you collect the money on behalf of the Council.”

Work with people, not against them. Everybody wins.

In some places, it seems as if the moorings have been placed simply to keep them out of the way. At Roundstone, for example, the moorings are so far from the village that the dinghy ride can be hazardous – but there’s plenty of room nearer the shore. The ideal spot for moorings is where the water is sheltered but perhaps too deep for convenient anchoring - that way, a good anchorage is not spoiled.

What about liability?

Many yacht insurances place the responsibility on the user to satisfy himself that a mooring is fit for use. Unless the mooring is adequately labelled with weight limit and service date, that can be a matter of guesswork. Moorings have been known to break, and others have been removed for fear they might break.

Portsalon, Donegal: not exactly the kind of visiting boat we had in mind…

The way to avoid the problem is simply to make sure moorings are well designed, properly laid and regularly maintained. Most broken-mooring incidents, in any case, result from loss or chafe of the connection from the buoy to the boat - not a failure of the ground tackle or the riser.

Again, sound design and good maintenance avoid the problem. One specific point: moorings should never simply be abandoned and dropped (it has been done).

Fouling anchorages with heavy and unmarked ground chains is unforgiveable.

A joint working group with members drawn from the Irish Sailing Association, the Irish Cruising Club and the Cruising Association of Ireland is exploring ways of improving the mooring network. You can get in touch on 02388 46891 or to sailxanadu@gmail.com.

Photo: Geraldine Hennigan

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inshore ireland February/March 2014

freshwater focus

A tale of three flies Brendan Connolly

W

ith the first salmon of 2014 already caught, it was time to open up the fly boxes and inspect flies for dull points and bedraggled feathers.

But, seeing certain flies brought back memories, and time was instead spent reminiscing about past angling exploits.

The Connemara Black

The current was running over a clean gravel bed in a beautiful spate river in the West of Ireland. An angler was standing beside the inflow of a pool, casting his flies into the current.

Suddenly, he saw a powerful swirl at the end of the flow in the middle of the pool.

He dropped the flies and waited to let them sink He retrieved first with one pull of the flyline, and then started a second pull, but didn’t finish because the fly stopped dead. He raised the rod and felt solid thumping at the end of the line This could be a big fish.

The line angled into the water and steadily moved further into the pool. It described a circle and came back towards him. He stepped back, reeling in, and raised the rod to keep a steady tension on the line.

Suddenly, the salmon came up and trashed at the surface, sending spray into the air.

A heart-stopping moment for the angler, but fortunately the salmon stayed hooked.

The salmon once more went into the deeper part of the pool, and gaining

speed, it headed for the outflow. Luckily it stopped, turned, and cruised back towards the angler.

Keeping pressure on the fish all the time, the angler gradually guided the salmon closer and closer to the gravel bank at his feet. The angler very slowly lifted his rod, not daring to pull too hard.

Just the resistance of the water against the side of the fish created considerable drag.

When the salmon was silver side up at the surface, the angler slid the net underneath it. A 12.5 lb female spring salmon caught on a small Connemara Black trout fly.

The Coachman

The river was low; water flowing into the pool petering out after 6-7 metres, leaving the rest of the pool undisturbed. Using a sinking tip on his flyline, the angler used a small Coachman trout fly fished deep, reasoning that the white wing might entice a salmon.

Letting the fly sink at the end of the flow, the angler waited and then retrieved the fly. On the second pull the fly stopped. He raised his rod and the water came alive. A powerful jerk nearly pulled the rod from his hands and a huge upwelling broke the surface.

The fish crisscrossed the pool like a torpedo. Suddenly, the salmon headed full speed for the far bank and did not stop, but jumped out of the water and landed on a rock.

It clattered about on the rocky slab while the angler tried to manoeuvre the jumping salmon back into the river. With much relief he saw it hop back. After ten minutes the angler safely netted the 4.5 lb salmon caught on the white winged Coachman.

The angler cast out again in the same spot where he had hooked his first salmon, and to his amazement again on the second retrieve, the rod bent over and he was immediately into another fish. This fish proved to be a 3.45 lb salmon.

The two salmon were caught one cast after another, both on the Coachman.

The Tandem Peter Ross

An angler was fishing for seatrout on the incoming tide of the estuary, using blue and silver flies to imitate small fish. No seatrout showed however, despite trying several different blue and silver flies.

The angler inspected his fly box, and spotted a tandem Peter Ross in one corner that he had never used. He tied it on and cast into a channel between two sand banks.

Suddenly, the flies stopped dead in the water and the rod curved over. The line was pulled down as a strong fish cruised up the channel running parallel to the shore. Keeping deep, the fish felt very solid, the angler thought that this was a big seatrout. The fish swam around for some time as if unaware that it was hooked.

It stayed deep and only once showed a silver flash below the surface. Quite some time went by and the fish still showed no sign of tiring, causing the angler to wonder if it was foulhooked. Eventually, the fish was persuaded to swim into shallow water and slide onto the beach, and the angler did a double take. It was a strong 3 lb mullet, not a seatrout that had taken the Peter Ross.

These three flies brought back fond memories.

The coachman

A Tandem Peter Ross

Connemara Black

How many recreational anglers are in Ireland? The answer is disputed!

Gery Flynn

A

socio-economic study* highlighted

by Inland Fisheries Ireland that assesses the value to the Irish economy of recreational angling has been the subject for of a well-known and widely read pro-aquaculture commentator.

Since its publication in July last year, the study has featured regularly in the long-running pro-salmon farming blog, Callander McDowell, written by

UK-based fish farming consultant and commentator, Martin Jaffa.

In November, Callander McDowell drew attention to what it claimed were ‘the inconsistencies between their [IFI] report on the value of angling to Ireland and the one listing the number of salmon angling licences sold’.

Jaffa states that when he queried the figures with IFI, he was unhappy with their response that accused him of making ‘inaccurate extrapolations’.

‘It seems that IFI were

more concerned about the financial calculations but they miss the point in that it is the data [on which the financials are based] that are flawed. We have gone back to IFI with a simpler look at the data. This focuses on domestic salmon anglers only.

‘The IFI report puts the number of salmon anglers coming from Ireland (thus excluding Northern Irish and overseas visitors) at between 69,000 and 91,000.

If we were to accept their lower figure, it is still over three times the number of

people buying a salmon licence. This cannot be right.

Either the number of anglers has been over-estimated or else there are a lot of anglers fishing for salmon in Ireland without the necessary licence.’

Disparity claim

In its February blog, Callander McDowell claims to have identified ‘a great disparity between the number of anglers estimated to be fishing for salmon in Ireland and the number of licences sold to anglers.

IFI have been extremely

reluctant to provide any clarification but have repeatedly maintained that both sets of data are correct but are unable to reconcile them.

‘If the number of anglers estimated in the survey commissioned by IFI was even remotely closer to the number of licences sold, we could accept some disparity but the number of anglers is ten times the number of licences sold and this is just not believable.

‘IFI say that the company commissioned to undertake the study has carried out

inshore ireland February/March 2014

9

freshwater focus

Picture: Gearóid Ó Loingsigh

Leitrim says ‘no’ to fracking Sian Cowman

O

n the evening of January 13, Leitrim County Councillors voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion to insert text prohibiting hydraulic fracturing (fracking) into the County Development Plan. The text to be inserted covers about one page, but the following paragraph is the important one: ‘It is the policy of this Council to apply the “precautionary principle” to any oil/gas exploration and extraction projects/ operations proposed within the County. Given the presently available scientific and anecdotal evidence of the significant dangers of such projects - it is therefore the policy of Leitrim County work by a large number of organisations such as the UN, EU, the World Bank as well as the Irish Government and their work has never been questioned before. However, just because they have a good CV doesn’t mean that they cannot make an error.

After all, the number is just estimated, not an actual head count of anglers.

Callander McDowell also states it ‘pursued a formal complaint against IFI’ after it was accused of inaccurate extrapolation of the data.

‘At the deadline for a response, IFI finally offered us an explanation as to why the two sets of data are so different. It seems that the reason that there are so many anglers but so few licences issued is that anglers have taken to sharing their licences.

‘According to IFI, licence

Council that unconventional oil/gas exploration and extraction projects/ operations [shall] not be permitted within the County of Leitrim.’

Opposition endorsement

The motion, proposed by independent councillor Gerry Dolan, passed with 17 councillors voting in favour of the motion; one against and four abstentions. The no vote and the abstentions were all from Fine Gael councillors.

The move to ban fracking in the county reflects a high degree of opposition the practice expressed by many locals who lobbied councillors heavily ahead of the vote.

Around 200 people were present outside the council offices on the evening of the vote. sharing is difficult to detect but the issue will be addressed when new legislation is updated.

Meanwhile, if the figure of 190,000 salmon anglers determined by the study is to be believed as must be the annual licence sales of 19,000 then it seems that every licence is being shared between 10 different anglers.’

Still skeptical of the IFI explanation, Callander McDowell says that if it was true, ‘We can only wonder why such licence sharing is not detected either during the booking process or when bailiffs carry out inspections.

Surely, if IFI were aware of this problem, they would be making an effort to detect it and bring any perpetrators to justice because after all they are no different to those who fish without a licence.’

This motion is seen by antifracking campaigners as a step in the path to ban fracking nationally. It builds on a past motion from September 2 last year in which Leitrim County Council called on the national government to put in place ‘An immediate and outright ban on the exploration and extraction of Shale Gas by the fraction of Shale rock by hydraulics, cryogenics or similar purpose technology generally known as fracking.’

Nationwide message

A criticism of the new motion is that national government can still continue with plans for fracking despite a local ban such as this one. Campaigners however say that it sends a strong message to both decision-makers and investors that many people in

Leitrim, and in Ireland, do not want this industry.

The wording of the text to be inserted into the County Development Plan reflects the value that residents and Councillors believe should be placed on Leitrim’s clean water and landscape: ‘The Council wishes to safeguard and nurture the unspoilt/green image and reputation of Leitrim and the health of its present and future communities, centred on the rural characteristics of the County, agricultural activity, the landscape and its environmentally sensitive lands and water bodies - both surface and groundwater.’

Furthermore, the motion acknowledges that it is not just a Leitrim issue: ‘This Council will endeavour to protect the rights of the people of Leitrim and

adjoining counties to be safe in their own communities and understands that short term national policy can have long term and permanent negative effects.’

The reference to adjoining counties is considered important by campaigners because Tamboran Resources, the company that hold a shale gas options licence in Leitrim, also holds a petroleum licence in Fermanagh.

In November 2013, the company said it intended to drill an exploratory borehole later that year or in early 2014. Campaigners on both sides of the border have expressed opposition to the borehole, and highlighted that water knows no borders – groundwater contamination caused by drilling could affect water quality in other counties.

D

r. Martin Jaffa is a passionate advocate of the aquaculture industry with a career spanning forty years.

Since 1990, Dr. Jaffa has been at the helm of Callendar McDowell, a company that encourages aquaculture businesses to move from production-led strategies to those which are more market-led Dr Jaffa writes extensively on aquaculture particularly in the blog ‘reLAKSation’ www. callandermcdowell.co.uk/relaks.html and is consulted on a wide range of issues relating to aquaculture production and marketing. *The study is available for download from: http://www.fisheriesireland.ie/media/ tdistudyonrecreationalangling.pdf IFI press release fisheriesireland.ie/Press-releases/new-study-angling-worth-075billion-to-irish-economy-and-supporting-10000-jobs-in-rural-ireland.html

10 inshore ireland February/March 2014

fisheries

Revised COP for small fishing vessels

By Pauric Gallagher

A

revised Code of Practice (CoP) for the design, construction, equipment and operation of fishing vessels under 15 metres long comes into operation on March 3, 2014. The majority of the Irish fishing fleet of approximately 2,200 vessels are less than 15 metres.

The COP, which was last revised in 2005, has been updated to ensure that the experiences gained from its implementation as well as relevant recommendations by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) have been incorporated.

Small fishing vessels are already required to carry EPIRBs (Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons). The revised COP requires them to carry automatic, float-free EPIRBs, and for everyone on board to wear Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs).

Every fishing vessel will be required to be in compliance with these new requirements when they are next surveyed.

Safety first Announcing the revised COP, Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar said that while safety equipment may prove valuable in accelerating response times when a vessel or crew member gets into difficulty, “it is no substitute for the overriding ‘safety-first’ approach that has to be recognised and adopted by everyone in the fishing sector if we are to see a reduction in the number of incidents, injuries and loss of life in the sector.

“I also remind all skippers and fishermen of their responsibility to check on all of their safety equipment prior to each trip to ensure it is all on board and in working condition.”

The revised COP also includes details on existing requirements for regular musters and drills to ensure skippers and crew are familiar with safety procedures

should an incident occur.

Speaking to Inshore Ireland Francis O’ Donnell CEO of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation said, this was a welcome development which reinforced and improved existing safety standards for fishermen.

“We have seen much

unfortunate tragedy recently and it is in everybody’s interest to minimise risks where possible.

The Marine Survey Office (MSO) is the competent authority in this area and what we need to avoid is duplication by other agencies.

“The MSO and the Health & Safety Authority are in the process

of developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the detail of which is as yet unknown.

“The Irish fishing will not accept two COPs as it is a waste of taxpayers’ money placing an unnecessary administrative burden on fishermen.”

New CoP comes from March 3.

Photo Pauric Gallagher

Fishermen seek better quota management

By Pauric Gallagher

T

he Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has reminded skippers and boat owners of their responsibility towards the safety of their crew during the recent stormy conditions, following reports that some fishing vessels had suffered damage. Fishermen however say it is the fish quota system that is forcing some of the larger vessels to sea in order to make a return on their investment.

One vessel that sustained some damage to its wheelhouse was Endurance; it had been fishing for prawns in poor weather on the Porcupine Bank when one of its windows was broken. The vessel is now in Dingle undergoing repairs to its window and wheelhouse electronics.

Some skippers are blaming the way the quota system is operated, saying there is not enough quota for everyone and that they should be allowed to catch their

quota during the summer months when the weather is good and remain tied up during the winter period.

In a statement, the DAFM said that quota management is agreed on a monthly basis between themselves and fishermen’s representatives and if they wished to change that, fishermen should raise the matter through their producer organisations.

Inadequate quota

Revised CoP will require under 15m fishing boats to carry automatic, float-free EPIRBs.

Photo Gillian Mills

Francis O’Donnell, CEO of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation told Inshore Ireland that one of the main problems was simply not enough quota.

“A fleet restructuring scheme is needed. We have asked Minister Coveney to consider a decommissioning scheme for the whitefish fleet. I know he is looking at this as a potential option in terms of dealing with this problem.

“If such a scheme goes ahead it needs to be done with the view of removing vessels. One needs to remember there is a significant amount of off register tonnage kilowatts out there. How to manage this is a key issue.”

All under 15m fishing boats must be in compliant before their next survey

Photo Gillian Mills

inshore ireland February/March 2014 11

fisheries

Fishing vessels operating in EU waters will be subject to the new regulation. Castletownbere, Co Cork.

Photo Eleanor Buckley

Point system in place to combat serious fishery offences Gillian Mills

I

rish legislation enforcing EU regulation that applies points to the licence of fishing vessels involved in serious fishery offences was signed into law by marine minister Simon Coveney on January 8. The system is separate from other potential sanctions for serious infringements, including a court prosecution Infringements that might be regarded as warranting points when they are sufficiently serious include: »» failing to fulfil obligations to record and report catch or catch related data (including data to be transmitted by satellite vessel monitoring system) »» use of prohibited or noncompliant gear »» falsification or concealing of markings, identity or registration of the vessel »» concealing, tampering or disposal of evidence relating to an investigation »» taking on board, transhipping or landing of undersized fish »» carrying out of fishing activities in a prohibited conservation area »» fishing without a valid licence, authorisation or permit issued by the flag State or the relevant coastal State »» fishing in a closed area or during a closed season, without or after attainment of a quota or beyond a

closed depth »» fishing for a stock which is subject to a moratorium or for which fishing is prohibited and »» obstruction of the work of officials in the exercise of their duties in inspecting for compliance with the applicable conservation and management measures

Points accumulation

The number of points to be attributed for specific infringements is set down in EU regulation. Every time a serious infringement is committed, the appropriate number of points will be assigned to the licence holder of the vessel.

Any licence holder who accumulates more than 18 points will have the fishing licence suspended for at least two months. For higher numbers of points, the penalty increases to suspensions of four, eight and twelve months respectively.

If, after the end of the fourth suspension period, further serious infringements occur, the fishing licence will be permanently withdrawn. If however the offender does not commit any serious infringements within three years of the previous such infringement, all points on the fishing licence will be deleted and he/ she will start again with a clean slate.

The regulation also provides for fishers to engage in activities that would result in the deletion of points.

Points stay with the vessel

capacity and its associated licence and are therefore transferred to the new owner if the vessel is sold on.

Dissuasive sanctioning

“The SFPA welcomes the point system for serious infringements. The SFPA can initiate the issuing of points to vessels committing serious infringements in waters under Irish jurisdiction and this will go a long way to ensure that fishing rules are applied in the same way in all member countries as well as harmonising the way infringements are sanctioned.

“We believe in proportionate, dissuasive sanctioning of infringements detected and the SFPA are committed to implementing this system in an effective, fair and proportionate manner,” remarked Susan Steele, SFPA chair.

She added that the rules will give Ireland and other EU Member States new powerful tools “not only to protect our fishing resources from unscrupulous operators, but also to protect the livelihoods of honest fishermen who would otherwise be exposed to unfair competition.”

The point system for serious infringements will work in tandem with the legal prosecution process through the courts.

“The cumulative effect should provide a very real deterrent for those who seek to gain unfair advantage over their fellow fishers by engaging in repeated serious infringements,” she added.

I

f, during the course of a vessel inspection at sea or at landing, a Sea-Fisheries Protection Officer (SFPO) discovers an infringement against any of the listed serious infringements and forms the opinion that points could apply, they will complete their inspection, note in their inspection report their view that a serious infringement has been detected and inform the Master of the vessel accordingly.

That view and inspection report will be subject to review within the SFPA to assess the seriousness of the infringement detected and the appropriateness of the application of points.

Thus, the inspecting officer will not directly assign points.

The relevant EU regulation directs that for the indicated list of infringements, the seriousness of the infringement detected should be determined and assessed against specific criteria which should include, but not necessarily be limited to, the damage done, its value, the extent of the infringement or its repetition.

In the event of two or more serious infringements being detected in the course of a single inspection, the total number of points that can be assigned will not exceed 12 points.

When the total number of points accumulated equals or exceeds 18 points however, the vessel’s fishing licence will be suspended for a period of at least two months. At 36 points, the suspension will be for four months. At 54 points, the licence will be suspended for eight months and at 72 points, the licence will be suspended for one year.

At the accumulation of 90 points by the holder of the fishing licence, the licence will be permanently withdrawn.

The SFPA, having made the determination that a serious infringement has occurred will then inform the licence holder in writing of the decision to apply points to their licence and advise the licence holder of their right to appeal the SFPA’s decision. The Irish system provides for an Appeals Officer to be appointed by the Minister.

All appeals to the Appeals Officer are required to be submitted by the licence holder within 21 days of receipt of the SFPA letter indicating the intention to assigns points to that licence. The appeal must be in writing and must state the grounds under which the appeal is being sought. The decision of the Appeals Officer must be provided within 28 days of the original appeal to him / her and will be notified in writing to the SFPA and the holder of the licence.

12 inshore ireland February/March 2014

inshore fisheries management »» from page 1

»» Existing Policy and Licencing Regimes »» Developing Strategies for Rural and Island Communities A further two standalone appendices address ‘Sealice’ and ‘Mixed Stock Salmon Fishery’.

Committee comments

In the foreword, subCommittee chairman Andrew Doyle notes that sustainable development in rural coastal and island areas is imperative.

“As well as their rich influence on national culture and language, communities have the potential to make a significant contribution to the wider economy in areas such as food, tourism and marine energy.

“The report seeks to chart an optimum course to sustainably develop our marine resources, ensuring that long-term economic and employment potential of the commercial aquaculture industry can be unleashed, while safeguarding Ireland’s enviable reputation for seafood production.”

But he cautions that all aquaculture development must be based on a sound regulatory system that has the confidence of the public and also of the European Commission.

The sub-Committee

also questions if sufficient resources are being employed to comply with the Natura Directives and to process existing aquaculture licence applications (especially outside of conservation areas).

Moth-balled management

Concern is also noted regarding management of inshore fisheries specifically the under 10m sector which constitutes the bulk of the fleet and is described as being in abeyance.

“The sub-Committee is acutely aware of how coastal and island communities are economically, socially, demographically and even culturally reliant on this type of fishing. We are concerned at the lack of reliable data that underpins current policy in the area.

Regarding fisheries regulation, the report says that rules and bans are only one way to sustain fish stocks.

‘If [they] are not twinned with innovative ideas/latest technologies, consideration of socio-economic impacts and the provision of accessible high-quality data on fish stocks, then all fishing management initiatives will be destined to fail.

‘To achieve this, the scientific community must work alongside our fishermen to protect our seas and provide for a sustainable fishing community, the report concludes.

Responses to invited comments from the relevant departments Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The report makes 29 recommendations, many of which are within the area of responsibility of other Ministers and some of which may require a cross Government response. Notwithstanding this, the Minister notes that many of the recommendations within his remit are consistent with policies being pursued by him and the agencies under the aegis of his Department.

The Minister wishes to carefully consider the report in full, together with the records of the debates the Committee had with stakeholders and which informed the conclusions of its report. The Minister would be happy to meet with the Committee in due course to discuss its recommendations.

The Minister has previously stated that a necessary key policy priority for inshore fisheries is to bring management of inshore fisheries into full compliance with the Habitats and Birds Directive and with the judgment of the European Court of Justice in case C418/04. This year is likely to be a highly significant one for inshore fisheries in relation to the Habitats and Birds Directives. The Marine Institute is currently preparing risk assessments under Article 6 of the Habitats Directive in respect of all fisheries in or adjacent to all marine Natura 2000 sites. The Minister expects to receive the Marine Institute’s reports on these assessments in the coming months. Should those reports identify the need for additional management measures or changes in fishing practices to ensure the protection of designated habitats and species, the Minister will be discussing those needs with representatives of fishermen affected. This year is also likely to see important changes in inshore fisheries management. In 2013, the Minister engaged in lengthy consultation with lobster and shrimp fishermen on the need for additional conservation measures to ensure their sustainability of these fisheries. In excess of 200 submissions were received that raised many important issues. Over the coming months, the Minister will be progressing these proposals, in close consultation with representatives of the lobster and shrimp fisheries. On January 14, the Minister published proposed measures outlined for inclusion in the new Rural Development Programme 2014 - 2020. Included is a proposal to provide support to island farmers under the RDP, given the particular challenges they face. The Department is currently examining possible mechanisms for this support [and will be assessing submissions as part of a public consultation that concluded on February 19.]

Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Údarás na Gaeltachta is the regional authority responsible for the economic, social and cultural development of the Gaeltacht.

Marine-based enterprises, such as aquaculture, marine tourism and seafood processing, which are highlighted in the report are critically important to Gaeltacht communities.

The right environment to grow and develop maritime industry is fundamental to maintaining rural maritime communities.

Accordingly, the Sub-Committee’s recommendations regarding licensing and grant support are to be welcomed. Aquaculture offers substantial economic benefits to coastal communities, and the Department fully supports the recommendations to ensure the highest standards in finfish aquaculture are adhered to. There are small-scale shellfish operators in the Gaeltacht along with multinational finfish operations and both bring essential economic activity to the regions. A bottom-up approach, empowering local communities to become the drivers of local development can enable communities to enhance their own economic and social prosperity. This is the vision behind the Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGS). The Sub-Committee’s recommendation that increased funding be sought for this programme is to be supported. Many of those working in marine-based activities in rural economies may be involved in other economic activities. These could including fishing, aquaculture activity (i.e. shellfish), seaweed harvesting as well as land-based agriculture. This is the nature of life in rural communities and the Sub-Committee’s recommendation to re-examine access to job seekers benefit, illness benefit and other welfare benefits is timely. The seaweed sector has significant development potential, from growing the seaweed to producing high value end products. This is an area where the Gaeltacht, and indeed coastal communities as a whole, has the potential to excel and this is specifically highlighted in the Sub-Committee’s report. Údarás na Gaeltachta is actively engaging with existing and potential entrepreneurs in the seaweed sector. The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht supports the Sub-Committee’s recommendation regarding the removal of any impediment to the development of the seaweed industry with a view to optimising its economic potential for the coastal economy.

Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

As you will appreciate this is a large and wide ranging report and both the Department and its relevant State Agency are examining all of the recommendations and, in particular, those most appropriate to our areas of statutory responsibility. This is a time-consuming task especially if our review is to appropriately recognise the many months of work undertaken by the Committee in compiling the report. In that regard we would need to complete the review and analysis before we are in a position to make informed comment and response. Many of the recommendations will no doubt require consideration in the context of international obligations and onuses in the habitats, environmental and conservation areas. In addition, there are several of the recommendations on which we may need to seek clarity before making a detailed contribution in order to assist the Committee in its work.

The Department approach is to undertake its review in order to prepare a response to the Chairman and the Committee in the first instance, and the Minister of State concurs with that approach. It is considered the most appropriate approach to respond to the Committee as regards the report’s recommendations before we discuss it in the media. Once our detailed response is finalised and communicated to the Chair and his Committee we will be happy to comment and respond to any particular question raised by Inshore Ireland after we have formally responded to the Committee.

[Neither the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, nor Transport, Tourism and Sport provided a reponse]

Other recommendations include that:

»» The current fragmented governance of the maritime sector be rationalised, along the lines of Marine Scotland across the water »» Certified, practical courses for fishing communities be established by BIM in conjunction with new training agency SOLAS »» Inland Fisheries Ireland work more closely with tourism agencies to ensure the integration of sea angling into tourism packages and marketing campaigns »» The Department of Transport explore the licensing of dual-use fishing vessels both for commercial fishing and tourism angling and how their conversion might be grantaided, and »» The Departments of Marine and Environment resolve the regulatory licensing issues that pose an impediment to the development of the seaweed industry

The report can be downloaded at: http://www.oireachtas. ie/parliament/media/Draft-3-Final-Report-on-PromotingSustainable-Rural-Coastal-and-Island-Communities.pdf

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inshore ireland February/March 2014 13

inshore fisheries management

Infrastructure, regulation and control seen as the key to a sustainable inshore fishing sector Gery Flynn

O

ften overshadowed by the more organised and highly vocal offshore sector, Ireland’s inshore fisheries are showing signs of developing the unity to give them enough political clout that will insure they will be listened to in Dublin and Brussels.

To learn more about what concerns this numerically large but disorganised sector and its critical importance for a sustainable coastal economy, we spoke to inshore fisherman Eamon Dixon a founder-member of the Erris Inshore Fishermen’s Association (EIFA). He also gave his view on the recently published report of the Joint sub-Committee of Fisheries: Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities After training at the National Fishing Training College in Greencastle, Eamon returned to Co Mayo where he fished locally for salmon (until 2006), crab, cod and pollack.

In 2011 he helped found Responsible Irish Fish (RIF) to assist vessel owners achieve certification for their fish and shellfish, to develop a brand that would allow Irish fishermen differentiate their products in the market place and to promote Irish fish caught in a responsible manner.

Over the years, Eamon has maintained an active role in fishing issues relating to his local area in Ballyglass and more recently has become involved as an advocate of the wider inshore fishing sector.

He is currently a member of the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority’s

Consultative Committee.

Part two of this interview will be published in our April-May edition.

Do you think the Joint sub-Committee on Fisheries understands the challenges facing the inshore fishing sector, and what should follow this report?

Yes, they definitely seemed to have a good enough grasp of what is happening. At the same time however we’ve had many reviews that have gone nowhere. We’ve also had umpteen reports and nothing has been done about them either - they exist on shelves and are no good unless their recommendations are implemented. What’s needed now is a full review of regulation and control in pot fishing - one that examines pot limits, clawing, mandatory v-notching for all lobster and crab fishermen. Unless these issues are addressed, size limitations are futile.

The Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) has called for environmental-friendly methods of pot fishing and an inshore brand label.

What does this mean?

Consumers today are increasinly interested in how their fish is caught, whether inshore or offshore.

Unless it’s seen to be done in an environmentalfriendly way, they tend not purchase the product.

Therefore, more effort must be made to promote environmental friendly pot fishing - preferably under a dedicated brand label. This could also include linecaught mackerel and pollack.

New markets for these fish could also be explored and promoted by Bord Bia. The FIF has already discussed this with them, and we

Sustainable inshore fisheries is vital for the survival of small coastal communities Photo Gillian Mills

strongly believe there’s a real marketing opportunity here.

The inshore sector is strong in numbers, but is disorganised. Isn’t it difficult to have any real political clout?

Yes definitely. Some inshore fishermen are members of different POs up and down the country and unfortunately there’s still greater numbers operating outside any organisation.

BIM and the SFPA have offices all over the country and fishermen work closely with them to try to improve things. Greater dialogue is needed between fishermen and State authorities when making decisions on inshore fisheries. A dedicated inshore producer organisation is needed to realise this. My fear is that fishing communities will not survive if this doesn’t happen soon.

You highlight the lack of proper infrastructure as a key reason holding back the inshore sector, what do you mean?

If a fisherman hasn’t a safe pier to land his catch and tie up his boat and leave it there safely, what chance has he of succeeding? If you couldn’t park your car outside your house safely you’d have a hard job insuring it - especially if it was likely to be damaged on a daily basis.

Here in Mayo we have a fine pier in Ballyglass but without substantial improvements it’s of no use to us because we can’t leave our boats there except in the summer months.

And in winter this becomes an even bigger issue. Believe it or not, Mayo hasn’t a single all-weather pier where a fishing vessel can be kept safely all year around. This also makes getting insurance for vessels more expensive and difficult to obtain. As a fishing nation, we need to build on infrastructure for inshore fishing by improving facilities on smaller piers nationwide.

The relationship between inshore fishermen and some State agencies and regulators is sometimes difficult. Are there signs things are improving?

Some aspects have improved especially with the SFPA and BIM who are already on the ground and whose people know exactly what’s going on. I can’t criticise them because they have other

Eamon Dixon responsibilities that takes a lot of their time. They are also tightly resourced and don’t have the manpower. Unless there’s adequate resourcing – especially for the SFPA - there will not be proper control, and inshore fisheries management will continue to decline.

You criticise the ban on driftnet fishing. How has the ban impacted the inshore sector?

The ban continues to have a huge negative impact; salmon drift-netting has been a massive talking point for the past twenty years. The way the ban was handled has made inshore fishermen very wary of any management structure. At the time we accepted the view that we were going to have a successful salmon fishery but instead, almost overnight, the salmon fishery was completely taken away from us.

What went wrong, and how could things be improved?

At the time of the ban there was a shortage of detailed knowledge about the fishery and the amount of stock in the rivers. This information was only coming from one side - fishermen never really had a chance to put forward their views.

With today’s technology however - electronic fish counters on rivers, for example - there must surely be now some way that a small-scale drift-net fishery supporting a small number of boats could be looked at again. After nearly nine years, I don’t think the ban has made any major difference to stock density in the in the

rivers. Drift-netting got the blame for declining salmon stocks, but nothing much has changed since the netting was stopped completely.

Are you calling for a controlled re-opening of inshore salmon drift-netting?

It certainly should be looked at because with the advances of modern technology since 2006, new methods of sustaining and protecting the wild salmon stocks need to be investigated, in order to present an option to return to a well-managed and protected fishery. Common sense should tell you that it would also provide inshore fishermen with a chance to make a living.

If you can create a single job nowadays in any industry in any town in Ireland it’s seen as a great start, and there are even grants available for it.

In the inshore sector the jobs are already there, and those jobs should be sustained.

Opening a controlled salmon fishery again and regulating the pollack fishery would be a good start.

If these aren’t implemented, how in the name of God are you going to sustain the jobs that are there at the moment? We’re not trying to tempt some big international group in here; these jobs are already here and they should be saved. Every one of those fishermen lives in the local communities. Their kids go to school here, their families buy all the foodstuffs here, their money is spent here so those jobs should be saved.

That’s the most important thing of all.

14 inshore ireland February/March 2014

aquaculture news

To grant or not to grant: a heavy weight to bear for one person Noel Carr, FISSTA

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o date over 250 organisations have registered their support for FISSTA’s campaign to rid ourselves from the damage that is sealice and finfish farming.

It is now almost three years since Minister Simon Coveney TD announced what we all know is his ten mega salmon farm plan to increase Irish production from ten thousand tonnes to match Scottish targets of over three hundred thousand tonnes.

The first of these applications came from BIM with a 1,300 page Environmental Impact Statement for Galway Bay confirming their intention to produce 15,000 tonnes of farmed salmon which outlined the many advantages and not one disadvantage to the project.

The fact that the application was to the Minister who must decide himself whether to grant or reject the application, highlights the need for marine

environmental accountability as absolutely none exists at present.

There are many factors to be taken into consideration that concern the people of Galway and the west coast.

Jobs

For over thirty years the salmon farming industry has employed no more than 150 (if we take away the shellfish sector) leaving a trail of disease and environmental contamination in our waters that seriously impacted on our wild habitat and in particular wild shellfish and our wild Atlantic salmon and seatrout.

The impact on angling tourism jobs can be estimated at over many thousands due to the devastation of our wild salmonid rivers as 90 of our 150 are still on life support according to the latest Inland Fisheries Ireland scientific report.

Sustainability

The major salmon farming company in Ireland based in Donegal is a good example to explore how feasible the present business is in Ireland as they lost €2.3m in the last quarter of 2013,

according to their report filed in compliance with Oslo stock exchange.

In fact, last year their exceptional losses were €6.6m. This very poor performance will continue unless their critical mass target of 300,000 tonnes is achieved, but they must realise by now that Ireland’s marine coastline will never support a fraction of this target tonnage due to ‘pancreatic disease ― the high occurrence jelly fish and AGD or Amoebic Gill Disease’ as acknowledged in their last financial report.

Damage to the tourism sector

Angling tourism is valued at over €755m per annum to our economy, supporting over 10,000 jobs, which despite misinformed blogs from the fish farm sector are being stood over by consultants, TDI. The Wild Atlantic Way being developed by Failte Ireland claims that the project has the potential to deliver an extra €1bn along the 1,553 miles of coastline where BIM and Minister Coveney plan to locate over 7,000 ugly salmon farm cages

FISSTA with speakers at a recent Galway Bay against Salmon Cages seminar

[that] will degrade the view and impede the generation of business revenue.

Damage to the agrifood sector

Agri-food and fisheries is Ireland’s largest indigenous industry, a sector with long historic provenance and one which, today, collectively employs some 150,000 people with an annual output of over €24bn and a significant weighting of activity in rural and coastal communities.

The recent Listeria scare in farmed smoked salmon where exported batches had to be recalled under the instruction of State authorities is a very urgent reminder of how sensitive this industry is to danger from low standards.

Damage to marine environment

Latest news of major storm damage to finfish farm cages all along the west coast is that costs to repair equipment and replenish stocks are mounting.

It is estimated that the major escape in Bantry Bay will have a devastating impact on the wildlife and spawning salmon already in rivers.

With climate change driving much more adverse weather conditions for salmon farming, it is estimated that even greater waves than the record 77ft one recently recorded on Buoy M4 does not augur well for offshore sites in future.

Damage to island community sustainability

The Joint Oireachtas Sub Committee on Fisheries launched their report on January 14 on Inis Oirr where Oireachtas members witnessed at first-hand the opposition to the fish farming application in Galway Bay. Minister Coveney can learn from Minister Pat Rabbitte’s pylon problem and listen to the back bench TDs who wish to get elected again. How can the most successful Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine squander his hard earned reputation on a small fin fish farming sector that never delivered a sustainable job, nor never will.

It is time for Taoseach Enda Kenny TD to persuade Minister Coveney like he persuaded Minister Pat Rabbitte to withdraw the application now before it is too late.

inshore ireland February/March 2014 15

aquaculture news

The brown seaweed, Laminaria digitata

Seaweed found along the Irish west coast

Fucoidans: natural, powerful compounds from the ocean Dr Simon Faulkner, Ocean Harvest Technology

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eaweeds contain a plethora of bioactive compounds that have potential as functional food and feed ingredients. These bioactive molecules have been extensively studied and are shown to have interesting functional properties that are beneficial for both human and animal health.

Fucoidans are a group of sulphated polysaccharides that are present in brown seaweeds such as Laminaria digitata and Fucus vesiculosis, and are extremely interesting bioactive compounds.

This article will provide an overview of seaweed-derived fucoidans, and the potential they have as a functional food ingredient.

What are Fucoidans?

Fucoidans are a class of sulphated, fucose-rich polysaccharides that were first isolated from brown algae by Kylin in 1913. These sulphated polysaccharides are absent in land plants but present in the cell-wall matrix of various brown seaweeds.

The structure of fucoidans varies depending on seaweed species and method of extraction, both of which may influence the biological activity of the sulphated polysaccharide. Fucoidans have been isolated from a number of

Irish brown seaweeds including but not limited to Ascophyllum nodosum, Fucus vesiculosus, Laminaria digitata and Saccharina latissima.

Biological activities of Fucoidans Studies have shown that seaweed-derived sulphated polysaccharides possess antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer, antithrombotic and immunemodulating activities (Holdt and Kraan, 2011).

In addition, a recent study has reported that fucoidan supplementation significantly reduces triglyceride, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels in the plasma of mice - thus showing potential as a natural anti-obesity compound (Kim et al., 2014).

The immuno-modulating effects of fucoidans are related to the fact that they can modify cell surface properties. Various experiments in a number of species have found that fucoidans can inhibit viral replication and also stimulate the immune system by acting on macrophage, T cells, B cells and natural killer cells.

In addition, it has been reported that fucoidans can increase antibody production in both sheep and humans. The anti-tumour effects of fucoidans are not well understood but the sulphated polysaccharide has been shown in a number of studies to inhibit tumour growth and tumour cell adhesion.

The antioxidant activity of

fucoidans and other seaweedderived sulphated polysaccharides is well-established and is thought to be heavily influenced by the ratio of sulphate content/fucose as well as the molecular weight.

Therefore, it is postulated that fucoidans may help to prevent disorders that are associated with free radicals including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and aging.

The antithrombotic activity of fucoidans has also been investigated, mainly by comparison to heparin. Heparin is a commonly used injectable anticoagulant that is traditionally obtained from the intestines of slaughtered meat animals.

Similar to heparin, the sugar backbone of fucoidans is highly sulphated; however, as fucoidans originate from seaweed - and not animal sources - they are less likely to contain infectious agents such as viruses and pathogenic bacteria. Results so far have shown that the anticoagulant activity of purified fucoidan is similar to heparin, and that it most likely has no long-term side effects.

Future applications of Fucoidans Fucoidans have many potential applications in the food, feed, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. The future utilisation of fucoidans is made even more promising due to the fact that they are considered a dietary fibre and appear to be non-toxic as determined by both in vitro and in vivo studies. Furthermore, like other seaweed-derived

Ascophyllum nodosum, well known brown seaweed containing Fucoidan polysaccharides such as alginates and carrageenans, fucoidans are reasonably stable molecules making them suitable for a number of applications. www.oceanharvest.ie References Holdt SL, Kraan S (2011) Bioactive

compounds in seaweed: functional food applications and legislation. J Appl Phycol 23:543-597.

Kim, M.-J., Jeon, J. and Lee, J.-S. (2014), Fucoidan Prevents High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity in Animals by Suppression of Fat Accumulation.

Phytother. Res., 28: 137–143. doi: 10.1002/ptr.4965.

16 inshore ireland February/March 2014

marine r&d

Record wave heights and tides in January - February Kieran Lyons, Oceanographer, Marine Institute

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he recent period of stormy weather resulted in very high seas around the coast of Ireland.

The M4 weather buoy located off Donegal recorded an individual wave of 23.4 metres on the January 26 and was the highest individual wave ever recorded by the Weather Buoy network.

The ability to record this parameter is a relatively recent addition to the network; the new Fugro Oceanor buoys, the first of which was deployed at the M2 site in October 2009, can record the highest wave in any individual sampling period.

All weather buoys however have had the ability to record significant wave height1 since the network began in 2001.

Record breaker The M4 buoy also recorded a significant wave height of 15.3 metres on January 26 and that was a record for that site since the buoy became operational in January 2003.

The weather buoy network is operated by the Marine

Institute with financial support primarily from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sports.

While the weather buoys can give us the wave conditions at discrete locations, we need to use mathematical modelling to estimate the wave conditions over large areas. The Marine Institute runs one such wave model every morning to produce 6-day forecasts of the wave conditions in Irish waters.

Animations of the model forecast are available on the Marine Institute website www.marine.ie/home/services/ operational/oceanography/ WaveForecast.htm).

Wave forecast time series are also produced for each buoy in the Weather Buoy network (Fig 1). These are used to help plan service visits to the weather buoys by identifying periods where the wave height is below a threshold height deemed safe for shipborne operations.

While the high waves were a contributory factor in the recent coastal flooding around the Irish coastline, there were other phenomena at play. In particular, the Spring tides at the beginning of January and February were higher than average because of the stage we are at in the current 18.6 lunar tidal cycle2.

Perfect storm High tides alone however did not cause the widespread flooding.

Sea levels at the coast were raised further by the storms that tracked across Ireland during this period.

The low atmospheric pressure associated with these storms caused the sea level to bulge upwards while the strong winds had the effect of ‘piling up’ water at the coasts (heavy rainfall and swollen rivers further exacerbated the problem for those locations where river levels play a part in flooding).

These ‘storm surges’ added a metre or more to local water levels and when the surge coincided with high tide, the risk of flooding became very high.

The Galway Port water level data measured over the Christmas period provides an example of how the timing of tide and weather has such a bearing on the

flooding risk. The Galway Port tide gauge is one of a number of installations around the Irish coast that measures water level on an operational basis.

Permanent monitoring This Irish National Tide Gauge Network is an on-going development involving the Marine Institute and other organisations in the public and private sector with a view to developing a permanent tidal monitoring infrastructure around our coastline.

A time series plot of water level measured by the Galway Port tide gauge is shown in Figure 2.

In the top pane, the actual measured level is shown in red while the predicted tide (water level due to tidal forcing only) is shown in blue. The difference between these two parameters is the residual or surge (bottom pane).

The highest surge recorded during this period occurred early on St Stephen’s Day morning and at 1.4 metres was the highest surge recorded by that gauge since it became operational in March of 2007. This surge however occurred at neap tide so the total water level was equivalent to a normal spring tide.

The flooding that occurred in Galway city on January 3 was due to a large surge occurring at the same time as a higher than normal spring tide. The surge was 35 cm less than that on St Stephen’s Day but the predicted tide was 1.5 metres higher. The total water level of 3.555 metres (relative to OD Malin3) measured January 3 was the highest water level recorded at the Galway Port gauge - until February 1 when a new record of 3.588 metres was measured!

Photo: Andrew Downes Photography

Fig1 Modelled (blue) and measured (green) wave height at the M4 location

Fig2 Time series of measured and predicted water level (top pane) and storm surge (bottom) at Galway Port tide gauge

1:Significant wave height is defined as the average of the highest third of the waves recorded over a sampling period. It is the most common statistic used to denote the height of waves in a sea state being found to roughly correspond to what an observer would visually estimate the wave height to be 2:The Moon and Sun exert gravitational forces on the Earth. The most obvious effect of these forces (combined with the rotation of the Earth) is the constant rising and falling of sea level. However, as anyone who lives by the sea will know, the tidal range is not constant.

Tides are bigger around new moon and full moon (spring tides) than they are at half moon (neap tides) because at new/full moon the moon and sun fall in a straight line with earth while at half moon the moon and sun form a right angle with the earth and so the gravitational pull from each body tends to cancel each other out somewhat.

There are other features of the relationship between these three bodies that also affect the tidal range. For instance, there is an 18.6 year lunar tidal cycle caused by the precession of the lunar nodes. The plane of the lunar orbit is inclined at about 5 degrees to the plane of the earth’s orbit around the sun (the ecliptic).

The lunar node is the intersection between these 2 imaginary planes. This intersection moves (precesses) one cycle (360°) in 18.6 years and this is measurable in the tidal record because of the variation in the gravitational forces due to the changing lunar declination caused by this “celestial dance”.

3: An Ordnance Datum (OD) is a vertical datum used as a basis for deriving altitudes/height on maps or other practical purposes. OD Malin was adopted as the Irish national datum in 1970. It is fixed as Mean Seal Level of the tide gauge at Malin Head, County Donegal based on readings taken between January 1960 and December 1969. The gauges of the Irish National Tide Gauge Network report levels relative to this datum.

Weather buoy network

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Locations of Weather Buoys

he Irish Marine Weather Buoy Network is a joint project designed to improve weather forecasts and safety at sea around Ireland. The buoy network provides vital data for weather forecasts, shipping bulletins, gale and swell warnings as well as data for general public information and research. Buoy data is also helpful for validating the Marine Institute’s operational models.

The project is the result of successful collaboration between the Marine Institute, Met Eireann, and The UK Met Office and is funded by the Irish Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.

inshore ireland February/March 2014 17

marine r&d

Outdoor classroom on Clare Island’s seashore

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he Explorers Marine Education programme 2014 started with great momentum with Dr Noirin Burke, the Explorers Education Officer, and the students from St Patrick’s National School on Clare Island, Co Mayo, taking to the seashore at Portahoolia in January.

The whole school took part to learn about the local marine

Clare Island

species and plants, as well as the significance of their local marine environment living on an island.

Mr Clarke, the school’s principal said the seashore safaris run by the programme was a perfect example of active discovery-based learning.

“Much of the emphasis in our society is based on IT; donning the wellies and getting out into the great outdoor classroom is unrivalled,” he remarked.

Dr Burke has been involved in the Explorers Education

Photo: Dr. Noirin Burke

Clare Island students explore the seashore

Programme for over eight years and explained her enthusiasm for teaching science outdoors.

“The local seashore is a fascinating place to take students to as the marine environment is constantly evolving and changing – particularly around Ireland’s coastline. There is always the potential to find something different, ranging from the environment, to flotsam being washed up to discovering new species.”

“The recent trip to Portahoolia provided us all with a great experience of discovering some really beautiful examples of marine life as well as finding a Blue rayed limpet which I have only seen in the seashore books!”

The visit to Clare Island was organised by Art O Súilleabháin, director of Mayo Education Centre. Dr Burke later visited the Centre to outline the programme to the teachers. This highlighted the resources available to teach students about Ireland’s marine resource, oceans and seashores through a variety of crosscurricular, marinebased lesson plans, activities and science experiments available on www. explorers.ie.

For more information on the Explorers programme visit www. explorers.ie or www.facebook. com/ExplorersMarineEducation

Explorers Primary Marine Science Workshops available at Lifetime Lab, Cork

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collaboration between Lifetime Lab and the Explorers Marine Education Programme aims to bring the wonders of marine life to primary school children over two weeks this March in Cork.

The science programme runs from March 3 -14 during which pupils will engage in activities on the themes of Living Things and Environmental Issues and Materials, Energy and Forces during 90-minute workshops.

Speaking about the workshops, Lifetime Lab manager, Mervyn Horgan, confirmed that over 21 primary schools from Cork participated in the workshops last year.

“The keen interest and engagement of the students in the activities reflect Cork’s rich maritime history and continued interest in the marine sector and will hopefully encourage future studies in science, maths and geography”.

The workshops are suitable for 3rd & 4th class groups and further information is available at www.lifetimelab.ie Teachers on the east coast will be meeting at Blackrock Education Centre in Dublin at the end of February to start a six week programme. Tomás ÓBriain, Explorers Coordinator and Sea Life Centre– Bray will give introductions to the course.

Ireland’s Ocean Economy: Trends 2007-2010 report published

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UI Galway’s Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit (SEMRU) has published its second report on Ireland’s ocean economy, as part of their ongoing process of collection and analysis of marine socioeconomic data in Ireland.

Results from the report show that in 2010, the direct economic value of the Irish ocean economy was €1.2 billion or approximately 0.8% of GDP. The sector had a turnover of €3.5 billion and provided employment for approximately 16,300 people (Full Time Equivalent).

The report allows for the comparative analysis of the contribution of the marine sector to the national economy in the 2007-2010 period.

Increased turnover Emerging marine industries are growing much faster than established marine industries, albeit from a low base. High-tech marine products and services, marine biotechnology, bio-products and marine

renewable energy all recorded a large increase in turnover and employment but gross value add was unchanged or decreased.

During the period 20072010, established marine industries such as shipping, maritime transport, marine tourism and marine manufacturing, construction and engineering recorded a significant fall in activity.

Sea fisheries experienced a fall in overall turnover but gross value-added and employment increased.

Aquaculture increased turnover and gross valueadded but employment fell.

Dr. Peter Heffernan, CEO Marine Institute welcomed the publication, saying “These trends are in line with other productive sectors and reflect the impact of the global downturn, representing the period at the lowest point of the economic contraction.”

He added that recent data highlighted a positive outlook across a number of sectors.

“For example seafood, tourism, and shipping

sectors are now showing positive signs of recovery and growth.”

The timely availability of statistics across the sector is vital to monitor the targets set out in the Government’s Integrated Marine Plan – Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth. The collection and reporting of marine socioeconomic data is essential for evidence based policy and decision-making, economic forecasting and scenario planning.

Dr. Amaya Vega, SEMRU, presented Ireland’s Ocean Economy Report to Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine, Simon Coveney, and provided copies of the report to members of the newly established Development Task Force that operates under the aegis of the Government’s Marine Coordination Group.

The need to build capacity in the area of marine socioeconomics was identified in the Sea Change Strategy 2007 -2013. SEMRU was established to carry out this role following the Marine Institute’s Beaufort Marine

Dr Amaya Vega from SEMRU presents Ireland’s Ocean Economy Report to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney.

Research Award to NUI Galway.

The full report is available to download from www. marine.ie Ireland’s Ocean Economy Report Series is funded through the Beaufort Marine Research Award, which is carried out under

the Sea Change Strategy and the Strategy for Science Technology and Innovation (2006-2013), with the support of the Marine Institute, funded under the Marine Research Sub-Programme of the National Development Plan 2007–2013.

18 inshore ireland February/March 2014

marine r&d

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he first week of 2014 was marked by two large storms whose impacts were felt along the full length of the Atlantic Coast of Ireland. The extreme pressure gradients from these storms led to strong winds and subsequently great (> 30 m waves) offshore of Ireland’s west coast. Although somewhat tempered by the time they reached Dingle Bay, wave heights during the late night of Jan 3 and early morning of January 6 reached 15 m.

The department of Biology at Sacred Heart University, CT USA, in collaboration with Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium deployed two CERA Diver pressure sensors in Dingle Harbor during these storms.

One pressure sensor was located at the mouth of Milltown Creek and was set to read the water elevation at a frequency of 0.07 Hz in order to capture the tidal oscillation throughout the entire study period (January 1-January 8, 2014). The second pressure sensor was

deployed 100 m N of the Dingle Harbor Lighthouse and set to record water elevation at a frequency of 2 Hz in order to capture waver height during the storm (Figure 1).

Astronomical high tide Both storms were marked by a ~1 m storm surge at the mouth of Milltown Creek (Figure 2). The amplitude of the surge was most likely attenuated by bottom friction this far from the Harbor Inlet, yet it was still great enough to top the seawall protecting the ‘Wild Atlantic Way’ from the water. The maximum surge from the January 3 storm hit at astronomical high tide during a new moon; therefore water levels reached about 4.5 m above mean low water.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that water levels have not been this high in more than 20 years.

Individual wave amplitude during the storm on January 3 reached as high as 0.8 m inside Dingle Harbour, with significant wave height being 0.6 m. A 0.8 m wave has the energy of 800 J/m2. This energy can cause significant erosion along the coast of

Dingle Harbour.

Immediately before and after the January 3 storm, very strong currents were witnessed periodically entering and exiting Milltown Creek. These currents were accompanied by a 0.3 m fluctuation in sea level at the low frequency pressure sensor site. During the height of the storms on both January 3 and 6, these elevation fluctuations reached 2 m with a period of about 9 minutes (Figure 3). In other words, the entire water column was forced into and out of the creek within a 9 minute period!

It is believed that this nineminute period wave is known in the scientific literature as an infragravity wave or ‘surf beat’ and these waves were forced by the open Dingle Bay swell. In other studies it has been determined that the open swell is correlated to the magnitude of these waves in coastal areas, and this same relationship was clearly seen in Dingle Harbour.

What is fascinating, however, is that the magnitude of infragravity waves is usually in the order of tens of centimeters; in Dingle Harbour the pressure

around the coast of Ireland during these storms.

Department of Biology, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut, 06825, USA. rapagliaj@sacredheart.edu National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Marine Science, 30123 Venice, Italy. luca.zaggia@ve.ismar.cnr.it Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium, Dingle, Kerry, Ireland kevinflannerydingle@gmail.com

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John Rapaglia, Luca Zaggia, Kevin Flannery

sensors recorded waves with a height of 2. These infragravity waves, given that they involve the movement of an entire water column, may have significant impact on the benthic ecosystem of Dingle Harbour, the estuary of Milltown Creek and on navigation within the Harbor during storms. It is likely that this same phenomenon was occurring in other semi-enclosed embayments

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inshore ireland February/March 2014 19

marine r&d

INFOMAR 2014: proposed survey areas

Archie Donovan Joint Project Manager

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his year’s preliminary survey operations will primarily focus on coastal and inshore survey.

The Marine Institute’s R.V. Celtic Voyager will focus on west coast off Co Clare on behalf of Sustainable Energy Authority for Ireland (SEAI); the south-west coast, merging coverage achieved

in 2013 in Roaringwater Bay with historical coverage obtained by R.V. Celtic Explorer in 2006; offshore Tralee Bay, merging with historical data collected by R.V. Celtic Explorer and the west coast off Co Galway extending coverage within the Biologically Sensitive Area.

The three GSI vessels Keary, Cosantóir Bradán and Geo will conduct survey activity in Lough Swilly and outer Mulroy Bay, extending previous Lidar coverage; Sheep Haven and Gola Island (work carried out on behalf of BIM); Donegal Bay extending further inshore coverage achieved by R.V. Celtic Voyager; Blacksod Bay/ Broadhaven Bay; west Clare surveying the inner coastline on behalf of the SEAI and Tralee bay.

All survey activities are preliminary and might change depending on weather and other unforeseen factors.

Value-Added Exploitation

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specific objective of INFOMAR is the delivery of a programme of national and international value added research to leverage the skills, expertise and data from the INSS and INFOMAR. The programme office coordinates Research Calls and associated grant aid award schemes, and encourages industry & research partnership and collaborative applications, particularly in areas related to INFOMAR activities where there is future scope for commercial opportunities, growth and/or jobs.

23 research projects were funded in 2011-2013 across a broad array of disciplines and areas including: • Data management, visualisation, analysis, and integration • Geoscience, Oceanography, Acoustics • Ocean Energy • Technology Development • Education and outreach

2014 planned inshore mapping highlighted in green and deeper water surveys in dark blue.

Crown Copyright and/or database rights. Reproduced by permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office and the UK Hydrographic Office (www.ukho.gov.uk).

Data Products and Access

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ll INFOMAR datasets can be freely accessed via the data and products page of the INFOMAR website (http://www.infomar.ie/data).

Data Viewer Sites: • http://geos2.marine.ie/infomar: This is a Web Map Viewer link above.

• http://spatial.dcenr.gov.ie/imf/imf.jsp?site=INFOMAR: This is the INFOMAR public viewer link above.

• http://geos2.marine.ie/infomar/Help/LinktoWMS.html This is the INFOMAR viewer link on Google earth

Data Download Site

The webmapping viewers provide the user with enhanced data visualisation and query tools in comparison to the data download site. However, data can be downloaded directly without first reviewing it in the above viewers from the data download site: https://jetstream.gsi.ie/iwdds/index.html.

Products Download

INFOMAR and INSS products can be viewed and downloaded here: • http://www.infomar.ie/data/ProductAccess.php • http://www.infomar.ie/data/ChartsMap.php • https://jetstream.gsi.ie/delivery/INFOMAR_Google/ INFOMAR_INSS_Shipwreck_Locations_2013.kmz

2013 inshore survey around Inisbofin indicates how close inshore the survey can go. @GSI

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he INtegrated Mapping FOr the Sustainable Development of Ireland’s MArine Resource (INFOMAR) programme is a joint venture between the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) and the Marine Institute (MI).

The programme is a successor to the Irish National Seabed Survey (INSS) and concentrates on creating integrated mapping products of the physical, chemical and biological features of the seabed in the near-shore area.

The programme is funded by the Irish Government through the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. Details http://www.infomar.ie

20 inshore ireland February/March 2014

marine r&d

A better response to spills at sea

Compiled by Cormac MacGarry

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inety per cent of oil products traded in EU are seaborne.

As history tells us, in the event of oil spills at sea it is imperative to improve preparedness, response and mitigation capabilities of both local and regional responders.

As well as oil, HNS (Hazardous & Noxious Substances) and inert spills are also in need of better response capabilities. Recognising these needs, The Halpin Centre is part of a project aiming to improve maritime safety with an Atlantic Regions Coastal Pollution Response through technology transfer, training and innovation.

The ultimate aim of this project known as ‘ARCOPOL

Plus’, is to address these issues through the creation of a forum of dialogue, and promoting the experience, knowledge and information exchange in the Atlantic Area by integrating the principal actors that deal with these spills. This project follows the ARCOPOL project, both funded by the ERDF Atlantic Area Programme, which delivered the following results: »» hazardous & Noxious Substances Prioritisation tool »» operational guides: for supporting local authorities; waste management; for the integration of volunteers and sea professionals in the response »» datasheets for priority HNS dissemination materials: training CD, video on shoreline clean up »» Dynamic Risk Analysis tool »» MOHID Desktop Spill Simulator »» a Practical Guide for Monitoring, Observations, Predictions & Communications »» HNS ecotoxicologial data »» establishing an ARCOPOL Atlantic Network ARCOPOL PLUS is continuing this work through five central activities:

ACTIVITY 2 will fill the gaps in terms of the behaviour of HNS spilled at sea, their impact in the ecosystems and in key marine species, and implementing this knowledge at the operational level.

ACTIVITY 3 aims to upgrade and implement, at operational level, technologies for oil and HNS detection & forecasting and tools for risk analysis.

Meanwhile, ACTIVITY 4 concerns the production and dissemination of educational material & E-learning products and services. This will increase the awareness and the level of preparedness of responders, and the general public, by producing innovative didactic materials.

ACTIVITY 5 works towards the transfer of know-how and tools of the ARCOPOL project to local authorities. This will empower communities to deal with and recover from a pollution incident and increase community resilience and preparedness before, during and after shoreline pollution incidents.

Finally, ACTIVITY 6 aims at networking through innovation. This will reinforce and improve the

ARCOPOL Atlantic Network by integrating the industry and major stakeholders, capitalising project outputs, and supporting the involvement of local SMEs in new markets.

As such, The Halpin Centre awarded Sky Tec Ireland ― a leading SME in the emerging UAV industry ― the contract to research the feasibility of using UAVdrones to detect pollution sources and relay the information back to a ground station or ship.

Trials have been ongoing since December 2013 involving the Naval Service; NMCI and Sky Tec

Ireland. Initial results are very encouraging and on the February 6, Sky Tec successfully demonstrated the use of a UAV utilising an underslung probe to carry out water analyses around a pollution source.

In the case of a HNS spill, this information may prove to be extremely valuable to first responders (at sea and in port) in determining whether it is safe or not to send in a response team.

The findings of these trials were delivered at an ARCOPOL PLUS workshop held in NMCI on February 12.

Irish companies and research groups set to benefit from €10m EU funding

O

ffshore wind energy will play a key role in stimulating growth and investment in Europe over the next decade. Moreover, Europe, as a first mover, is set to gain significant benefits from exporting both products and services as offshore markets around the world develop. This can be achieved if the offshore wind industry can reduce costs to levels comparable to other energy sources.

A new European FP7 project, LEANWIND, seeks to address inefficiencies in logistics and transport issues for offshore wind installations and so contribute to the reduction of costs.

LEANWIND was awarded to a consortium of 31 partners from 11 countries and is led by Beaufort Research in University College Cork (UCC) Ireland. This project received funding of €10m from the European Commission and has a total value of €15m. LEANWIND commenced in December

2013 and will run for 4 years.

The offshore wind sector in Ireland is set to benefit through the participation of the National Maritime College of Ireland (along with other Irish partners UCC and Arklow Marine Services).

NMCI will make key contributions in the areas of operations and maintenance, safety of access for people working on offshore wind platforms and logistics support for the existing and future offshore wind industry.

Dr. Jimmy Murphy (Head of Offshore Wind Group, Beaufort Research, UCC), Máire Geoghegan-Quinn (EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation & Science), and Ørnulf Jan Rødseth (Research Director, Norwegian Marine Technology Research Institute), a partner in the LEANWIND project. © Gary O’Neill

inshore ireland February/March 2014 21

marine r&d

Enhancing ties between Irish and European marine renewables industry

T

he ERDF Interreg funded project Atlantic Power Cluster is providing Ireland with ample opportunity to engage with the offshore renewables industry across Europe. Its purpose is to enhance the potential for cooperation in marine renewable energy (MRE – offshore wind, wave, tidal energy generation) across the Atlantic area, which spans from Scotland, through the coasts of France, Spain and Portugal.

According to Ignacio Abaitua from Spanish project leader organisation SODERCAN, the final goal of establishing a permanent transnational cooperation

among the different territories of the Atlantic area has been the “driving force� of all the activities developed during 2013.

The end results are seeing fruition in 2014. For example, one of the central deliverables of Atlantic Power being led by French partner, Bretagne Development Innovation (BDI), is a study on supply chain development from the stage of project development to the final phase of decommissioning MRE devices.

This work has been completed with input from a database of companies (mostly SMEs, gathered by Atlantic Power partners) working on MRE and/or with a real potential to do so.

Ultimately, that database

will be turned into an online dynamic map of stakeholders on Marine Renewable Energy including companies, research institutes, technological centres and testing grounds.

Ireland will feature heavily on this interactive database as a leader in MRE research with dedicated facilities coming online in the new Beaufort Research Laboratory in Ringaskiddy, Cork - a product of the Irish Maritime and Energy Resource Cluster (IMERC) of which the Halpin Centre is a key partner.

The Halpin Centre will be hosting a workshop focusing on potential labour market and education in marine renewable energy at the end of April.

For details, contact cormac. mcgarry@umail.ucc.ie

Galway leads social acceptance of marine energy in Europe

T

he Atlantic Power Cluster project is not only developing industry ties directly, but is also actively researching how such industry ties can be fostered in an acceptable social environment.

Social acceptance of MRE is a key work package, led

by Galway County Council, for Atlantic Power. With guidelines from Galway, project partners along the Atlantic Area have organised several campaigns

in the different regions.

In Ireland, the social acceptance campaign focused on local public schools (more than 100 schools and children aged 11-12) and supplied them with specific educational packs over a two month period. Meanwhile, Spanish partners in Coruna gathered stakeholders linked to fishing activity and harbour facilities of the Harbour of Celeiro.

The Asturias Energy Foundation carried out an informative campaign with a travelling exhibition for residents, tourists, fishermen

and other local stakeholders.

In Portugal, fishing associations gathered with the local city hall representative, a training entity, port representatives and local residents for an informative and fruitful information session about MRE. In Aquitaine, the publication of a report on MRE potentials was used in a consultation process that included fishermen, environmental associations, economic stakeholders an delected representatives.

Halpin Centre goes online

T

he Halpin Centre for Research & Innovation recently launched its new website at www. halpin.nmci.ie.

The new website incorporates the many projects currently underway at the Halpin Centre as well as access to staff profiles and contact details. Through the website, researchers, end products users or anyone with an interest, can access the various research projects undertaken by the centre, with useful links to partner organisations and project websites. Featured projects are targeted toward researchers and end users in the areas of: Maritime Safety and Security; Shipping, Transport and Logistics; and Maritime Education and Training.

22 inshore ireland February/March 2014

book review

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The Old Pier, Union Hall

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estled in a sheltered corner of Glandore Harbour on the spectacular West Cork coast, the fishing village of Union Hall with its multicoloured terraced houses that line the streets and the one-lane bridge have been immortalised in Sir David Puttnam’s film War of the Buttons, and 300 years before then as a retreat for the Dean of Ireland, Jonathan Swift.

And in the 1900s, the harbour and its pier thrived during the herring season when fish was salted and stored in barrels for export. More recently too 14 its name resonated far beyond these shores when the village was the coordination centre in January 2012 for the search of the fishing vessel Tit Bonhomme and ultimately the recovery of five fishermen.

A sense of community prevails, possible because the village essentially is a cu-de-sac with no passing traffic so that everyone is there for a reason – and is not just in a transient moment.

6 It is not surprising to learn therefore that the origins of this book of twenty-five different impressions of the same scene using different mediums and

styles, is a view from the authors’ garden that frames ‘….the cottage of our good friends and neighbours Maura and Malachy Sherlock, the “old” pier at Keelbeg and Poll Gorm Bridge in the background’.

The origins of the book go back to 1995 when Paul and Aileen Finucane, who have had a house in the village for over thirty years, were in Australia. Friend and artist Harry Sherwin won a scholarship to Europe and for a short while stayed in the Finucane’s cottage.

On his return to Australia he presented them with a small oil painting of a view from their garden.

Eleven years later another Australian artist, Murray Edwards, stayed with Paul and Aileen and on 2 them with his departure presented a painting, also of the same scene.

While the compositions were quite different, as were the media used - oil and pastel respectively – ‘the contrast between the two paintings gave us the idea of seeing how some local West Cork artists would interpret the same scene.’

The invited artists are from 5 many places outside Ireland: Australia, England, Hong Kong, Latvia, Scotland, Sweden, USA and Wales.

‘For us both, one of the most rewarding aspects of this project has been the opportunity to meet

with and hear something of the extraordinary life stories of many of the contributing artists,’ the authors say.

In the foreword, Edward Walsh recalls his early memories of the harbour when he took his wifeto-be Stephanie to sea for the first time: ‘After bearing west towards Poll Gorm Bridge and past the old Keelbeg pier, we locate our mooring and, as the boat settles in the flow, sit to enjoy the view of the snug and welcoming village of Union Hall.

He adds his pleasure to learn from the Finucanes 1 ‘of their typically creative plan to commission and publish various renditions of the delightful panorama from their garden over Keelbeg pier towards Poll Gorm Bridge And he pays tribute to Paul and Aileen’s ‘charm, persuasive powers and commitment’ to the visual arts that such a distinguished group of artists has responded so 9 enthusiastically.’

‘It records for posterity individual interpretations of a West Cork view that10must have charmed the many who for countless generations have paused on the very spot to enjoy the vista as the eye follows the water upstream, inland and beyond.

Gillian Mills

Competition The authors have generously offered two copies as competition prizes: Q: How many artists are featured in the book?

Answers to mills@inshoreireland.com or 21 by post to 3 Hillview Cottages, Pottery Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin by closing date: April 4.

14

8

Good luck!

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6

23

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The Old Pier, Union Hall is published by Red Barn Publishing, Skibbereen, Cork.

ISBN 978-0-9537630-1-6 Available to order from www.madeinwestcork.ie

Ireland’s Lighthouses – A Photo Essay 11

18

Competition The publishers have generously offered two copies as reader competition prizes.

Q: How long did it take for John to complete the photographic project?

Answers to mills@ inshore-ireland.com or by post to 3 Hillview Cottages, Pottery Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin by closing date: April 4.

Good luck!

17

T

he first time he saw Roche’s Point Lighthouse marking Cork Harbour, John Eagle knew he was smitten.

‘Coming from an inland town, there was so much excitement in the sea’, he explains, ‘and lighthouses encapsulated all that’.

His photographic essay of Ireland’s lighthouses has been a bit hit with tourists and lighthouse lovers alike and has now been reprinted.

Lighthouses have played an important role on Ireland’s extensive and dramatic coastline since the fifth century, lighting the way for

many a cargo and passenger ship ensuring those who made their living on the sea made it home safely.

As Stuart Ruttle, [former] chief executive, Commissioners of Irish Lights, says in his foreword: ‘Marking extreme headlands, islets and rock outcrops, lighthouses by necessity were built in those inaccessible locations which challenged design engineers, defied logistics and inflicted hardship on the skilled construction workers who built them all those years ago.’

During a project that lasted over ten years, John made several daring boat

and helicopter trips to capture unique images of these wind-swept, wavelashed buildings. This book brings together these striking photographs with informative text on their details, locations and how to find them.

Ireland’s Lighthouses is sure to delight all those fascinated by these isolated guardians of the coast.

Collins Press Published in May 2010 Price €19.99 ISBN: 978-1-84889-024-4

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inshore ireland February/March 2014 23

book review

Diary of a Cornish fisherman 1962-1967

O

ne way or another, Trevor Simpson has had salt in his veins for most of his life. He joined the Royal Navy at just sixteen as a Boy Seaman, 2nd Class, ‘surely the lowest form of life on the planet!’ he suggests.

Nine years later in 1956 at the rank of Able Bodied Seaman he joined ‘Civvy Street’ and proclaimed he would do just about anything but ‘Me and the sea is finished’! For several years he worked at various jobs until a ‘life-changing’ experience as Head Lifeguard at the Cornish town of Newquay set him on a new course.

‘Every day as I patrolled the beaches, I breathed in the salt air and my ears were full of the sound of the surf and so, bit-by-bit, the sea was calling me back.’ Following a few more adventures in the labour market he shipped on as a crewman on a small lobster boat in Newquay and never looked backed.

Learning his new craft of sea-fishing, making pots, mending nets and working from dawn until dusk, Trevor started keeping a diary ‘... to record the weather, and the numbers of crawfish and lobsters we caught.

Basically that, together with the areas we fished, was supposed to be all of it.’

Accidental diary

But the momentum of adding ‘scraps of information’ or ‘snatches of conversations’ or recounted stories of what was happening to other fishermen kept going,

and have been faithfully written up into a reminiscence covering the years 1962-1967.

‘A diary is peculiar thing’, he writes. ‘Just reading through it has triggered so many memories. It transports me back to Newquay. Suddenly I am “down harbour” again and standing on the yellow sand. The sun is baking the seaweed on the harbour wall and it smells good.

As the tide floods into the harbour the boats come afloat. The crews slip their moorings and the boats head out to sea, their mizzen sails are barked canvas, redbrown in colour. Ropes are made of manila or sisal. The skippers and the crewmen are young and strong.’

The diary recalls Trevor’s impressions of life in a small fishing community, of adventures on sea and on land and of battles with hostile elements both natural and manmade.

It also charts his own progression from crewman to skipper of his own boat.

Testing times

1965 was ‘a difficult year’ he writes. ‘The scarcity of crawfish and the frequent spells of bad weather resulted in many divers losing interest and vanishing from the scene. ….In what little spare time we had we went to the loft and worked on our newly acquired longlines. We replaced the worn snoods, the lengths of twine that held the hooks to the back line and we fitted two thousand new swivel hooks.’

Trevor and his faithful Reaper - a 34ft, 6ins larch on oak inshore boat were a regular sight along the

Cornish coast and he recalls when his position changed from crewman to skipper: ‘On Friday 12 May 1967, at 6am, Reaper left his moorings and steamed swiftly out through the quay gap, just as she had done a thousand and more times. This time though, things were different. The real skipper was gone and instead of him I was standing there in the wheelhouse. I was acutely aware of how little I knew about this part of the job and the sudden responsibility of it weighted heavily on me.’

After a day’s fishing and Reaper secured in the harbour, Trevor reached for the previous skipper’s battered notebook. ‘I slowly turned the water-stained pages and read the names of the landmarks, which Mike had recorded in his bold handwriting. I realised that this unique little book would guide me precisely onto so many fishing spots.’

But the onset of continuous poor fishing, rising costs and endless bad weather, Trevor started looking west and to the prospect of brighter days: ‘I asked myself, What difference would it make? I knew there was more fishy ground to the westward of us…

Preparing to head to Hayle, roughly a four-hour steam west, ‘Suddenly it hit me!

Why was I wasting my day?

I must get up off my arse and go to Dublin. It was time to talk to the people in Ireland and find out what was needed for me to go and live and fish over there.’

Ireland bound

In the late 1960s, Trevor explored his ideas with the BIM, the Irish sea-fisheries

Diary of a Cornish Fisherman is published

by The Manuscript Publisher (ISBN: 978-0-9576729-5).

Available online at www.themanuscriptpublisher. com/bookshop/diary-of-a-cornishfisherman-by-trevor-simpson Or in all good bookshops. RRP €14.99.

Competition The publishers have generously offered one hard copy and three e_books as reader competition prizes.

Q: In what year did Trevor join Civvy Street?

Answers to mills@inshoreireland.com or by post to 3 Hillview Cottages, Pottery Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. Closing date April 4.

Good luck! board, and a meeting was arranged with then secretary, James O’Connor. ‘”We were thinking”, O’Connor said, “considering the type of boat you have and the kind of fishing you are engaged in, we do have a place which might suit you very well.”’

The idea was that Trevor might assist the village of Goleen [Co Cork] ‘“to get fishing going”.’

But chance or otherwise was not to bring Trevor to Goleen. Foul weather and heavy seas faced Reaper as she headed west to a new life and the battered crew made landfall at Tramore where they were advised they’d be better off in Dunmore East just an hour away.

‘It was just after 7pm when on 22 August 1967’ when they passed the lighthouse.

Gillian Mills

DEC/JAN COMPETITION WINNERS Celebrating Irish Salmon Edward Power, Clonmel, Co Tipperary Cathal O’Connor, Blackrock, Co Cork

The Fishmonger Michael Twomey, Blarney, Co Cork Jessica Foley, New Ross, Co Waterford

Pete Hogan

Written and illustrated by Pete Hogan

is a wellknown visual artist who specialises in paintings of cityscape and seascape. He was born in Ireland and educated at Cistercian College, Roscrea, Trinity College Dublin and Vancouver College of Art. Pete has travelled extensively. He is married to Micaela and they have two children, Clara and Joshua.

In 2012 Pete released his much-acclaimed The Log of the Molly B which describes his days as a boat bum when he sailed solo around the world by way of Cape Horn in a boat which he built himself.

the Artist on the

Pete Hogan has exhibited his paintings with many groups and galleries over the years. His work is contained in numerous public, corporate and private collections all over the world. For more information on Pete and his work see www.phogan.com.

islAnd

Cover illustrations © Pete Hogan Cover design by www.sinedesign.net

Written and illustrated by Pete Hogan Author of The Log of the Molly B

the

artist on the island An Achill Journal

This beautifully illustrated memoir by Pete Hogan is the follow-up to his highly acclaimed The Log of the Molly B. After the adventures of building his own boat and sailing it from Canada down the west coast of the US, through the Panama Canal and across the Atlantic to Ireland, Pete decided to settle down and dedicate his life to his art in the remote surroundings of Achillbeg Island, just south of Achill, County Mayo.

A very different kind of adventure ensued. As the only inhabitant on the island, Pete had to use all his resources to survive the kind of harsh winter experienced in the west of Ireland, while all the time concentrating on his art. With a touch of Robinson Crusoe, Pete describes in detail what it’s like – physically and mentally – to fend for oneself in a stunningly beautiful, but extremely isolated, environment.

With dozens of full colour plates, The Artist on the Island is a remarkable record of one man’s attempt to forgo modernday conveniences and social conventions in order to focus

www.theliffeypress.com

The Artist on the Island Simon Berrow, Kilrush, Co Clare Mark Redmond, Gorey, Co Wexford

on what is truly important.

Congratulations to all our competition winners

24 inshore ireland February/March 2014

crow’s nest

the

crow's nest

Irish president for international traditional and classic craft boat organisation

Sean Walsh, President of the Old Gaffers Association

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ean Walsh of Dublin Bay has become the first non-English President of the Old Gaffers Association, which last year celebrated its Golden Jubilee with a Round Britain Cruise that came far enough west to take in major celebrations organised by OGA branches in Dublin Bay and Belfast Lough.

The Dublin Bay celebrations were based around the Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club in Ringsend and included bay racing for the Leinster Plate and Asgard Trophy, together with a major Dublin Portsponsored Riverfest in the Liffey.

Sean Walsh played a key role in its organisation by the DBOGA, particularly in the successful involvement of the traditionally-rigged 115-yearold Howth Seventeen Class in its first joint venture with the Old Gaffers Association.

Originally proposed in the Solent area in the south of England around 1960 as a body to protect and promote the traditional rigs, the OGA was formally instituted by the many vintage gaff-rigged boats in the Thames Estuary in 1963. Over the years it has expanded and now to include branches or associated bodies in Holland, Belgium, France, Ireland, Scotland, western Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The interpretation of what constitutes an ‘old gaffer’ has also become much more liberal to include the many modern glassfibre interpretations known as ‘plastic gaffers’ and Sean Walsh himself sails one of these - the Falmouth-built Heard 28 Tir na nOg. At the other end of the spectrum, vintage wooden boats which happen to have become Bermudan rigged

in their long lives are also accepted into the fleet, and the first winner of the Leinster Plate in Dublin Bay on Saturday June 1 2013 was the Bermudan-rigged Strangford Lough-based 36ft yawl Ainmara (Richard Gomes), designed and built in Ringsend by John B Kearney in 1912, and was celebrating her return to Ringsend after 90 years away.

Originally from north Cork city, Sean Walsh’s involvement with boats began in his schooldays when he built three 16ft canoes in his parents’ attic; the plan being that the first two would pay for his ownership of the third.

The three little boats then had a three-week maiden voyage down the River Lee to Cork city all the way from its mountain headwaters at Gougane Barra. Any necessary portaging was done with a set of pram wheels, and the young

Meanwhile, on the Indonesian island of Flores, evidence has been found that early humans (Homo erectus) could navigate open waters as far back as almost a million years ago. Scientists from the University of New England in Australia found crude stone tools there that could only have been made and placed there by humans, who would have had to cross an 11.4 mile-wide strait dividing the island from mainland Asia.

The tools, as well as fragments of animal skeletons also found there, were dated as being between 880,000 and 900,000 years old.

The World’s Oldest Boat . . .

The oldest boat in the world is thought to be the ‘Pesse Canoe’, which was made from a dug-out log of Scots Pine almost three metres long some ten thousand years ago between 8200 and 7600 BC. It was found in a peat bog in Holland in 1955 during excavation for a motorway.

The canoe was first thought to be an animal feeder until it was noted that Mesolithic people did not keep animals and the design of the boat was similar to other boats found from later periods.

For these and more FunFacts check out: www.spindriftpress.com

inshore ireland February/March 2014 25

crow’s nest adventurers relied for some of their basic food on ‘gifts’ of potatoes from riverside fields.

He eventually found his successful career path with IBM based in Dublin, and continued his proven boatbuilding business plan by constructing three Fireball racing dinghies in the early 1970s in the sitting room of his first family home in Portmarnock, keeping one for himself and financing it with selling the other two.

This was a much more challenging project, as the Fireballs had to conform to strict measurement rules.

Interestingly, the official measurer who approved the boats was David Lovegrove of Howth, who on March 1, 2014 was due to become President of the Irish Sailing Association.

Sean Walsh sailed, raced and cruised on many boats over the years, but 23 years ago he met Gerry McEvoy through business. After IBM had installed a system in Readymix to Financial Officer McEvoy’s stringent requirements, Sean was invited to sail aboard Gerry’s Tir na nOg, and he has been sailing on her ever since, as he bought her eleven years ago after Gerry McEvoy’s cruelly early death.

Until then, Tir na nOg had tended to sail alone, but in 2003 Sean and his regular shipmate Gerry Murtagh happened to sail into Howth when the Dublin Bay Old Gaffer Association was making its annual visit.

They immediately became much involved, joining the DBOGA and taking part with enthusiasm in its yearround programme afloat and ashore, with Sean rapidly getting immersed in the administrative side through serving on the Committee, as Honorary Secretary, and then as DBOGA President.

He was also increasingly involved with liaison with the central committee, and as the Golden Jubilee successfully developed with the Dublin Bay celebrations one of the real highlights, Sean Walsh’s quiet progress to becoming the OGA’s first President from outside the southeast of England became assured.

Having retired from IBM after a 36-year-career, Sean – who is now 70 (but you wouldn’t think it!) turned his abundant energies to becoming the Yanmar Marine Engine agent for the East Coast of Ireland.

His thoughts on the OGA and its development are focusing on the need to get young people interested, and keep them interested. Then too, in the broader picture, 2014 marks the Tenth Anniversary of the Dutch branch of the OGA. They have planned a fascinating cruise-incompany in late July on the Dutch rivers, canals and inland seas which will be of special interest to the Irish membership both in itself, and for the fact that the Dutch contingent were the most enthusiastic of all the many overseas visitors to Dublin Bay and Belfast Lough in 2013.

On top of that, Sean Walsh has to defend the racing trophies won by Tir na nOg in 2013. In the race for the Leinster Plate on the Saturday, when her crew included the then OGA President Mike Shaw, Tir na nOg finished third.

And then in the Bank Holiday Monday race for the Asgard Trophy, she won. This made her the overall champion for the series. So wherever else the new OGA President is going to be during his first year in office, he knows that he is definitely in home waters for the June Bank Holiday Weekend this summer.

Tir na nOg rounds the North Burford mark during the Leinster Trophy.

Photo Gillian Mills

Loss at Lambay Edward J Bourke

T

he iron sailing ship Tayleur was lost at Lambay just north of Dublin on 21 January, 1854.

Of the 677 aboard, only 290 survived; just three of the hundred women survived and only three of fifty children reached shore.

This is the fifth largest loss of life in a shipwreck in Irish waters.

A lot has been written on the exact cause of the disaster. The course plotted in ‘Bound for Australia’ shows that if the compasses had been correct, she would have struck the Arklow banks.

Off course

A strong northerly tidal flow as well as compass error was the cause of the grounding of Great Britain in 1846 at Dundrum bay. It is clear that Tayleur was north of her intended route. A slotting effect of the wind in the sails would have contributed to this deviation from her course.

High tide on the fatal day was at 1510hrs and so the run was at its strongest when she struck at mid tide and was running northward into Tayleur Bay. Despite the inquiries by the compass committee – into the Great Eastern near disaster, compass adjustment and control for an iron hulled ship were not fully considered.

A river steamer was loaded on deck after the compasses were swung that would have changed the ship’s magnetic signature A masthead compass was not in place to confirm a reading of the three deck compasses which would have been influenced by the hull magnetism.

The crew was small and had several apprentices but the Chinese and Italians while among the foreigners criticised by passengers they were competent men and had previously sailed with Captain Noble.

After the disaster, several

inquiries sought to explain the loss of a brand new ship. There are similarities with Titanic which was also a White Star line ship on her maiden voyage carrying emigrants.

Tayleur was also a state-ofthe art vessel at the epitome of sailing ship design - just at the time when steamers were becoming prominent.

She was the largest merchant sailing ship in the British fleet although there were larger American ships.

Paid passengers

The gold rush at Ballarat drove demand for passage to Australia. Tayleur was not a chartered emigrant ship with penniless labourers. The compliment had paid for their passage and included many well-to-do people; most on board were at least tradesmen.

Some 30 of the crew were working their passage but mainly as stewards, not seamen.

Some contemporary newspaper accounts mention the John Tayleur as the wreck on Lambay.

Simply Tayleur appears on the Lloyds inspection and the bell inscription.

It would appear that the only Lloyds entry found when the wreck of the Tayleur occurred in 1854 was an older vessel depicted in 1827 in a Samuel Walters’ painting in Liverpool Maritime Museum.

The ship took its name from the wealthy industrialist Charles Tayleur of Longdon Grange who owned the Vulcan foundry at Runcorn where she was built. The foundry built railway engines in association with Stephenson, ironwork for bridges and during the Second World War, the Matilda tank.

The ship owners were the Moore family of Mooresfort, Lattin in Co Tipperary. They frequently chartered their vessels to White Star line.

On board Tayleur were 111 Irish, comprising a large group from Broughshane and Ballymena going to

join others from the area at Belfast, Australia, now called Port Philip. English, Scottish, French and German emigrants were also on board.

Entire families lost their lives among the 387 casualties.

No boarding list survived but a list of passengers was prepared from contemporary newspaper accounts.

Strangely, a lot of evidence of Tayleur victims in family records – even mortuary cards – came up with names that do not occur on any passenger list.

Australia bound again

Golden Era was the next White Star ship on the Australia route; 86 Tayleur survivors took the offer of a passage on that vessel. Many families in Australia have relations to Tayleur survivors and victims because frequently men and boys went out ahead of other family members to seek out opportunities.

A fund was collected to help the survivors with clothing and food, some 280 arrived at Dublin Port many without even clothing.

They were helped by Lord Talbot of Malahide and the Codds of Newbridge House with immediate needs.

The residue of the fund was used until 1913 to award medals for lifesaving in the Irish Sea. Most of the medals are in private hands; however one is in the National Museum and another is with the coastguard Woodley collection; two in the Maritime Museum in Greenwich and another in the Maritime Museum in Dún Laoghaire.

The bell from Tayleur was presented recently to the National Museum. Other items are on display in Newbridge House at Donabate. The bower anchors have been placed on memorials at Rush and Loughshinny.

Extracted data from Bound for Australia by Edward J Bourke 2004 ISBN 09523027 3 X

26 inshore ireland February/March 2014

coastline news

The mighty Atlantic strength along the arranmore

arranmore

arranmore

clare island

clare island

inis mor

inis boffin inis boffin

inis boffin

inis

inshore ireland February/March 2014 27

coastline news

shows its destructive Western seaboard inis Turk

inis oirr

inis Turk

inis oirr

inis Turk

Oileán Chléire

mor Oileán Chléire