Inshore ireland 10 5 dec 2014 by Inshore Ireland Publishing

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December 2014/January 2015 Vol 10 Issue 5

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Elusive report at the heart of salmon farming investigation Gery Flynn & Gillian Mills

scientific report quoted by an Irish environmental group in a formal complaint to the European Commission on the potential impact of sea lice on wild salmon stocks in Ireland, has not been made readily available - despite being

partly publicly funded, and also of critical interest to the aquaculture sector. The complaint by Salmon Watch Ireland in February 2009, which resulted in the EU Commission initiating a Pilot Investigation (see page 18) lasting five years, makes several references to the SUMBAWS report. SUMBAWS (Sustainable Management of Interactions between Aquaculture and

Wild Salmonid Fish) was a project involving research on the impact of sea lice on wild salmonids by participants from Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands and Norway.

Industry search

Speaking to Inshore Ireland, IFA Aquaculture Executive Richie Flynn revealed his efforts to secure a copy of this part-publicly funded report: These included two Freedom of Information

Requests in 2009 and 2013 and a Public Access to Environmental Information Request in 2013 – all of which have been refused. “SUMBAWS was a major component of Salmon Watch Ireland’s complaint to the EU Commission in early 2009. It was a significant so-called Shared Cost RTD (Research and Technological Development) project with a budget totalling €2,370,803 million.

“Of this, the EU contributed €1,615,787. The project ran from October 2002 to December 2005 - threeand-a-quarter years - so this was a major study.” IFA Aquaculture’s first FoI submission specifically sought correspondence between the Central and Western Fisheries Boards and records of mortalities of fish used in the SUMBAWS Project.

‘Midnight Breach’ - Humpback Whale near Assiaat, Greenland. Taken on board the Killary Flyer during the ‘North of Disko’ expedition.

»» page 18

Photo Daragh Muldowney

inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

NEWS

Ireland’s environment minister is urged to reverse potential death knell of offshore islands Gillian Mills

slanders on nine non – Gaeltacht islands set to be affected by the termination of core funding of their community development offices have received huge support from their colleagues across

Europe. The European Small Islands Network (ESIN) is a network of national island organisations comprising 1,400 islands and 448,000 islanders. A letter of support from the President of ESIN, Bengt Almkvist, and the national chairpersons from the

ESIN member countries to Alan Kelly TD, Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government reads: Ireland is an inspiration (to the ESIN Islands) because of the enlightened way it has supported its islands. The decentralised Island Community Development Companies Offices stand out

Inishbofin: one of nine non-Gaeltacht islands set to be affected if core-funding is discontinued.

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

as a model of how to support small, vulnerable Island societies. It has come to our attention that the crucial core funding for these offices may be removed from five of the islands, thus preventing them from continuing to function as enablers for their communities. Island communities have permanent geographical handicaps as has been recognised by Article 174 of the Lisbon Treaty. They are fragile socially and economically and deserve all the support they can get from their national government, at a time where it is harder than ever for them to compete equally with mainland communities. The ESIN members therefore urge the Irish government to reconsider this decision. At a Dublin press conference organised by Comhdháil Oileáin Na hÉireann (COE)/ Ireland’s Islands Federation, islanders outlined concerns to members of the Oireachtas over the proposed termination of core funding for the Community Development Programmes that operate community development offices on five Islands. Simon Murray, Inishbofin, outlined an historic and present-day overview of funding and programme delivery on the nonGaeltacht islands. He explained that termination of funding for the Community Development Offices, which

act as a ‘one stop shop’, would have disastrous consequences. “You are the members of the Oireachtas at this moment in time government, opposition, party or independent - all of you have a responsibility to ensure not one more island is depopulated. “Surely this State must learn from the past and never, ever, again allow the death of another island. To put it simply, who will then do the work on behalf of the island organisations if they have to close?” John Walsh, Bere Island, outline the work of voluntary committees: “The committees have put years into managing island development companies that have done extraordinary work on behalf of their communities. These committees are fully trained to manage staff and budgets, and have built networks across Ireland and Europe to ensure the island sustainability. “How can this work continue if there is no core funding to keep the community offices staffed and open?” He added that the solution for the non-Gaeltacht islands was very simple: “Island organisations are calling on Minister Kelly to re-establish the Island Development Programme and to fund it to meet the costs associated with managing the Community Development Offices.”

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inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

COMMENT

Why is a publicly-funded document not available in Ireland?

ur lead story outlines the frustration experienced by a representative of an aquaculture producer organisation trying to obtain from an official source in Ireland a copy of the final complete report of the SUMBAWS Project (SUstainable Management of interactions Between Aquaculture and Wild Salmonid fish). SUMBAWS – by all accounts is a significant report and

Dear Editor,

lease allow me space in your magazine to reply to the outdated policies on salmon farming by Donal Maguire and Benen Dallaghan, BIM, in your August/ September issue. Donal Maguire is wrong to blame the anti-salmon farm lobby for the low output of Irish salmon farm production. According to Marine Institute records and other documents which we acquired under Freedom of Information, there is approximately 32,000 tonnes licenced capacity and approximately 10 to 15,000 tonnes unlicensed capacity salmon farms operating all along our west coast. The truth of the matter is that these salmon farms were only able to produce less than 10,000 tonnes last year and 10-15,000 tonnes in previous years due to outbreaks of diseases such as Amoebic Gill Disease (AGD), Pancreas Disease and infestations of sea lice. If there is approximately 47,000 tonnes of licenced and unlicensed capacity already in existence and salmon farmers can’t even reach a 1/3 of this capacity, why in God’s name do BIM insist that we need another 15,000 tonne salmon farm in our beautiful iconic Galway Bay and another 5,000 tonnes each for Inisbofin and Gola Island?

had a working budget of just over €2.3 million and cost EU tax payers more than €1.5 million. It involved participants from Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands and Norway. To date, at least two attempts have been made to get a copy of it through the Freedom of Information mechanism, without success. A request for it using the Public Access to Environmental Information process also came to naught. Inshore Ireland also tried to obtain a copy through normal channels, without success, and has now invoked an FoI. Meanwhile however, we obtained a copy almost immediately upon request from a source in Norway.

Contrary to BIM’s assertion that the Irish coast is ideal for salmon farming, our sea temperatures are now rising to approximately 21 degrees and according to weather experts they may rise another 2 degrees over the next 10 years. These high sea temperatures are ideal only for AGD and sea lice to multiply and for high moralities in farmed salmon. AGD is now prevalent in nearly all salmon farms along the west coast (including BIM’s flagship Clare Island) and is costings salmon farmers millions of euro to treat their fish with fresh water which some of them have to take illegally (no planning permission) from rivers and lakes. Yet in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) compiled by BIM for the Galway Bay salmon farm there is no mention of AGD or where the operator is going to get water to treat anything up to 14.4 million farmed salmon (salmon farm capacity is 30,000 tonnes). This EIS is now out of date and should be withdrawn. BIM keep telling everyone that the Galway Bay salmon farm is a deep sea salmon farm. The depth of water at the Inverin Bank site is only 18 to 26 metres and the Inis Oirr site only 30 metres. This is hardly deep sea. Benen Dallaghan says that: ‘The mass movement of water on these sites also

Inshore Ireland is published by IIPL Ltd

EU Commission

Our lead story notes that SUMBAWS – or parts of it at least – were referenced in a formal complaint to the EU Commission which resulted in a five-year investigation that caused more than mere inconvenience to many in the aquaculture sector. The fact that at least one body, and who knows how many more, appears to have had a copy of SUMBAWS at a time when it was being denied to others, is significant. Almost nine years later, no one has succeeded in obtaining the final SUMBAWS from official sources in Ireland. And those who request it are advised to contact the University of St Andrews or

serves to maintain the pristine nature of such offshore environments.’ Mr Dallaghan cannot prove that statement to be fact as BIM themselves admit in the EIS (model limitations page 188) that there is no proper model to determine what will happen under a salmon farm until the salmon farm has been in place for a period of time. The EIS is also out of date in relation to wave heights in Galway Bay as it states (page 165) and I quote: ‘It would be expected that significant wave heights would be below 1 metre for approximately 80% of time while significant wave heights in excess of 3 metres would occur during storm events only.’ We now know that last winter’s storms produced waves of 9.7 metres and over in Galway Bay (MI data) which caused tens of millions of euro damage to property and infrastructure all around Galway Bay. If there had been a salmon farm in Galway Bay during these storms it would have been destroyed along with the salmon farm in Bantry Bay which had similar type cages to those proposed for Galway Bay. A previous salmon farm at the Inis Oirr site was destroyed by gales in the early 1990s after being in operation for a short time. Donal Maguire says: ‘One cannot have a tank reared organic salmon.’ Why not? Surly a salmon reared in a closed containment on land system that didn’t need to

Editor

Features Editor

Gillian Mills

Gery Flynn

mills@inshore-ireland.com

flynn@inshore-ireland.com

01 235 4804

091 844822

the European Union for a copy. Difficulty to obtain a copy bordering on seemingly outright obstruction is gravely disturbing and flies in the face of public access to information enshrined in the Aarhus Convention. The Convention upholds the right of every person to have access to information about the environment, the right to participate in decisionmaking and the right of access to justice in environmental matters. Ireland signed up to the Convention in 1998 but took until June 20, 2013, to ratify. Clearly, these rights are not being exercised and this evolving series of events leave more questions than answers.

comment

Gery Flynn & Gillian Mills

Dear Editor,

he safety of those at sea is critically dependant on the availability of reliable weather forecasts - such as those produced by Met Éireann and broadcast by RTÉ Radio 1. There are over 1,100 boats in the Irish fishing fleet under 8m in length. There is also a great number of small leisure boats. For various practical reasons, most small boats do not carry Marine-VHF equipment to receive broadcasts from the Irish Coast Guard and are thus depend on the Sea Area Forecasts broadcast by RTÉ Radio 1 that may be received on a low-cost, portable ‘transistor radio’. VHF-FM radio has a limited broadcast range at sea and may be hindered by cliffs & mountains. Long wave transmissions reach many miles out to sea, regardless of time of day or radio conditions. The planned cessation of RTÉ Radio 1 broadcasts on the Long wave band will result in the loss of a clear radio signal at sea all around Ireland with consequent loss of access to Met Éireann’s Sea Area Forecasts that are updated every six hours. Maritime safety will be put at risk unless RTÉ Radio 1 fulfils its ‘public service broadcasting’ remit by continuing to broadcast on Long Wave. Yours faithfully, John S. Holmes Leenane, Co. Galway

be treated with pesticides to kill sea lice, didn’t need antibiotics to treat diseases and wouldn’t cause any harm to wild salmon or sea trout would be more organic than what is now being produced. I believe the reason BIM do not want closed containment on land salmon farms is because the remit for these farms will go to some other Government Department other than BIM as they (BIM) are a SEA fisheries department and not a LAND Sales & Marketing sales@inshore-ireland.com

087 290 2045 085 747 5797

fisheries department. BIM needs these sea cage salmon farms to justify their existence. Minister Simon Coveney needs to bypass the outdated thinking of those in BIM and embrace the new technology that is out there in relation to RAS systems. Salmon farm systems that all stake holders would be happy with. Yours sincerely, Billy Smyth Chairman Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages Design

Durgan Media info@durganmedia.ie

074 91 77893

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 December 2014/January 2015

NEWS

Over 100 projects to date supported under coastal funding programme A

networking conference last month of the EU’s Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) delivered an insight into how the programme operates in Ireland and Europe. Ireland has six FLAGs, each of which has published a development strategy for their region. As administers, BIM has to date received 139 applications, 127 of which have been approved for total funding of €400,000. Michael Keatinge, BIM’s Interim Chief Executive and Fisheries Development Director explains how this important initiative has benefited Ireland’s coastal communities; “The FLAG programme has already contributed a great deal to our coastal communities. Vital projects and infrastructure around our coast include marine tourism initiatives; promotion of local seafood; training and up-skilling and support measures for fishermen.”. He added that these projects would help secure additional revenue and employment for coastal communities. Inshore Ireland spoke to two projects managers – one in Co Cork and the other in Co Donegal.

Monica Buckley Union Hall

We have a fish shop and also a partnership in fishing vessels which means we have direct access to fresh fish all the time. We also purchase fish locally as well because our own boats aren’t able to keep our fish shop going all the time. Over the years we have developed new products such as fish pies and fish cakes for sale in the shop. We also have vans on the road going to local markets selling these products as well as the wet fish. Over time, we found we just couldn’t cope with the demand we had created for these products and realised we would have to scale up our operations to expand and develop the market. That meant upgrading

and extending our retail premises by creating a proper purpose-built kitchen and a designated filleting area. Our aim was to add value. Right from the very start the FLAG people showed a great interest in our ideas and plans. They particularly liked the fact that our plans involved adding value to the fish. This seemed to fit their overall vision because it involved fishermen and ex-fishermen and because we were bringing high quality seafood to consumers and were adding value. We first approached the FLAG with our business plan in June and were approved in July. Our overall experience of FLAGS has been very positive. The red tape involved was sometimes a little inhibiting, but you get nothing for

marItIme research & InnovatIon the halpin centre for research & innovation at the national maritime college of ireland (nmci) undertakes research, development & innovation in the maritime safety & security, maritime education & training and shipping transport & logistics areas. work in these areas is supported by ﬁve cross cutting themes where halpin is building in-house expertise: It & communications, shipping & maritime operations, human Factors, policy and engineering. halpin works closely with research centres & departments at the cork institute of technology (nmci is a constituent college of cit) and with nmci partners, the irish naval service.

SEE MORE: WWW.halpIn.nmcI.Ie

nothing, and we mustn’t forget that this is public funds so everything has to be accounted for. The only drawback was the paperwork and having to get three or four different quotes for everything. But that just goes for any grant that you are applying for, and in the end we were very satisfied.

Séamus Bovaird Donegal

I’m a community representative covering the fishing dependent communities of Co Donegal. So far, the FLAG strategy has been very positive; one of the benefits is that we have only one County Council to deal with and Donegal County Council has bought into the FLAG strategy.

They have even become partners in some of the projects and have helped with others. We are also fortunate that we have a LEADER manager on our board, and we have had a steady stream of small but very good projects. Our attitude is quite straightforward. It’s always made clear in our Letter of Offer that any research or development work must be passed on to other groups going down the same route. In other words, we don’t want to see people spending money just to get the same consultants report! Of course there is some red tape involved in the application to FLAG, but we mustn’t forget this is EU money we’re dealing with and there’s no easy way of drawing down EU money. Therefore, it must all be done strictly according to the rules. Dealing with BIM – especially with the team in Dún Laoghaire has been positive. They have an inherent human flexibility of huge benefit to us. You know that you’re dealing with humans as opposed to one of the bigger funders where your application is often just a box-ticking exercise lacking

the human touch. The BIM representative on each FLAG and the technical group there check all the projects against the EU parameters. For some of the bigger funders, that’s done by ticking boxes and providing documentation. For small organisations you just can’t achieve that level of documentation. We have found the BIM input to be very valuable. The FLAG strategy is a huge benefit to small communities like ours because it’s a funder of last resort. Despite having a good idea for a business, some people find it difficult to access the County Enterprise Board system. Some business ideas or proposals are either too small or the level of paperwork required puts them off. The simpler methodology of the FLAG however gives people a better chance of getting through. And for the relatively small amount of money involved, they are willing to try. And, if it fails it’s not the end of the world. The FLAG strategy encourages smaller ventures to put their toe in the water, and for that alone it’s proving to be very effective.

SAFETY & SECURITY

EDUCATION & TRAINING

SHIPPING, TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS

BIM regional fishery officers with Antonio Antonescu, EU Commission; Ian Lawler, BIM and Susan Grieve, FARNET.

The network currently includes 300 FLAGS across twenty-one EU member-states. The programme was established under Axis 4 of the European Fisheries Fund with an objective to empower coastal communities to use the valuable resources they have at their disposal to develop and implement a strategy to increase revenue and employment opportunities for their local areas.

inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

NEWS

Government lacks real understanding of island life

slanders from the north to the southern tip of Ireland gathered on Oileán Chléire, Co Cork in September for the thirtieth AGM of Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann (CoE)/ The Irish Islands Federation. Welcoming delegates, cathaoirleach Máirtín Ó Méalóid (Comharchumann Chléire Teo) commented on initiatives to improve water conservation, increase tourism and maintain the high standards achieved at the Irish College. Siobhan Burke spoke on the value of tourism but outlined the lack of understanding among tourists and mainlanders to islands life and what they offered. Éamon Ó Cuív TD outlined the effectiveness of CoE as a strong lobbying group that worked together for all islands. He stressed the importance of keeping an island-based programme delivery company (Comhar na nOileán) situated within the off-shore community, as this system was under threat by the current alignment process which would shift island administration to mainland county councils. He also stressed the importance for islands to increase their influence - not only by working together but by emphasising the positive aspects of island life: what they contributed in terms of culture, heritage and tourist income, rather than the cost of improving sustainability. “The real cost to the country will be the decline and decay of our islands through neglect by the national and local governing bodies,” he stated.

Interagency approach

The Mayor of Cork County, Alan Coleman, also praised Comhdháil on its achievements and the value of islands working together as a national group. He noted the importance of the Cork Interagency Committee and the Coastal Management Committee in working collectively to find solutions to the problems of the West Cork islands, most recently tackling the water supply situation on Oileáin Chléire.

Rhoda Twombly, Secretary of Comhdháil, noted the effectiveness of the interagency approach: “The benefits of an interagency approach in tackling island issues are obvious. I would like to see all counties that include islands form similar committees.” Involvement of the organisation in Europe was discussed by John Walsh, representative to ESIN, the European Small Islands Network. He said that working towards sustainable energy systems was the basis of their work with the European initiative, SMILEGOV, and that increased networking would be achieved through membership in ISLNET. Important to ESIN was the signing of the ‘Island Pledge’ by MEPs in which they promised to support and initiate legislation and programmes beneficial to Europe’s islands. Farming is also a key issue for ESIN, and through their work, farmers have achieved increased payment under the Common Agricultural Programme. Lobbying for an ‘Island brand’ at European level is underway. Other topics discussed the alignment process, which members felt would greatly weaken the islands; create job losses and cause the abandonment of many social and community projects. It was generally felt that government agencies and departments did not fully understand the gravity of the effects of this process, which would erode island sustainability. Social housing, health care, enterprise and the decline in population, especially in the youth category, were all addressed. In his closing remarks Máirtín Ó Méalóid emphasised that during these “difficult times” it was imperative that islands continued to work together to become an even stronger national body focused on finding solutions to our problems. “At the same time, we must take pride in what we have achieved and in our beautiful, unique islands and communities and encourage people to see islands as communities striving to not only survive but excel and as places well worth exploring.”

Outcome of mackerel negotiations ‘satisfactory in the short-term’ says KFO

he Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation says it is ‘satisfied’ with the outcome of the mackerel negotiations which concluded in late November in Bergen. The three parties (EU, Norway and Faros) who had signed an agreement in March set a total allowable catch (TAC) for next year of 1,054,000t which follows the scientific precautionary approach. Iceland has remained outside the agreement. According to Sean O’Donoghue, chief executive of the KFO, the outcome reflects not only the scientific advice but also the reality on the ground of a very large stock of mackerel that continues to grow “Over the next number of years I expect we will continue to see a very large stock size given the good recruitment coming into the fishery. Leaving aside the Irish quota set for this year, which was an anomaly to reach an agreement, the Irish quota for next year of 89,200 tonnes is the highest since TACs and quotas were introduced for mackerel in 1987. This is despite our percentage share being reduced in the new threeparty agreement reached in March.” Temporary agreement He cautioned however that should the mackerel stock decline in the long-term, the 20% decrease in Ireland’s share agreed in March would mean significant losses of mackerel fishing opportunities for Ireland. “This share reduction is not acceptable and it must be re-negotiated when the agreement expires at the end of 2018.” Unlike the last four years when provisional mackerel TACs were set along with provisional quotas at the start of the year, the Irish quota of 89,200 tonnes is the final quota. “This is most welcome as it gives certainty in relation to the fishing opportunities for mackerel to the pelagic fishing industry for next year,” he said. While welcoming the agreement saying it gave “certainty” to Irish fishermen, Ireland’s marine minister, Simon Coveney said he did

not agree with the amount of quota set aside for “other parties” such as Iceland. “This sharing arrangement remains fixed until 2018 but at this stage I would expect [it] can be revsied. But perhaps the most

important outcome is that for the first time in many years, the quota is set in line with scientific advice, and that advice shows the mackerel stock in the North East Atlantic is indeed in a healthy condition.”

Killybegs: Outcome of Bergen negotations guarantees Ireland’s mackerel fleet a fixed quota as long as the overall stock numbers show no decline. Photo Gillian Mills

inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

Integrated Constructed Wetlands

Innovation in land and water resource management Dr. Rory Harrington, VESI Environmental Ltd. Little Island Business Park, Cork

he quality of receiving surface and ground waters, including inshore waters are largely determined by flows from the land and human-constructed infrastructure. Contaminated with bacteria, nutrients and pollutants these flows can affect streams, rivers and lakes, as well as bathing waters and coastal ecologies. VESI Environmental Ltd is an Irish company focused on sustainable and competitively affordable environmental management solutions, which are based primarily on the use of ecological infrastructures. At the forefront of ecological engineering and providing solutions to water-related pollution, VESI’s employees are pioneers in the development and application of integrated land and water methodologies. This short article outlines some of this innovative capacity. In 1987/88 an innovative approach to reanimating wetlands was initiated in the Dunhill–Annestown catchment, County Waterford. Based on the disciplines associated with ecological restoration, the objective was to recreate the conditions associated with natural wetlands such as ponds, marshes and mires. The initiative endeavored to mimic the function of natural wetlands: intercepting surface and ground water sources; using local soils as lining material and re-establishing a range of aquatic vegetation.

Ecological perspective

This initiative was developed further in 1994/96 using the same soil-based materials and ecological perspectives, to treat sources of polluted water compromising the water quality of local streams and coastal waters. Initially used to treat farmyard soiled water and dairy waste water, the approach has subsequently been shown to effectively treat a much wider range of polluted water sources including domestic dwelling and municipal waste water; landfill leachate; mine drainage and waste waters from the food

and other industries. More than 100 of these systems, ranging in size from less than 0.1ha for the treatment of domestic waste water from a single dwelling, to more than 10ha treating effluents from a large cheese factory, have been built in Ireland since 1996. They are known as Integrated Constructed Wetlands (ICWs). The idea that polluted water could be cleansed by allowing it to pass through vegetation that facilitated microbial function has been demonstrated since the 1950s. The commonly known term ‘reed-beds’, developed by Dr Käthe Seidel in the early 1950s at the Max Planck Institute, Plön, Germany, is one such approach, with many thousands constructed world-wide. Notwithstanding this development, the wide range of other functional capacities and services associated with shallow-vegetated wetlands, other than that of just treatment alone, continued to be largely unappreciated.

Functional linkages

Wetland ecosystems, probably more so than other ecosystems, support the functional linkages that exist between air, water and soil. Consequently, they provide a wide range of benefits and services, such as sequestering carbon and nutrients and attenuating flood waters. They also support a wide diversity of invertebrate and bird life and many off-shoot cultural services such as recreation and inspiration for example - which are crucial to human wellbeing. The main reason for this is that water in its various states vectors gaseous, soluble and suspended materials along pathways that form the hydrological cycle. Certain emergent vegetated wetlands facilitate this optimally. Consequently, wetland ecosystems are protected by the Ramsar Convention of 1971 to which Ireland and the EU are signatories. This international convention, along with other international and EU commitments, acknowledges the role of both natural and constructed wetlands. The Ramsar secretariat has commended the approach taken in County Waterford, as have many other institutions - most notably the Wetland Research Institute of The Peoples Republic of China; the Agricultural Research Services of the USDA, and

Universities in Ireland, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, UK and USA. The ICW concept with its focus on the explicit integration of water management-needs with that of landscape-fit and enhanced biodiversity has been particularly recognised for the social, economic and environmental coherencies it delivers.

National guidelines

In 2010, the Irish Government published national guidelines for the use of ICW systems in the treatment of farmyard soiled water and domestic waste water, with the approval of all the main State agencies responsible for water and water-related resources. (See: http://www.environ. ie/en/Publications/ Environment/Water/ FileDownLoad,24931,en.pdf The ICW concept recognises that land is a limited resource for which different uses must compete. To address just one aspect alone, that of water treatment, ignores an understanding of the interconnectivities that wetlands have with nature — not to mention the wider needs of human society, as alluded to above. As the efficacy of water treatment using wetlands is largely based upon the available area over which the water can flow, awareness of these ancillary benefits and services lessens the often experienced pressure to restrict, even to the point of under-sizing, the land area required for treatment, maintenance and operation. The main elements in ICW design are: adequate functional area relative to influent flow; soils that hold water and limit seepage

(typically < 0.8mm/day) and configuration (several interconnected wetland cells - typically 4, with a length to width ratio of about 4 to 1). Water is allowed to flow from one cell to the next through an adjustable weir. The vegetation comprises emergent plant species such as wide-leaf bulrush Typha latifolia; narrow-leaf bulrush T. angustifolia; common iris Iris pseudocorus; river sedge Carex riparia; club rush Schoenoplectus lacustris and greater water grass Glyceria maximi, depending on location and size. Other important considerations are the ways the wetland infrastructure fits into the landscape – here the principles of optimal-design apply: functionality, durability and aesthetics. These principles apply at all scales of application, from that in the garden of a single dwelling to large-field situations treating domestic, municipal or industrial waste water. Providing supporting information and the sharing of ideas on areas of common interest and concern, encourages the adaptation of novel concepts and undertakings in the domains of land and water management. It has proved to be a key element in achieving positive engagement. Notwithstanding this however, there are occasions where the basic concepts have not always been understood. Even when there was acceptance of the general principles presented, there were also tendencies to misunderstand critical elements in design, construction and operation. This has largely been corrected by the sharing of information and importantly: the demonstration of how wetlands function, on the

Glaslough’s ICW at Castle Leslie, Co. Monaghan. It treats waste water from the nearby village of 1,700 people equivalent (PE)

water quality achieved, the optimal ecosystem services that might be obtained, and subsequent management benefits. The ICW concept has evolved from the need to solve rural-based problems associated with point (and diffuse) sources of polluted water in 1994/96, to one that today delivers many additional benefits and operational coherencies in most spheres of human endeavour, which are increasingly required for the sustainable development of land and water resources for all. Achieving the necessary land area required continues to be a recurring challenge. Given the considerable cost-savings in the treatment of water and the essential associated ecosystem services delivered by ICW systems, this is now possible.

r. Rory Harrington is a forester, wildlife biologist and landscape ecologist, and formally a public servant. He has been involved in a diversity of biological and engineering research over a career of more than four decades ranging from conservation genetics, mammology and restoration ecology. He pioneered the ‘Integrated Constructed Wetland’ (ICW) concept which is increasingly being seen internationally as a social, economic and environmental coherent way to efficaciously treat a wide range of polluted water sources from urban and rural environments. He initiated the Anne Valley Project in Co Waterford, which focuses on enhancing community and landowner engagement with nature, and is currently senior scientist at VESI Environmental Ltd. Cork.

inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

Integrated Constructed Wetlands

Natural and eco-friendly options for treating wastewater Feidhlim Harty, FH Wetland Systems

mid the current debate over Irish Water, it’s easy to forget that we all have collective responsibility for our own environment and are responsible for our own effluent discharges into that environment - regardless of who runs the country or how they choose to do so. So, what eco-friendly options do we have if we want to take care of our own corner of the world? Constructed wetlands, reed beds, zero discharge willow facilities... terms new to some. These are just some of the wide and diverse wastewater treatment systems that offer real environmental benefit for Ireland. They are all excellent at protecting our water ways from sewage pollution, and they all have an excellent ecological footprint rating;

Newly planted reed beds

in that they either use zero electricity to run, or in the case of the willow facilities, they actually produce fuel wood into the bargain.

Addressing pollution

The past five or ten years have seen huge changes in how we approach wastewater treatment in Ireland. This is particularly so for domestic septic tanks. The EPA has published their Code of Practice on Wastewater Treatment and Disposal Systems Serving Single Houses; the European Court Judgment on Irish septic tank systems and the notable lack of maintenance has pushed us towards the current septic tank inspection process; Irish Water has taken over the management from Local Authorities of water supply and effluent treatment throughout the country. It’s been a time of change for water and wastewater. Alongside these changes, there is more awareness

than ever before that we need to tackle the pollution problems staring us in the face. Contamination of public water supplies has been highlighted in the media in many areas of the country in recent years. With the economic down-turn we’re all watching costs again, so the annual running cost of mechanical systems is less welcome than perhaps it once was. We’re all more aware of our carbon footprint as well, leading us toward more sustainable and zero energy systems where possible.

Snapshot of systems

So what is the best system for my site? That’s a question I’ve answered so many times I have written a book on the subject - but let’s look at it in brief anyway: If your site is about 0.5 of an acre or less, and you want to upgrade your septic tank to provide better treatment, then you’ll want a compact treatment system. In this case a gravel reed bed may be best. Where the topography is right, gravity will negate the need for pumping. Effluent flows in one end — through the planted gravel bed — and out to a percolation area. This simple system can provide the same degree of treatment as a mechanical equivalent with little or no energy inputs. Where extra treatment is needed, a pumpfed vertical flow reed bed maybe a natural alternative to an add-on mechanical unit, either before or after the main reed bed area.

If you have a bit more space and want to enhance the habitat value of the site, then a soil-based constructed wetland has a lot to offer. Constructed wetlands have a lower ecological footprint since they use the existing soil on the site rather than using gravel. They are excellent systems where slightly heavier clay subsoil is present and can negate the need for a plastic liner. A combination of infiltration and evapotranspiration are often sufficient to dispose of all effluent on some sites, or on freer draining sites a standard percolation area is used after a plastic lined wetland area.

Wetland plants

Constructed wetlands rely on a good variety of wetland plants to provide the right biological environment for cleaning up dirty water; a bit like a crèche for bacteria. Bulrush; yellow flag Iris; common reed and water mint provide a good mix of species and make beautiful features in the garden. Where the soil is too heavy to provide drainage into the ground and where discharge to a watercourse is unacceptable to the council (almost always - they have tightened up a lot on this source of pollution in recent years), then a zero discharge willow facility is an excellent solution. These systems originated in Denmark and follow Danish EPA guidance on their design and construction. They are essentially large lined basins backfilled with suitable soil and a spreading pipe to distribute the effluent. Then they are planted with quick growing cultivars of willows to evaporate all effluent and rainfall combined.

Source separation

Newly planted reed beds

Willow facilities aren’t the only wastewater innovation to emerge from Scandinavia. Source separation systems are an excellent eco-friendly way to protect water courses. Urine diversion toilets remove the urine at source, and route it to a separate storage tank for removal for agriculture to replace artificial fertiliser. Aquatron faecal separators can be used to remove faecal solids and paper to a composting area, and allow the flush water to continue to treatment in a reed bed or wetland. The flush water is much cleaner and easier to treat than septic tank effluent, and the finished faecal compost, or humanure,

makes an excellent soil conditioner. Dry toilets are another obvious source-separation method that have been well researched in Scandinavia and throughout the world. With so many different types, it would take another whole article in itself just to describe them. Have a look online if you need an innovative solution for use on boats or out-of-the way locations, or if you simply want to try out the most ecofriendly option available. All in all we’re out of excuses to put off cleaning up our tank effluent. Remember that where the septic tank and percolation area are both working well on suitable soils, they provide very good treatment. That said, about half the soils in the country are far from suitable; so that’s a lot of tanks that are performing under-par. Have a nose around your system today and see if it’s up to scratch. It’s only by working together that we’ll fully protect our groundwater, rivers and lakes and keep our watercourses clean and healthy for drinking, fishing, recreation and wildlife.

Féidhlim Harty is director of FH Wetland Systems Ltd and author of Septic Tank Options and Alternatives - Your Guide to Conventional, Natural and Ecofriendly Methods and Technologies. FH Wetland Systems design and plant constructed wetlands, reed beds, zero discharge willow facilities and other sustainable sewage treatment approaches. Visit www. wetlandsystems.ie to download an excerpt of the new book for free.

inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

freshwater focus

Sea fishing: drifting along on the current Brendan Connolly

ea angling is very special, with those blue depths hiding an amazing array of fish. The seas and oceans are all connected, and there are no barriers to stop fish swimming from one end of our planet to the other. For instance, blue shark in Irish waters travel as far as the Azores and the east coast of the USA but there are also fish that never leave their native bays. Some species live on the bottom; some just above it, and others can be caught at any depth. Bottom types such as sandy bottom, cobbles, or solid rock also harbour different species. Some fish hunt in the surf in less than half a metre while others live in over 50 metres of water. The allure of sea angling is to this great variety of species, as each fish reeled up from the depths is a new revelation.

Catchin’ the breeze

The September day was mild and calm, a light breeze from the north ruffled the water surface

and every so often, swells from the southwest almost imperceptibly rolled by. Three anglers set out to catch some mackerel for bait. Today they would drift slowly with a trace of three hooks baited with mackerel strips bumping along the bottom. This method targets quite a wide variety of fish. Firstly they went mackerel fishing and could only locate small fish but this did not matter as these were still good for bait. They then steamed further out and started drifting in 28 metres of water. They could feel the lead bump along the bottom; the wind was light and they drifted slowly. It was not long before one angler felt those telltale plucks and he waited a few seconds to make sure it was a fish. There they were again - he struck and started winding. At first he thought he had lost the fish, but after reeling in a few metres, the rod bent over suddenly as the fish turned and plunged towards the bottom. When the pressure on the rod reduced, he reeled in more, and the fish once more dived down. As he worked the fish closer

Ling look like eels but are a member of the cod family.

Fluorescent colours of a cuckoo wrasse

A fine cod for the table

to the surface, the anglers peered over the side eager to see which species it was. Gradually the silver side of the fish flashed, and when it was lifted into the boat it turned out to be a solid pollack of about 3lb. Soon a few more pollack followed. As they drifted, the water depth increased. At 35 metres they felt a lighter pull, which turned out to be a cuckoo wrasse, followed some minutes later by a pouting of about three-quarters of a pound, followed by another couple of wrasse.

Deeper challenges

At 40 metres one angler felt a small knock and then a stronger pull. As they were now fishing over deeper water, he did not strike the fish, but simply started to reel in. His thinking was that in that depth, striking would not be firm enough to set the hook because of the elasticity of the line acting like a shock absorber. There was little pressure to begin with, but then a powerful lunge bent the boat rod downwards and the angler stopped reeling in. He held the rod, and as the pressure lessened a little, he slowly lifted the rod. He then reeled in as he lowered the rod and stopped reeling as he lifted the rod up again. It was some time before pumping the rod like this brought two fish to the surface. The anglers voiced their admiration at the fine cod, along with another cuckoo wrasse on one of the other hooks. Drifting on, the water depth was now over 50 metres. Just as the anglers started to discuss whether they would catch any ling, one angler reeled in a small ling, followed by a bigger ling for the second angler. Drifting into 56 metres of water, two grey gurnard were lifted on deck, and just as the anglers were about to return to shore, another light pluck was felt and to their surprise a dark red lesser octopus was lifted into the boat. Its single row of sucker stuck to the boat the moment its arms came in contact. A most amazing creature with waves of colour changing from deep red to pale grey when it was handled. As it was returned to the water, it sent out two powerful jets of black ink and disappeared below the surface. The anglers were content with the results of drifting on the bottom with mackerel strip: seven different species with mackerel as number eight.

Colby Bishop, National Geographic, presenting a custommade trophy to Patrick, in recognition of the school’s water conservation project. Photo Martin McIntyre

Students on (water) course to raise conservation awareness

tudents from St Brendan’s National School, Kilmeena, Co Mayo, are set to become global water ambassadors, recognised by National Geographic. Water was the topic at Ireland’s National Science week at which a panel of local, national and global water experts (including National Geographic) discussed: Clean Water: 2040. With their project, ‘Get involved in Your Community’, the school scooped top prize for its work to raise awareness about the importance of water conservation in their community. As part of science week, the school invited the National Geographic team to visit and learn about their project. Students from first to sixth grade soon took on the National Geographic mantra: ‘If you waste it, you pay for it, every drop counts’. “This is truly a special initiative. Students can help develop and spread the kind of conservation ethic we as a society need to solve our freshwater problems, as well as generating the competing stories that are the trademark of National Geographic,” remarked Sandra Postel Working with television company (Irish TV), the students created an ‘CSI’ documentary in which they become crime investigators in a waste-water crime. The students also produced a futuristic newspaper (2044) to demonstrate the long-term benefits of the project. Background The school had teamed up with the Kilmeena Group Water Scheme to meet objectives to raise awareness about the importance of the long-term sustainability of their water source, a nearby lake. Sean Corrigan, manager of the GWS, was anxious to give students the tools they needed to create a sustainable environment for “a future where we value water and use it to our advantage and cherish it”. “The entire school has shown great enthusiasm for this project from the very beginning and I am sure their endeavours will have a major impact on the entire community. It is great to see this close-knit community working in partnership to benefit everyone,” he said. The school incorporated freshwater into its curriculum, creating awareness on water source, conservation and sustainability. In turn the students are now educating the community on ‘how water gets to your tap’. “It’s amazing to see how the students are educating their families and neighbours on water. Many of these students have watched water meters being installed in their own homes and now monitor their family’s water usage and compare with their friends in school the next day,” explained Mickey Carney the school’s principal.”

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10 inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

fisheries

‘Moderate’ decrease in deep-sea fishing quotas for 2015-2016

otal allowable catch proposals 2015-2016 for deep-sea stocks in EU and international waters in the North-East Atlantic see an increase in four stocks, a decrease in nine stocks and the status quo for five stocks, in line with scientific advice. “Deep sea ecosystems and fish stocks are particularly vulnerable to human activities, such as fishing, and need appropriate protection. Hence, sustainable management is the only way we can ensure the future of deepsea fisheries,” remarked European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki. She added that while it was good news for some stocks, the situation was bleak for others. A ‘moderate’ cut of 12% is proposed for roundnose grenadier west of the British Isles, and a ‘possible’ increase of 2% in 2016, to achieve MSY. Four stocks of greater forkbeard are facing increases of 10% while other stocks (e.g. red seabream in areas west of Portugal and around the Azores) for which data is limited, will be significantly cut on the basis of the ‘precautionary approach’. The Commission’s proposals are based on scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES). Available data however for most deep-sea stocks are insufficient to allow scientists to fully assess the stock status, either in terms of number of fish or fishing mortality.

Background

Deep-sea fish are slow-growing and long-lived which makes them particularly vulnerable to fishing. They are caught in waters beyond the main fishing grounds of continental shelves. They are distributed on the continental slopes or associated seamounts. Fishing for deep-sea species has been regulated by the European Union since 2003. Deep-sea fisheries account for about 1% of fish landed from the North-East Atlantic.

Consultation on Proposals to amend the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006 The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, TD has launched a consultation process on a proposal to amend the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006. The proposal deals with the introduction of fixed fines in fisheries for minor offences, the implementation of a points system for masters of fishing vessels involved in serious infringements, setting down policy on the management of fish quotas. The proposals, the accompanying regulatory analysis and details of how to participate in consultation process have been published at www.agriculture.gov.ie/ customerservice/publicconsultations/ to assist those making submissions. Closing date for submissions is 5pm on Friday 9th January 2015.

email: info@agriculture.gov.ie www.agriculture.gov.ie @agriculture_ie

Whitefish ports such as Castletownbere face an uncertain future if proposed cuts in whitefish and pelagic stocks are implemented. Photo Gillian Mills

Job losses ahead warns fishermen’s representative

n stark contrast to recent job creation announcements, the seafood sector faces job losses, Eibhlin O’Sullivan, CEO of the Irish South & West Fishermen’s Producer Organisation has warned. Ms O’Sullivan’s remarks follow the EU Commission’s proposals announced for 2015 fishing TACs and quotas, which she said contained “significant reductions” for key whitefish and pelegic species. “I am aware that to most people it seems like each year...we warn that the Irish fishing industry will be decimated as a result of the Commission’s proposals... But what most people not directly involved in the industry don’t realise is that many fishermen are being forced to leave the industry and are now unemployed.” She added that recent job announcements were mostly based in urban areas such as Dublin and Cork and were of “little benefit” to rural, coastal communities that relied on fishing for their survival. “To them, the government’s job announcements are little more than salt in their wounds, coming less than a week after the Commission published its proposals for 2015 which, if implemented, will see the fishing industry

lose somewhere in the region of €70m and the seafood sector a further €147m.” And she added that should the proposals be implemented, an estimated 1,200 jobs will be lost. “We are calling on government, and in particular Minister Coveney, to focus their attention on working with the industry to fight these proposed reductions, to keep these valuable jobs and allow these communities to survive.”

No confidence

Francis O’ Donnell, IFPO, said the proposals were a continuing erosion of the Irish fishing industry and communities. The massive cuts for key species in the Celtic Sea will increase regulatory discards to an unprecedented level. Large amounts of cod, haddock and whiting will be thrown away dead next year, lost to the economy and ecosystem. “How can we have confidence that a landing obligation can be implemented in 2016 for the demersal sector in a fair and equitable way?” he asked. Ireland needs a decommissioning scheme for certain. Most of the whitefish fleet are holding on by their nails. The current proposals will put many out of business next year. It’s that simple.

French negotiations

Meanwhile Marine minister, Simon Coveney met his French counterpart, Alain Vidalies, to discuss shared fisheries in the Celtic Sea ahead of the December annual Fisheries Council. Outlining management issues, Minister Coveney said that the Irish and French industries have a “strong working relationship” and he wanted to ensure that this relationship was ‘fully reflected” at political level. “The EU Commission proposes very severe cuts to key cod and haddock fisheries. I agreed with Minister Vidalies that we will work closely...to secure agreement on a package of measures involving improved selectivity measures and set quota levels that take into account the most up-todate scientific advice.” Proposals published by the Commission for 2015 TACs and quotas include: »» 64% cut in Celtic Sea cod »» 41% cut in Celtic Sea haddock »» whiting and prawn proposals are not yet known Stakeholders had until November 21 to submit to a Sustainability Impact Assessment which was presented to the Oireachtas by Minister Coveney on December 2.

Scientific advice for pelagic stocks in 2015 Report from Pelagic Advisory Council

Mackerel: ICES propose a catch of between 831,000906,000 tonnes as per the existing management plan which represents a reduction of between 35% - 40% on 2014(1,240,000t). The MSY approach (maximum sustainable yield) giving a TAC of 1,017,000t is recommended, representing a reduction of 27%. Horse Mackerel: The scientific advice is for a TAC of 99.304 tonnes, representing a reduction of 27% on 2014 (133,230t). The International

Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) however only recommended a TAC of 110,000 in 2014 but this was changed at the December Council when the Pelagic RAC advice was accepted. This will not happen in 2015. Blue Whiting: ICES recommends a TAC of 839,8861,130,000 tonnes. The lower figure would represent a reduction of 30% on 2014 (1,200,000t). There is a caveat however in that the harvest control rule in the management

plan is at 0.18 and John Spencer of the Commission said there was agreement this this figure was too low. If the Commission was to use the MSY principle, we would have a TAC of 1,326,000t but it is more likely they will increase the HCR to 0.25 or 0.30, giving a TAC if 1,130,000 - 1,500,000t. Boarfish: The ICES advice is that the stock status is currently unknown. Survey indices and an exploratory assessment indicate the stock is declining. A TAC of 53,296t is recommended. The

inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015 11

fisheries

ACRUNET meets in Bristol Norah Parke, Network Coordinator

eafish, the agency that works with the UK seafood industry to promote good quality, sustainable seafood, and which is a prominent player in the ACRUNET network, hosted the seventh ACRUNET Partners Meeting in Bristol in October. Addressing the delegates at the opening session, Marcus Jacklin (Seafish) observed that another major achievement had been the â&#x20AC;&#x153;high level of collaboration and cooperation displayed between partnersâ&#x20AC;?. He added that the value of the network had developed and progressed its stakeholder-wide role at group level rather than partners following narrower objectives at individual level. This resulted in a collaborative platform which enabled discussions and initiatives to be developed in a very effective and cooperative fashion that could, potentially, be adopted by other regional groups. Brown crab fishermen from the UK, Ireland and France were well represented and brought real, handson experience to the discussions. Their input is vitally important to the work of ACRUNET; there is considerable over-lap in the crab industry between fishermen, transporters, exporters and the processing sector and these operators are constantly aware of the knock-on effect of change in the various elements of the product chain.

Brown crab credentials

Creating a certifiable

2014 TAC was 127,509. Atlanto Scandian Herring: This stock continues to decline and the proposed TAC is 283,000t, a reduction of 32% from 2014 (419,000t). Herring in Via South: The ICES advice continues to recommend a no fish take as they believe the stock is in serious decline whereas the evidence on the ground is quite different. Scientists are to undertake a benchmark process on the herring stocks in VIA South and VIA North in early 2015. Herring in Irish Sea: The Pelagic Advisory Council recommends that the TAC is based on the MSY principle as there is no management plan in place. This would give a TAC of 4854t in 2015.

transnational standard that could assure consumers regarding the credentials of brown crab was a primary objective of ACRUNET. Building on the existing national seafood standards* of the partner countries, the meeting was informed that nearly 40 crabbers throughout Ireland, the UK and France, have been audited to the ACRUNET Brown Crab Standard. The next step will be to ensure that this hard work is put to good use by promoting this certification in the market place. The very interesting and practical work being carried out by the industry analysis team continues to drill deeper into consumer attitudes. They have also identified a number of issues that could impact negatively on consumer reactions such as media coverage of sustainability and health topics. There was agreement that industry needs to be equipped to respond in a rational and open manner when such situations arise; the response of industry needs to be consistent and well-informed. The promotional materials developed by ACRUNET have an important role to play and are already being deployed in France which continues to be the single largest market for brown crab. The product format is very important but there is considerable variation in what appeals to the consumer from country to country. ACRUNET has produced a detailed report on the types of presentation and there are plans to follow-up with trials in Spain which has, up to now, been primarily interested in the more basic product such as live or cooked and frozen.

2015 TACS and quotas will be decided at the Council of Fisheries Ministers December 15-16. For live coverage of the outcome, go to www. inshore-ireland. com

Partners have continued to look at ways to improve transport, particularly live crab, and continued progress has been made on efficiency measures that will reduce the quantity of water needed for live transport.

Shortfall of consistent data

There are also on-going studies, again in Spain, on waste utilisation where composting samples have been analysed to ensure a successful implementation of the commercial scale trial. Developing a workable and acceptable management system for brown crab

fisheries, particularly in the UK and Ireland, remains a major challenge for all stakeholders. In France, where there has been a long-established permit system, it is less of a problem but issues such as latent effort continue to hinder progress elsewhere. Lack of consistent data has been identified as a crucial stumbling-block to headway in this vital area. ACRUNET science partners have been gathering the relevant data and plan to meet with industry partners in early 2015 to discuss future options.

This is the final year of ACRUNET and many of the objectives of the project are achieved or will be achieved in the near future. It is vital that this information reaches all those stakeholders who can benefit from it. In the course of its work, ACRUNET has also identified other areas that need to be followed up. The partners discussed the future options and concluded that the work started, particularly the development of the network, should be continued. The next Partner meeting of ACRUNET will take place in Dublin on March 3-4, 2015.

12 inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

seafood business

Record Irish presence at Chinese Seafood Expo Gillian Mills

leven Irish seafood companies exhibited on the Irish Pavilion organised by Bord Bia at China Seafood & Fisheries Expo, Qingdao, (5-7/11) before an expected 25,000 buyers from over 100 countries. Speaking at the event, Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, said that Ireland had some of the finest seafood worldwide, sustainably harvested from pure clean waters. “Business development and trade show events such as these are invaluable in building awareness of our high quality produce to an influential, targeted trade audience. China continues to be a growing market for

Irish seafood, with exports increasing by over 300% since 2011 to reach €18m in 2013.” This strong trend in Irish exports is reflected this year with sales for the first six months up 56% compared to the same period last year. In 2013, China’s seafood trade surpassed €20bn in value, cementing its position as the world’s leading seafood trading country.

2020 seafood demand

China currently accounts for one-quarter of the world’s seafood consumption and the United Nation’s FAO predicts that China will need an extra 16 million tonnes of seafood by 2020 to meet growing demand. “The strong Irish representation from both the pelagic and shellfish sectors demonstrates the commitment

of both industry and government to deepen ties and strengthen relationships with our Chinese customers,” Minister Coveney added. While the Chinese market concentrates mainly on pelagic species, significant effort has been invested by Irish processors and Bord Bia over the past three years to identify and develop opportunities for premium shellfish, such as live and processed brown crab, langoustines, scallops and razor fish. “Strong and sustained growth in exports demonstrates the continued success of Ireland’s leading shellfish processors in penetrating this valuable market. Exports of shellfish to China, for example, increased in value by over 200% between 2012 and 2013, while exports to Hong

Kong increased by 117% during the same period,” remarked Aidan Cotter, Bord Bia chief executive. He added that the Irish Food board has “ambitious plans” to further grow the share of Irish seafood into China. “We have programmes in place to assist Irish seafood processors identify, profile and target, new customers that are willing to pay a premium for quality seafood from Ireland.”

Robust food safety systems

Irish seafood enjoys ongoing and increasing market access to China whereby international trade in food is based upon a reciprocated trust in food safety systems. Trade missions to Ireland by high-end Chinese retail

and foodservice customers showcase the world-class environment in which Irish seafood is produced, and provide a guarantee on traceability, sustainability and food safety. As regulator, the SeaFisheries Protection Authority verifies safety and sustainability of Irish seafood. “We welcome this Chinese confidence in the robustness of the assurance systems we implement,” added Dr Susan Steele, Chair, SFPA. During the past three years, Bord Bia has welcomed over 25 Asian customers to Ireland. In March 2015, a further 17 Asian buyers are projected to agree new business with leading seafood processors estimated to be worth €7m for the seafood sector.

Food safety programme for seafood retailers

Minister Simon Coveney (right) with Chan Shi and Cathal King, Kings of Connemara

TUGS & PONTOONS JACK UP BARGES WINDFARM SUPPORT VESSELS DIVE SUPPORT VESSELS MULTICATS

he fish market in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, is the latest fish shop to sign up for BIM’s Food Safety Programme for Seafood Retailers. Owners George and Anne Stephens want to ensure their seafood meets the highest standards of food safety and hygiene. The programme comprises an interactive food safety workbook specifically developed for retailers which can be tailored to meet the needs of individual businesses. Guidance is given for complying with food safety legislation and best hygiene practices. The seafood retailer completes each section with details of how these requirements are met in their business. Topics covered include: cold chain management; cleaning; personal hygiene; allergen management; cross contamination; labelling; traceability and HACCP. BIM’s food safety team provides on-site mentoring on food safety and hygiene issues and assistance in completing the workbook. As part of the programme, all staff are required to participate in the food safety induction training programme, designed by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). The course is tailored to meet the needs of the seafood industry with an emphasis on cold chain management and specific seafood hazards. The course consists of a pre-training site visit to access current food safety and hygiene practices; a three-hour training programme and a post-training site visit to observe trainees applying their knowledge in the work place.

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Anne and George Stephen outside the Fish Market in Roselawn Shopping Centre, Dublin

inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015 13

seafood business

East coast fishmonger scoops top prize in seafood competition Gillian Mills

erard Collier, Fisherman’s Catch, Clogherhead, Co Louth, was today awarded the title of BIM Young Fishmonger 2015, from a shortlist of five finalists, all of whom demonstrated an “exceptional high standard in technical expertise, product knowledge and customer service’,” remarked Donal Buckley, BIM’s Business Development & Innovation director. This is the second year of the awards, developed by BIM to recognise and reward young fishmongers and to encourage new entrants into the business and ultimately raise the bar across the sector. “Our role, as the Seafood Development Agency, is to develop the retail trade in terms of seafood presentation, training and food safety management. We see this initiative as an exciting component of this strategy,” he added. The sector is benefiting from an increase in sales in the last year with loose fish now accounting for 33.3% of total fresh fish sales. “This is extremely positive for the 500 fishmonger businesses and supermarket seafood counters around Ireland. We look forward to working closely with the industry to assist them take full advantage of this demand,” he said. “All of our finalists were exceptional throughout every stage of the competition and they should be very proud of their achievements. Congratulations to our worthy winner, Gerard Collier, and his colleagues at Fisherman’s Catch. I hope this experience and the competition prize fund allows you to further develop what

is a very successful family business,” he added. Martin Shanahan, Fishy Fishy Café & Restaurant, author and TV broadcaster was guest speaker at today’s event, and congratulated the finalists for their “passion for the seafood business”. As overall winner, Gerard will be offered a study trip to France; a cheque for €1,000 and along with the other finalists, will receive a free placement on BIM’s retail development workshops; a set of professional knives and a specially-designed trophy. All finalists have already enjoyed a masterclass in seafood cookery with Martin Shanahan. The competition was based on three different stages of scoring that included two unannounced visits by the judges to their shops to assess product knowledge and customer service, and a practical test to fillet and prepare fish and shellfish for customer use under time constraints. The finalists also had to discuss their plans, opportunities and challenges for their business. The judges were unanimous in their praise of the finalists’ knowledge, skills and commitment. Last year’s winner, James Kirwan, East Coast Seafood, Naas, Co. Kildare, explained how the accolade has helped his business; “Winning the BIM Young Fishmonger competition really helped me develop my business in terms of new innovative product ranges. The prize fund allowed me to install a new kitchen production unit in the shop, and as a result we are producing an extensive range of value-added products, including Mediterranean fish soup; salmon burgers; smoked mackerel pate; fish pies and fish cakes as well as crusts, sauces and toppings.

Donal Buckley, BIM; Martin Shanahan, Fishy Fishy with Gerard Collier, Fisherman’s Catch, winner of the BIM Young Fishmonger 2015 award

“And the study trip to France was a real learning curve in terms of understanding customers’ preferences. I would like to congratulate Gerard and all the finalists on their achievements and wish them a very busy lead up to the Christmas season.” The awards are timely given the encouraging performance of the seafood market in the last 12 months and in particular fresh fish sales, says BIM. According to Kantar Worldpanel, fresh fish sales are valued at

€122m and have increased by 1.4% year-on-year. Fresh fish accounts for 63.7% of total fish sales, valued at €192m. Of these, fresh fish sales from a fish counter are worth €41m and sales have increased by 7.9% year-on-year, accounting for 33.3% of total fish sales. This is largely due to customers purchasing fish more frequently and paying higher prices. Salmon, cod and prawns remain the most popular species, followed by mackerel and hake.

Finalists: Stevie Connolly, Connolly’s Seafood, Rathmines, Dublin 6 Neil Turner, Caviston’s Food Emporium, Glasthule, Co. Dublin Mateusz Kowalik, Doran’s on the Pier, Howth, Co. Dublin Gary Quinn, Stephen’s Fish Market, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath

Sustainably grown mussels tie up seafood innovation award

West Cork seafood company is the 2014 winner of the Seafood Innovation Award which was presented at the recent Blas na hÉireann National Irish Food Awards. Beara Seafoods also received silver in the prepared shellfish category for the ‘innovative pre-packed mussel bites’, according to sponsors, BIM. The sustainably grown Irish rope mussels are removed from their shells, flavoured with garlic and rolled in multigrain crumb and can be freezer stored for up to eight months. “Battling the recession has been difficult for all companies - and the mussel industry is no different. I knew there was an opportunity for us to add value to our mussels and to develop a product that could demand a higher price on the market,” explained Ger Lynch, fifth generation fisherman and company managing director. Their product is available in main restaurants, retailer and SuperValu stores in the Munster area. “The Blas na nÉireann National Irish Food Awards are an important and prestigious event in the calendar and the standards are exceptionally high. We’re delighted that seafood has become such an important

part of the awards and the success for seafoood this year is testament to the quality of Irish seafood and the creativity and resilience of the industry,” remarked Donal Buckley, BIM’s Ready Meals & Prepared Cold Food Cagegory

Business Development & Innovation Director. Irish seafood products were showcased for their taste, innovation and quality; another eight companies scooped twelve awards: Silver Darling’s: (silver) - pimento herring product Kerryfish: gold medal - Quinlan’s Smoked Irish Salmon

Cold Smoked Category

Dunn’s of Dublin: (silver) - Supervalu Signature Tastes Applewood Smoked Salmon Willam Carr & Sons: (bronze) - Aldi Specially Selected Irish Organic Salmon East Coast Seafoods: (gold) - Hot Smoked Salmon

Hot Smoked Category

Galway Bay Seafoods: (silver & bronze) - Barbequed Smoked Salmon & Hot Peppered Smoked Mackerel Fillets Keohane Seafoods: (gold) - Terrifically Tasty Cajun Salmon Darnes

Prepared Fish Category

The Good Fish Company: (silver) - Mr Goods Fabulous Fish - Amazin Cajun Spiced Salmon Supreme Keohane Seafoods: (bronze) - Whole Salmon Fillet with Dill & Lemon Kerry Fish: (gold) - Quinlan’s Fresh Irish Crab Meat

Prepared Shellfish Category

Beara Seafoods (silver) - Mussel Bites William Carr & Sons (bronze) - Dublin Bay Prawn Cocktail

Paul Ward (BIM); Ger, Helen and Marian Lynch (Beara Seafoods) with their mussel bites range, along with Katie Healy and Aileen Deasy (BIM)

14 inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

seaweed conference

Panel Discussion at the BIM hosted conference

Seaweed - Ireland’s newest farming activity Gillian Mills

eaweed farming offers Ireland the opportunity to become a producer of one of the EU’s fastest growing food categories that by 2020 could boost Irish seafood sales by an additional €10 million per year. This was a key message delivered to almost 200 delegates attending the BIM hosted conference Farmed Irish Seaweed: An Ocean Wonder Food? at which the Agency’s first report on Irish seaweed farming was unveiled. Findings from The European Market for Sea Vegetables - a study specially commissioned for the conference - show Ireland targeting 2,000 metric tonnes (harvest weight) per annum of seaweed farmed for human consumption. Ireland is competing to develop a niche in the US$6bn worldwide farmed seaweed industry currently dominated by global heavyweights, China and Japan. Demand for European farmed seaweed, which is increasing by 7-10% per annum, could lead to 100 new jobs being created on seaweed farms predominantly along Ireland›s west/ south-west coastline, according to BIM. And it believes downstream processing of new seaweed crops would also create a further 80 to 100 jobs in the region. Keynote speaker Amarjit Sahota, Organic Monitor, UK, says the European market for sea vegetables is worth an estimated €24m at wholesale value, and sees Ireland having «high prospects» for two primary reasons:

First, Ireland is already established as an important seaweed producer; it is therefore well equipped to raise production levels. Second, the European market is suffering from undersupply with production falling short of demand. Imports comprised about 75 percent of total sales volumes in 2013. Sahota urged Irish seaweed farmers targeting the European market to look at other seaweed processors as partners rather than competitors, on the basis that undersupply leads major processors to import from other European countries and/or outside Europe: Many processors would welcome a new source of sea vegetables as it would enable them to increase supply and raise sale, he argued. “The study we undertook for BIM shows that the market for sea vegetables in Europe is growing at a healthy rate; so there’s a huge opportunity for Irish producers to capitalise on this market. Ireland has a great coastline, and a clean and green image.” The report advises that while Ireland should continue to farm the brown seaweed species (Alaria esculenta and Laminaria saccharina), of the type already being grown at sites in West Cork’s Roaring Water Bay and at Dingle Bay, it should also target higher value red seaweed, used as nori in sushi (Porphyra umbilicalis). Global consumption of sea vegetables is rising as consumers become more aware of their health and nutritional benefits. They are an important source of protein and vitamins, specifically vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B6, and B12. Seaweeds are also known

to have strong beneficial properties for gut health, they are anti-carcinogenic and promote better hormone balance in women. New research also indicates that seaweed may have a powerful role to play in controlling fat deposition and weight management. Donal Maguire, the Agency’s Director of Aquaculture Development Services outlined that roughly 472 tonnes of sea vegetables were sold in 2013 in the EU: “It would have taken almost 5,000 tonnes of harvest weight seaweed to generate this finished product About a quarter of the market is supplied by European producers, mainly in France and Spain.” But BIM foresees Ireland helping to fill the undersupply problem. “There are openings for Irish producers in all product segments. Although nori is the largest in terms of volume, most prospects are considered with dulse. Dulse is the second largest product segment, with sales volume at 70 tonnes (initial harvest weight of 700 tonnes) in 2013.” Susan Brawley, Professor of Botany, University of Maine, who is widely published and a regular speaker on the international conference circuit, complimented the conference on its structure that began with marketing and progressed to technical information, followed by personal experiences and problem solving: “It’s been an unusually helpful conference for me, even though I am from the US. I think everybody who has an interest in really getting involved in sea vegetables will have learnt a lot and feel pretty optimistic about possibilities,” she said.

Susan Brawley, Professor of Botany, Maine, US

Keynote speaker Amarjit Sahota, Organic Monitor, UK

Ireland is the second largest producer of dulse, exporting about 5 tonnes per annum (52 harvest weight). The segment is also the least dependent on imports, which comprise 10 percent of sales. Wakame and kombu are also prospective; however their markets are relatively smaller at 64 tonnes, product weight (initial harvest weight 660 tonnes) and 50 tonnes, product weight (initial harvest weight 508 tonnes) respectively. Imports comprise 60 per cent and 50 per cent of total sales volumes respectively. Ireland is not a major producer of these sea vegetables. The nori market is the largest, with 288 tonnes (initial harvest weight 2950 tonnes) sold in 2013.

inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015 15

seaweed conference

Eating seaweed in Ireland Sally McKenna

t was with great pleasure that I took on the task of serving a selection of seaweed canapés at the recent BIM farmed seaweed conference in Limerick. Working alongside Derrick Rose of the BIM’s Seafood Development Centre, we took some of the recipes from my book Extreme Greens and served them to the 200 or so delegates and speakers. Many people are surprised to find that seaweed has a mild taste, almost undetectable when added to rich, flavourful ingredients. Just over a hundred years ago, a Japanese chemist named Kikunae Ikeda identified that the glutamates in seaweed – the amino acids that give seaweed its flexibility in the challenging environment in which it lives – also act as neurotransporters, making food taste more interesting and even have a richer texture and more satisfying mouthfeel. He named this taste Umami. When choosing what to serve at the conference, we felt it was important to showcase

not just seaweed, but fabulous ingredients from the Limerick region and beyond. Of course, Irish seafood was going to be on the menu, but we wanted to show how seaweed blends beautifully with many other types of food, including cheese and even nuts.

Seaweed partnerships

Seaweed goes exceptionally well with cheese and we have fabulous cheeses in Ireland. We used St Tola goat’s cheese from nearby Co Clare, as well as good Irish creamery cheddar. The cheddar was showcased in leek, cheddar and mustard tarts, where the seaweed element was milled dillisk (Palmaria palmata). The St Tola was partnered with the delicious local specialty – sold in the Limerick market – seaweed tapenade from On The Wild Side in Kerry. We served this on slices of toasted bread, made for us by local Limerick artisan bakery, the Wild Onion bakery. Before the conference we sent Bob Di Girolamo of the Wild Onion bakery a pot of NoriBake, the exciting new product from Connemara Food Ventures whose mature

Atlantic Goodness Gouda we also served at the conference. Adding seaweed to bread works its own magic - not only in flavour and added nutrition - it also allows the baker to add more water to the loaf. This increased hydration is the goal of any baker, making the bread soft and delightfully chewy. Another cheese we used for the canapés was buffalo ricotta from Toonsbridge Dairy in north Cork. Seaweed has long been used in food in Ireland, but we wanted to serve it in a modern way. It is time to escape from the idea that seaweed is just for a convalescing drink or a wobbly milk pudding – we wanted to partner seaweed with some of the funky, modern ingredients that Ireland produces. We mixed Atlantic wakame (Alaria esculenta) with the ricotta and used it rolled up in slices of Goatsbridge Smoked Trout, from Co Kilkenny. We also served seaweedcured smoked salmon from Burren Smokehouse. All the seaweeds were provided by Wild Irish Sea Veg, Co Clare. We chose also to showcase another modern ingredient: Roaring Water Seaweed’s vegan seaweed chorizo, which we mixed with Ballymaloe relish, and made into sausage rolls. To drink, we made a vodka-based cocktail with sugar kelp, rosemary and lemon, which we served with warm bladderwack (Fucus vesiculosus) cashew bar nuts.

served as sushi and also as wakame sprinkles for soups. Delegates agreed that trying simply to find a European version of nori sushi is not the way forward for Irish seaweed processors. Far better to concentrate on European recipes that exploit seaweed for its fantastic flavor and additional nutrients. The only canapé we didn’t make ourselves was laverbread which was supplied by the Brook Lodge Hotel, Co Wicklow, which we served with a nori (Porphyra umbilicalis)

Irish opportunity

One of the facts that emerged from the conference is that Japanese consumption of seaweed is actually going down! This is due to traditional Japanese culture turning towards a more Western diet with increased meat consumption, and less reliance on traditional Japanese staples, including rice – all, of course, accompanied by the inevitable health problems that the Western diet creates. Fellow speaker Yoichi Sato of Riken Food Co in Japan revealed that Japanese seaweed suppliers will be looking to Europe to boost their flagging market. Japanese seaweed is usually

Sally McKenna

Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year from all at Bord Iascaigh Mhara

www.bim.ie

and pickled sea samphire mayonnaise, also from Brook Lodge. This little canapé was a great hit and was a perfect demonstration of how seaweed can work so well in European recipes. Sushi is a fantastic and clever dish, and Japanese seaweed is full of taste and flavour. But we need to look to what we can do best at home, and I think developing recipes using our cheeses, breads, seafood and modern Irish ingredients is the way forward for Irish seaweed.

16 inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

exclusive interview

Acadian Seaplants enters Irish seaweed sector claiming history of investment and social responsibility Jean-Paul Deveau by Gery Flynn “The purchase of Arramara Teo by Acadian Seaplants will safeguard the future of the company, provide significant demand for seaweed supply from harvesters and provide additional employment in the Gaeltacht,” Mr Deveau believes. Apart from Canada, does Acadian have operations elsewhere? We are a multi-national company from Nova Scotia, Canada. We have five processing facilities along Canada’s Atlantic shore plus a 4,500m2 R&D Centre all located in rural, coastal communities. Internationally, we have locally-staffed operations in eight countries and sales in over 80 countries. What attracted Acadian to Ireland and to Arramara Teoranta in particular? For over thirty years, we have been very careful to do the right things in the right order, to develop scientific knowledge and market awareness for products derived from seaweed. When Údarás na Gaeltachta was asked by a former minister to look for a strategic partnership to grow Arramara and Ireland’s seaweed industry, we saw the potential. Our experience and success in working with the same seaweed species enables the transfer of our knowledge and investment to help Arramara and Ireland expedite their positions as world leaders in quality products for global and domestic markets. What are Acadian’s investment plans for Ireland? Acadian Seaplants has proven, in our facilities located in rural communities, a strong record of investment, improvement

hen it was confirmed in May that Údarás na Gaeltachta had sold its shareholding in the seaweed processing company Arramara Teoranta to Acadian Seaplants Ltd of Canada, the news was greeted with dismay and suspicion by harvesters who feared that their generations-old livelihood of hand-harvesting would be sidelined in favour of mechanisation. In an exclusive interview, Inshore Ireland talked to Acadian Seaplants President Jean-Paul Deveau who says he looks forward to working with Arramara’s employees, suppliers customers, to grow and develop the company to its full potential. and social responsibility. We have a multi-year schedule of investment that is commercially confidential. Shortly after the partnership was ratified, however, we announced an initial €2m investment in capital expenditures, and investments are ongoing. They include factory improvements - to diversify value-added quality products and introduce leading-edge technologies such as global video-conferencing. We are also conducting scientific assessments of the seaweed resource to assure ecosystem sustainability. We have held meetings to prepare for a social responsibility initiative designed to excite, engage and mobilise young people so they may stay and work in their local communities. In which seaweed species is Acadian interested? Arramara Teo. is interested in processing Feamainn Buí (Ascophyllum nodosum) and Fucus. These species grow in abundance in those areas from which harvesters will continue to supply Arramara. These two species are found in the intertidal zone between high and low water marks. Isn’t Arramara Teoranta licensed to harvest 25,000 tonnes? Arramara Teo has never held a licence to harvest seaweed and has always relied on over 300 harvesters living in coastal communities across counties Mayo, Galway and north Clare to supply the factory. Arramara procured and processed varying quantities over the years, to a maximum of 37,000 tonnes annually. Current volumes do not reflect Arramara’s potential. We will help Arramara get back to prior levels and maximise the factory’s capacity. Údarás has asked us to stabilise and improve

quality and throughput so that employees, harvesters, hauliers and other stakeholders can receive maximum economic benefit from Arramara’s operation. We know that with our science, experience and success, we can help build not only a technically-advanced seaweed manufacturing centre of excellence in Cill Chiaráin, but can add value and market acceptance to maximise prosperity in the West and fortify Ireland’s global leadership in seaweed applications. What harvesting methods will Acadian use? The harvest method widely used sees harvesters on the shore at low tide with hand sickles cutting the Feamainn Buí from the rocks. The harvester then ties the seaweed in climíní, or forks it onto a wagon to be hauled. In North America, harvesters work from small boats, and using a small, hand-held cutter rake on long poles, they trim the upper portion of the floating seaweed and lift it into their boats. Each harvester then lands their catch for haulage and sale to Acadian’s plants. We’re proud of our resource management model in North America, which took years to evolve. We want to respect the provenance and heritage of the methodology in Ireland, and we are actively engaging with harvesters to better understand their current and future needs. With proven harvesting techniques, it may be possible to increase the total amount harvested. Will Acadian introduce mechanical harvesting here? Arramara will continue to buy seaweed from harvesters who harvest as they have always done – byhand, on foot - at low tide using a sickle. A couple of harvesters have expressed

interest in trying a different method of hand harvesting, like that used in North America, for areas with accessibility challenges. We will work with harvesters to ensure the best harvesting technologies are used in the right geographies to maximise economic benefits while ensuring sustainability. We want to support and help harvesters by making scientific assessments available in the West. Does Acadian plan to process the harvest locally, or will this be done outside Ireland? The purchase of Arramara was for the purpose of developing the processing of Ireland’s seaweed resource in the West of Ireland. As recognised experts in the processing of these seaweed species, it makes sense economically to process as close to the harvest as possible. We’re committed to making the investments necessary in equipment, people and science to optimise the factory, to provide sustainable employment and to increase economic benefits to harvesters, hauliers, suppliers and other stakeholders. Will employment grow at your plant in Ireland? As efficiencies improve and we increase added value and market acceptance, our personnel requirements increase. This takes many forms. We need skills in manufacturing, research, engineering, administration and other areas of the business. This presents opportunities for those in Arramara, and hopefully, for more people to join and contribute. As long as there is responsible, managed, sustainable access to the seaweed, Arramara and this industry will ensure an enduring legacy for families of the West. Will Arramara harvest in areas where other harvesters are currently at work, or will the company have exclusive harvesting rights? It has been our experience, both in committing our responsibilities in North America and in studying good and bad examples worldwide that to ensure

accountability someone must be accountable for seaweed resource management. Government must assure the protection of resources on behalf of the citizens and the State, and this requires each company commit specific, defined responsibilities. These must be written, licensed, adhered to and subject to withdrawal of a licence in the event of breach. Each company must assure the seaweed is healthy and sustainable within its ecosystem. In order to impose such defined responsibilities, each company must be the exclusive licensee in a geographic area which ensures harvesters will be able to harvest in a planned and sustainable way. These essential safeguards enable Ireland to protect the environment, people, heritage and the industry while directing sustainable, licensed users of the natural resource to maximise economic benefits for current and future generations. We believe there is plenty of Feamainn Buí for landowners’ personal use, for Arramara and for other responsible, licensed companies. Where companies are licensed, the resource is properly and sustainably managed and returns are maximised and everybody benefits: harvesters, employees, researchers and other stakeholders. Do you envisage territorial difficulties with such a situation? The serious topic of folio rights regarding individual and State ownership of resource, we believe, is a matter of law and fact. Based on our confidence in the harvester community, and in the Government finding its way in applying law and fact to the question of who owns the seaweed, we are confident all parties can avoid territorial difficulties. When there is lack of responsible management of the resource, we have seen other countries overharvest and ruin their harvesters’ livelihoods. We are confident we will continue to be a responsible, accepted and contributing member of society here in the West of Ireland.

inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015 17

aquaculture

Backlog in aquaculture licensing affects production in Kenmare Bay and Killary Harbour. Photo Gillian Mills

Eddie Downey, IFA President

IFA president calls for radical overhaul of aquaculture licensing system

peaking to a packed 2014 Irish Shellfish Association conference in Dublin, IFA President, Eddie Downey gave a stark warning to Minister Simon Coveney that he needed to “urgently pull all the various agencies and departments of the State together” to solve the licensing problem in shellfish farming. The IFA leader, who is well known for leading the agricultural community against unfair prices for beef and many other initiatives, said the (marine) agencies must be given a clear target to meet within the Harvest 2020 and Ocean Wealth reports: “A single, accountable body must be made responsible to government for breaking

down the barriers to Irish businesses creating jobs and exports from aquaculture.”

System inefficiencies

Eddie Downey is well familiar with Harvest 2020 in particular, covering as it does every aspect of the department’s work. He acknowledged the frustration of the aquaculture sector having to dealing with so many agencies, and the need to improve efficiencies and customer service. At the Dublin event, which was the Association’s twenty-fifth anniversary, the IFA president’s words rang true to many in the room who have seen their struggle to create shellfish businesses thwarted by a growing army of regulators to the extent where it had

become a running joke that civil servants outnumbered farmers at previous AGMs. Not so in 2014 however, where the Association’s tireless work is gathering and maintaining support for a unified approach on issues relating to licencing and water quality. “Minister Coveney has set ambitious targets to deal with the licencing backlog and IFA needs to see delivery by way of renewals being processed and the entire backlog dealt with within eighteen months. His agencies have told us this is possible, and he must ensure the will and resources are there to deliver,” Eddie Downey emphasised.

Unnecessary bureaucracy

Mr Downey added

that shellfish producers were frustrated with the delays in working progress due to excessive and unnecessary bureaucracy. “This lack of co-ordination can no longer be accepted, where the objectives of Harvest 2020 and the government’s Harvesting Our Ocean Wealth policies form no part of licencing policy, and are ignored when farmers ask for simplification and clarity to do their jobs.” Mr Downey concluded that leadership of State organisations representing the sector “must take

responsibility. It is time that the licencing regime is taken by the scruff of the neck and that a one-stop shop for all aquaculture producers is created to remove duplication and improve the delivery of essential services to farmers.” The ISA Conference also included talks on perspectives on mussel farming (John Harrington, Kush Seafarms); the potential for native oysters (Tony Legg); grant aid under the EMFF (Catherine Morrison, BIM) and shellfish safety issues (David Lyons, FSAI).

AGM highlights

he executive was given the task of investigating the establishment of a Producer Organisation under the new EU rules on grant aid and markets. The latest major issue undertaken by ISA where it has become the voice of the ordinary shellfish producer in Europe is in its fight against PCR testing for the Norovirus. ISA has led the campaign in a professional and highly strategic manner, turning around an unstoppable supertanker coalition of scientists and the EU Commission who were hell-bent on introducing the change that would have wiped out the live shellfish trade. This has been described as the ‘single most important issue’ for the oyster industry in Europe after mortalities: what is the point of growing the product if you cannot harvest it? “The days are over when sneaky proposals can easily find their way into law led by academics and regulators taking no account of an impact on producers,” remarked Richie Flynn, ISA Executive and President of the European Mollusc Producers Association. “Between ISA, EMPA and other European Associations, we have to be ahead of the game and ever-watchful for our interests which we have to remember naturally do not always coincide with those of our own regulators who sit in on these meetings.”

18 inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

aquaculture

Second FoI attempt

»» from page 1

In September 2013, IFA Aquaculture made another attempt to get the report: “We filed a request for the full report under Public Access to Environmental Information, to the Department of Communications Energy and Natural Resources and Inland Fisheries Ireland.” IFI response: ‘We wish to inform you that due to the volume of material that’s required to be collated and reviewed in advance of determining your request, we were unable to reply to you within the one month period’. In November 2013, the fisheries board responded to IFA Aquaculture saying that because the Pilot

“That was refused on the basis that some of the data in SUMBAWS was under peer-review at the time. But I was also informed that it would become available in late 2009-early 2010. That was the position of the Central Fisheries Board in June 2009.” The IFA Aquaculture executive believes that Salmon Watch Ireland must have had a very detailed sighting of SUMBAWS, (declared unavailable) because they quoted from it in their complaint. And he believes that only a very small group of people at that time had access to SUMBAWS.

investigation had been reopened, ‘matters contained in the collected communications may be subject to an investigation by the Office Of The Ombudsman. Therefore, we’ve made a decision to refuse your request’. “The Department [DCENR] also came back to us on exactly the same date – November 28 and said the same thing: ‘Because the Pilot case has been re-opened, we cannot comply.’ So they refused us too.”

Decision appealed

IFA Aquaculture appealed the refusal and on January 28, received a further letter from the Department saying that the report referred to had been co-ordinated by the

University of St Andrews in Scotland who had sent it to the European Commission. ‘This report was funded by European FP5… And it is our understanding that it [the SUMBAWS Report] should be requested from the European Union’. “They also told me the information requested was not held by or for the Department of Communications Energy and Natural Resources. “In other words, are they saying they didn’t have a copy of SUMBAWS?” Flynn asked. Flynn revealed other attempts to obtain the SUMBAWS report - including a PQ on July 1, 2014 by Padhraic McLoughlin TD.

The NINA report

Meanwhile, in September 2014, IFI highlighted the publication by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA report 1044, Effects of salmon lice on sea trout – a literature review of what it claimed was a ‘definitive review’ of over 300 scientific publications on the effects sea lice can have on sea trout stocks, which was compiled by a team of top scientists from Ireland, Scotland and Norway. Apart from a single note in the biographical details of one of NINA’s contributors, the SUMBAWS report is not included.

Closure of EU Pilot for second time

he Pilot Investigation by the European Commission into the potential impact of sea lice on wild salmon stocks in Ireland concluded with the finding that the Irish State has no case to answer. The investigation was launched in 2009 following complaints by Salmon Watch Ireland and Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE). The case was initially closed in 2012 but was reopened later that year after FIE provided the Commission with additional information, including a report from Inland Fisheries Ireland. Since its introduction in 2008 the EU Pilot has been a relatively quick and effective mechanism

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controversial article in a prestigious science journal that accuses the Marine Institute of ‘incorrectly’ concluding that sea lice play a minor role in the survival of wild salmon, has been downgraded significantly by its publishers who have also apologised to the agency for denying it a right of reply prior to publication. This is the latest twist in what has been a highly charged debate involving some of Ireland’s environmental State Agencies

as well as the scientific community here and abroad. First published in August 2013 in the respected Journal of Fish Diseases, the article, written by a team of scientists led by Dr Martin Krkošek of the University of Toronto alleges that based on its own research, the Marine Institute incorrectly concluded ‘that sea lice play a minor, perhaps even negligible, role in salmon survival’. Krkošek further states that such a conclusion can be supported ‘only if one is prepared to accept at least three fundamental methodological errors’. And he claims that his team’s ‘re-analyses’ of the same data ‘departs substantially from those reported and interpreted’ by the Marine Institute.

rural be issued to to licences” might island communities and coastal and fishing practices. Rural Coastal is ds Sustainable which facilitate traditional also recommen EU t policy Island Communities The report e projects governmen ‘Whereas they assert that sea lice for publication, rejected food safety, sampling,control. as a ‘Short Communication’, calling for the survival of that aquacultur s should be cause 1% of mortality in Atlantic outright, or returned to audits and fisheries the Krkošek article has been is the submission to focus on and island for fin-fish adherence to the d fishing on a salmon, the correct estimate is the author for re-published by the same when making tteefurther l rural coastales by promoting licensed on inshore fishery, subcommi or amendment.“Unlicense environmenta actually a one-third loss of overall journal - but this time it to a jointclarification norm in the risks and communiti of activities. e, world’s ‘highest for structures March 2013,” Mills and adult recruitment,’ he writes. Gillianhas the Journal posing market been re-classified, and fisheries inSignificantly, , CEO and diverse range that aquacultur standards’ in place to allow ‘We acknowledge that few smolts of Fish Diseases notes that biological instabilitymarket effectively downgraded to Francis O’Donnell Producers It contends sea Fish to be put local ownership. black chair If survive to return in any wild salmon ‘Comments not subject the status a ‘Comment’. of the Irish former a significant Irishofinshore inshore fishing, tourism andare maximum by the The has developed. on the population and that recent declines to theonsameInshore level ofIreland. peer Such a is re-classification Organisati economy angling, marine Issues identified about tacklingto told fishery initiatives ittee are listed in the survival of Irish Atlantic review as Original Articles is highly significant collapsein the of the FIF we are serious Ireland needs and seaweed to vibrant sub-Comm basis, subbrink ofworld eD salmon cannot be solely explained and Review Papers.’ scientific this problem,robust long-term to a lack due to the could contribute areas. areas, on a thematic esourc due three island and into and and by sea lice…… our purpose is The re-classified fact that ‘Comments’ are notunDer-r to this Krkošek put real nt plans in place coastal policy sectioned recommendations suggests that far speaking the the of proper Alsoarticle to highlight that parasites can hasDixon a ‘Noteoffrom subjected to theasso-called manageme by species basis.” The report, support n. Going and specific Eamon stating BIMwhere paper,Publisher’ each section: and, in this case, do have a large regulatio that’s ‘due to on a species peerthe review process pg 13) 1990s, Island ‘proactive government Fishermen follow for and sensible as protocols interview ensure » Rural Coastal and effect on fisheries recruitment… backstrict procedural Dronly Jackson areof observed. Erris aInshore it was (see full with proportionate a number saiderror ies: a sociocontrols’ could that with important implications for produced [the senior scientist at the Foroutlying the resultsinofclear a Association years Communit co-exist. bureaucratic can l anD last two profile to dealto the management and conservation reports Marine Institute whose team scientific investigation in the coasta report es Protection economic such activitiesmust urgently develop pathways 12 terms, Those of wild salmon stocks.’ Krkošek(SFPA) refers to]has wasbeen not given be published in a credible the Sea-fisheri islanD Dixon’s comments ‘Government structure grounded » page this issue. thethis gathered with Authority the opportunity to reply to scientific journal, it must Eamon publication a management for inshore fisheries. s have to address positionbefore blueprint by was published.’ follow the recent first pass ainterim, rigorous in obstacle ARTICLE heitcautions in reliable dataexplore how “heritage in in aCommentBut compiled in the dust problems. ittee course of assessment by a RECLASSIFICATION the decline level of of a report For instance, with as Sub-comm of the tandem that the current panel of experts employed Now however, just four the Joint potential Promoting not a deterrent fisheries. control is is under-resourced, to check lobster for accuracy. months after it first appeared economic on Fisheries: and crab the agency The paper is theofn Irish accepted in the Journal of Fish Diseases page 7 areas to» cover: others “The Federation with too many (FIF) and Fishermen this point clear have made

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aglephoto.c in 2007. which closedJohn Eagle (www.johne Photo

“They are in fact limited in their powers to examining only salmon in rivers specifically listed for their protection. In this case, those cited by Salmon Watch Ireland – the Bundorragha river, the Newport river, and the Ballynahinch catchment have all maintained ‘reasonable conservation status’. Therefore the Commission had no grounds to proceed further to court,” he argued. Mr Lowes pointed out that a review* of three hundred available papers on the effects of sea lice published in September confirmed that sea lice have ‘negatively impacted wild sea trout stocks in salmon farming areas in Ireland, Scotland and Norway‘ He said the review found that ‘sea lice have a potential significant and detrimental effect on marine survival of Atlantic

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Gery Flynn

upholds Ireland’s excellent sea lice monitoring and control programme on salmon farms, which commission officials have classified as being the ‘best in Europe”. Mr Maguire said he hoped the move would be a ‘turning point in the long running and sometimes bitter debate about salmon farming and wild salmon stocks’. FIE spokesperson Tony Lowes sees the decision as a demonstration of the limitations of EU environmental law. He said that despite accepting that environmentalists had provided a number of studies demonstrating a link between salmon farms and wild salmon mortality the Commission could find no provision under EU law for a general ban on salmon farming.

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Publisher apologises to Ireland’s heries data, fis d to fail’ Marine Institute for contentious t robust ne sea-lice article Withou ment is ‘desti manage THE SILENCEG IS DEAFENIN

designed to provide answers to questions arising in the application of EU laws – particularly those raised by citizens or businesses. The EU Commission closed its investigation in September and which was finally closed in September Donal Maguire, BIM’s Director of Aquaculture Development Services welcomed the Commission finding saying it represented three things: “First it shows that there was no evidence to support the suggestion that salmon in Irish rivers are being adversely affected by sea lice from salmon farms. Second, it is a clear demonstration that the EU Commission accepts the science, developed by the Marine Institute of Ireland, which shows that sea lice have only a very minor influence on wild salmon survival and third, the closure of the case

salmon with potentially 1244% fewer salmon spawning in salmon farming areas’. “BIM’s statement welcoming the closure of the case in which they state that there is ‘no evidence to support the suggestion that salmon in Irish rivers are being adversely affected by sea lice from salmon farms’ is both unscientific and unsound,” Mr Lowes concluded. * ‘Effects of salmon lice on sea trout a literature review NINA Report 1044 September 2014’ may be downloaded from Inland Fisheries Ireland website: http://www. fisheriesireland.ie/ fisheries-research-1/459effects-of-salmon-liceon-sea-trout-a-literaturereview-nina-report-1044september-2014

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inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015 19

aquaculture

Can Ireland avoid missing the ‘seaweed’ boat - again? Stefan Kraan, Ocean Harvest Technology

uring the early nineties, Ireland and seaweed experienced somewhat of a brief Renaissance. Companies, State agencies and Thirdlevel institutions came together and launched the National Seaweed Forum to discuss how seaweed could be capitalised upon and further developed. Relentless efforts by Professor Michael Guiry, NUI Galway and Dr Henry Lyons, IT Tralee, for example, made this a reality. As Dr Lyons would say; “We would like to see seaweed step out of the Cinderella position of the aquaculture industry.” Dr Lyons, who also acted as chairman of the Forum, helped produce the excellent Seaweed Forum Report, which included a list of recommendations on how to move Ireland’s seaweed industry forward.

Agency reaction

The State agencies acted on these recommendations. Two positions were created to coordinate research and develop the industry and a range of other implementations such as specific calls for seaweed in funding programmes were directed at helping the sector,. Ultimately, the Irish Seaweed Organisation was established and the Irish Seaweed Centre (ISC) was established in NUIG. Within a relatively short time, seaweed had put itself firmly on the map in respect of R&D, resource management and industrial applications. During this time, some great projects and patented inventions were developed at the Institute of Technologies in Tralee or Waterford including new uses researched at GMIT and some novel R&D ranging from nutrition to energy application. Unfortunately however, within three years, most progress in establishing these structures in State Agencies was either lost or watered

down and the Irish Seaweed Organisation was handed over to the industry and eventually fell apart, with the exception of the Irish Seaweed Centre. The ISC continued to operate independently, securing its own funding through competitive funding programmes and managed to develop seaweed and to keep Ireland not only on the ‘seaweed map’, but to the forefront in research at a European level. This managed to win it both respect and global recognition. Eventually however the ISC became a victim of its own success, and internal politics slowly heralded its demise . Combined with the national economic downturn, Ireland lost its front runner position – a fact made crystal clear during the 3rd Seagriculture conference (September) in Terneuzen, in The Netherlands.

Novel extractions

This two-day event showcased a variety of projects, progress and novel applications. Presentations ranged from novel extractions of mannitol which were patented by the ECN - the Dutch Energy Research Centre - to biorefinery proof of concepts by the Danish Technological Institute, and mass cultivation systems by Hortimare A.S. in Norway. In the area of food, we also saw a seaweed cultivation company teaming up a chef with sea lettuce to develop the Dutch (sea) weed burger. These are 100% vegetarian with seaweed adding the flavouring component. They are now being sold in New York, although the words ‘weed’ and ‘Dutch’ might also be attracting American interest – but for the wrong reasons! Another product that went down well – literally- was Zeewier Jenever, or Dutch seaweed gin, guaranteed to create a bit of Dutch courage! It seems the Dutch, Norwegians and the Danes quickly discovered the major

potential of seaweed and have funded research and development centres to the tune of several millions. These countries are already developing large- scale cultivation, coupled to seaweed biorefineries to solve global energy issues, protein shortages and health issues in society. An example is the new state-of-the-art cultivation centre opened on the Isle of Texel in the Netherlands by King Willem Alexander in May this year. Modern purpose-designed tanks with heating and cooling mantles running on sustainable energy sources (solar and wind) are coupled to modern laboratories. These and other highly sophisticated support structures, are now taking seaweed to the next dimension.

The Dutch weed burger presented by Mark Kulsdom

Government action

Also through national funding programmes, heavy investment is being pumped into seaweed research and development in Denmark and Norway. These governments have truly seen the use and potential that this sustainable resource can play in Society. With Norway set to stop importing soya by 2020, the salmon industry there will need home-grown protein and seaweed could be the answer. It should be clear that Ireland is now on the back foot and has some catching up to do. What still works to our advantage however is the incredibly rich biodiversity of species (630+) present in Irish waters, which gives us more potential to develop novel compounds for health, functional foods or new materials for example. Skilled strategic planning and foresight will be required more than ever at government level if Ireland is once more to join the front runners in developing this interesting, sustainable and indiginous natural resource we call seaweed!

Seaweed farm. A sea lettuce cultivation farm in the southerly province Zeeland in the Netherlands All photos: Paulien Hoftijzer

Seaweed gin: Petra de Boevere with her novel seaweed gin, smooth and mellow with a kick in the end

20 inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

marine r&d

INFOMAR develops trans-Atlantic cooperation to provide training to USA seabed mapping programme Cushla DromgoolRegan and Vera Quinlan

eorge Hanna, a student of the Benthic Acoustic Mapping and Survey (BEAMS) programme in the USA, recently joined the

Irish INFOMAR team on the research vessel RV Celtic Voyager during an inshore survey of Mizen head, Co Cork. The INFOMAR team provided onboard fieldwork training using the newly installed EM2040 state-ofthe-art multibeam technology to develop detailed maps of

the seafloor, as well as a subbottom profiler to identify and characterise layers of sediment and rock and surrounding habitat. Training support is hugely beneficial in developing academic and career opportunities in bathymetric and seafloor habitat mapping on both sides of the Atlantic.

Over 300 transition year students visit the Marine Institute Lisa Fitzpatrick

ver 300 transition year students from Galway and further afield visited the Marine Institute recently to meet scientists and staff. They discovered a wide range of activities that take place at the Institute’s headquarters, and got a glimpse of what it would be like to work in marine research. “We’re delighted to open our doors to students and we hope they’ll be inspired by the people they meet here and by work that we’re doing to understand our unique ocean resources,” remarked

CEO Dr Peter Heffernan. “Some of the students may even go on to become ocean explorers as marine biologists, oceanographers, geographers, mapper of the seabed or as engineers, developing novel marine renewable energy devices. “There are many opportunities, particularly with a national and EU focus on the potential of the ‘blue economy’ with the Government plan – Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth and the European Commission’s Atlantic Strategy.” The visit included a talk by Helen McCormick, Fisheries Ecosystem Advisory

Services, on the work of the Marine Institute; a Sea for Society video showing the importance of our ocean resource, and an exhibition on marine careers and training opportunities, including our own annual bursar programme for thirdlevel students. Staff and scientists demonstrated their work, using touch-screen interactive seabed maps, fish samples and even a mini submarine. They answered well thought out questions on fisheries science; seabed mapping; seafood safety; oceanography; ocean chemistry and research vessel operations.

“With the rapid growth of new technologies used in ocean surveying, it is important that undergraduate students get fieldwork experience that focuses on strengthening their skills, which can be used in the workforce,” explained Thomas Furey, manager of Advanced Mapping Services at the Marine Institute and joint INFOMAR programme manager with the Geological Survey of Ireland. Collaboration with the College of Charleston and University of Washington’s BEAMS programme came about after focussed development of international INFOMAR industry and research relations. This was instigated following the Trans-Atlantic co-operation agreement, the Galway Statement signed at the Marine Institute in 2013. INFOMAR also supported the nomination of Jay Calvert, University of Ulster, who was recently awarded a Fulbright-

Marine Institute Scholarship to attend three months each at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage and Northeastern University in Boston. The BEAMS programme is widely recognised internationally for the output of many academically qualified ocean surveyors; however gaining vessel experience can be challenging. Volunteering as a survey technician through the programme, George Hanna highlighted the benefits of working with INFOMAR: “I was extremely lucky to come to Ireland to get hands-on experience on the RV Voyager and to work with some of the best sonar technology equipment out there. Getting real experience during survey operations and deploying numerous oceansurvey related instruments certainly helped support me in expanding my academic opportunities and also getting future work in the area of seabed mapping”.

George Hanna gets hands on experience working with a range of equipment while on the RV Celtic Voyager

Chloe Glynn, Aoife Duffy and Sarah Murphy from Seamount College, Kinvara got to learn more about marine technology while using the mini Remotely Operated Vehicle at the Marine Institute in Oranmore Galway. Photo: Andrew Downes

Bathymetry map of the sea floor during the inshore survey of Mizen Head, Cork

inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015 21

marine r&d

Biological effects and chemical measurements in Irish marine waters

Cushla DromgoolRegan

he final report for Biological Effects and Chemical Measurements in Irish Marine Waters has published after four years of collaborative research led by Trinity College Dublin in partnership with the Marine Institute, Shannon Aquatic Toxicity Laboratory (Enterprise Ireland) and Dublin Institute of Technology. The marine environment is affected by a complex mixture of man-made and naturallyoccurring substances derived from a variety of sources such as shipping, sewage or industrial discharges or through accidental or historic spills of hazardous substances. “Current monitoring and assessment of the pollution status of the marine environment in Ireland is mainly reliant on chemical measurements of contaminants in sediments, water and in ‘bio-indicator’ species. The success of this pilot project is that it reports the first major Irish study that examined both pollutant levels in the coastal environment while concurrently assessing the potential for biological-based effects on organisms exposed to these often hazardous substances” explained Professor Jim Wilson from Trinity College, Dublin. Drawing on diverse expertise provided by government and academic research institutions, the study completed testing chemical and biologicalbased monitoring tools in diverse coastal locations in Dublin, Wexford, Cork, Kerry, Clare and Galway. The project confirmed that Irish coastal water quality was generally good with the most elevated pollutant levels detected typically at more populated locations subject to greater impacts and pressures. Lower pollutant levels were generally evident

in less populated areas where diffuse pollution rather than local sources are of greater relevance. In isolation, chemical measurement studies do not always explain the potential of the pressures that affect the ecosystem as a whole. The findings also note that using a suite of biological effects as part of an integrated approach to support chemical measurements gives a better overview of the health of our marine ecosystem. For example, chemical compounds and mixtures present in the environment, combined with natural changes in the ocean - such as salinity or temperature - can all work in synergy or against each other to elicit diverse effects on the marine environment and on resident marine species. “Individual pollutants or a mix of chemicals can cause metabolic disorders; increases in diseases becoming more common, as well as having an adverse effect on population growth and on species reproduction potential. “An example of this is the reproductive effects on dog whelks, which were affected by the legacy of exposure to the biocide Tributyltin (TBT). TBT was widely used as an effective antifoulant on the ship and boat hulls to prevent growth of aquatic organisms. Although use of TBT has been phased out internationally, the effects are still evident, but are diminishing over time,” Dr Michelle Giltrap, Trinity College, explained. Dr Brian Donlon who manages the EPA Research Programme explained that ongoing international commitments under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive require member states to monitor pollution in their marine waters, by assessing both the level of chemical contamination and the effects of this contamination on organisms. “Continued research and monitoring is required in order to further develop

the dedicated chemical measurement and ecotoxicological response datasets,” he added. “Integrated biological effects and chemical monitoring, including use of the novel tools, offer the potential for a more ecologicallyoriented approach to pollution monitoring and further enhance and support management actions to maintain a sustainable

Jenny Ronan testing the water at Omey Island, which was one of the sampling locations. marine environment,” remarked Dr Brendan McHugh, Marine Institute. Biological Effects and Chemical Measurements in Irish Marine Waters is available on the Marine Institute’s Open Access Repository: http://oar. marine.ie/handle/10793/974 and on the EPA’s website

at http://goo.gl/lzTd9n. This research project and was carried out under the Sea Change Strategy and the Marine Sub-Programme of the National Development Plan 2007-2013 and was jointly funded by the Environment Protection Agency and the Marine Institute.

Children from St Nicholas Parochial School, Galway working with the Explorers Education Officer, Dr. Noirin Burke on Grattan Beach Galway. Photo Andrew Downes Photography

Explorers Education Programme grows in the West

he Explorers Education Programme kicks off the New Year reaching over one hundred primary schools in the west of Ireland, along with launching new teaching materials available on its website www.explorers.ie. “The applications from teachers to take part in the Explorers programme show their great enthusiasm of how they want to provide their students with the opportunity to learn about our oceans. It is also positive seeing the programme grow where we are now working with more schools in Galway, Mayo, Clare and Sligo,” remarked Dr Noirin Burke, Explorers Education Officer. Along with the workshops, seashore safaris, projects and in-school tanks offered through the programme, the Explorers team are also working with a selection of teachers, funded through SFI Discover, to develop new lesson plans that introduce primary school students to the marine. “These are available to freely download on www.explorers.ie and provide excellent opportunities for teachers to introduce cross-curricular activities while teaching the importance of understanding how the marine environment affects our daily lives,” explained Cushla Dromgool-Regan, Marine Institute.

22 inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

marine r&d

A century of tradition and skills behind the Tyrrell boat-building dynasty

or more than 150 years, Arklow Marine Services has been synonymous with boat building in Ireland – beginning with traditional timber boat designs in the 1860s, and progressing through the era of steel to the latest medium of aluminium for high speed vessels. At the helm of this fifth generation family business are John and Billy Tyrrell, holders of marine engineering and naval architecture qualifications respectively. Their custom-built premises located on North Quay, Arklow, comprise a 25,000 square feet workshop divided into a building hall and machine shop. A current 30-strong team skilled in new builds, ship repair and refurbishing (shelter deck construction / wheelhouse reconfiguration etc), complemented by a strong engineering division for land-based construction, petrochemical, power generation and manufacturing facilities, provides a complete solution centre for service providers in the marine and maritime sectors. Adjacent to the purpose-build yard are auxiliary facilities (crane, power and light) to carry out floating repairs. While CAD/CAM & CNC profiling have replaced some traditional tools, techniques and building methods, Arklow Marine Services commitment to quality and detail to customer requirement, along with competitive pricing and delivery on time, remains the hallmark of Tyrell-built boats. Design and construction include aluminum catamarans; high speed response vessels; amphibious vessels; car and passenger ferries; trawlers, tugs and workboats.

Gery Flynn & Gillian Mills Describe the company focus change over the past decade in particular, and what have been the major challenges? We have had to move away from ship repair because the fishing industry has changed so much in the last fifteen years or so. With new boats coming in under the BIM Renewal Scheme for the fishing industry, there wasn’t much demand for refurbishing & repair works. We also had to face the reality that the company has literally outgrown its Arklow facilities. Many new boats today are much deeper, and despite the company having all the required skills, we just don’t have the required water depth at our repair facility to get the vessels into Arklow. So,

from that point of view, a lot of work has passed us by now. Specifically, what can Arklow Marine Services offer the fishing sector? Very little at the moment because despite the harbour being dredged, we’ll still have only 4.5 metres water. The trawler we’re currently working on in Howth has a 5.5m draught and we cannot get such vessels into Arklow to carry out the repair works. Many clients have told us we’re the only company in Ireland with all the facilities and skills, yet we just don’t have the water depth for these modern boats. If we had 6-7 metres depth, we’d be inundated with work with up to fifty people working here. Currently we employ about twenty full-time and another ten temporary people from time to time. But that can fluctuate depending on the amount of work we have on.

Where will the company look for business in the next decade? Basically, we’re looking to the UK for more business. We’ve been busy in this area in the last few years, and will continue to tender in that region. Here in Arklow we have an excellent fabrication hall with state-of-the art facilities including overhead gantries, plant & machinery. We also have all the necessary skills in-house. I always say that if you can build a boat you can do anything because boat building involves designing; fabricating; welding; fitting; pipework; engine alignment; hydraulics; pneumatics; carpentry; electrical; electronics; painting; transport and cranage. Boat building has it all. What key successes are you most proud of over the last 10 years? Breaking into the wind farming and the salmon farming industries in the UK have been two major events for Arklow Marine Services.

What kept you out of the UK in the past? We didn’t have to go there because during the boom years here there was plenty of well-paid construction work available to augment our marine works. When the ESB undertook a €100m overhaul of their Turlough Hill facility some years ago, we did quite a bit of engineering work for them. But projects like these have all ended, and there’s very little building work at the moment. This work supplemented the marine work, repairs and refurbishing that was ongoing. We’re not building fishing boats at the moment because the orders just aren’t there, and they’re hard to get and to be competitive. When you are competing with yards in Vietnam that pay a man US$17 a day, you just can’t win, despite the fact that the quality of our work always stands to us. In terms of the standard of workmanship, you can always tell an Arklow Marine boat by the quality of the build, welding and the general fit out. Our workmanship is second to none.

Are you involved with the marine renewable sector, and are you optimistic for its future here? Definitely. We’re hoping very much that the wind farms in the Irish Sea are going to kick off again, and if that happens, Arklow Marine is in a good position. We are hoping that the Codling Bank will go ahead. They already have consent for a Gigawatt of offshore power, and now they’re going back for another Gigawatt. That will mean installing 400 wind turbines. For this project to succeed, however, it will depend very much on government action, and in my opinion they are not moving as quickly as they should to make this and other marinebased projects happen. The red tape must go to allow people go ahead and develop the sector. There’s enormous potential for wind energy generation in the Irish Sea but I sometimes worry that our government isn’t serious about developing its full potential. Apart from Ireland and the UK, are you looking further afield for business?

inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015 23

marine r&d

Not yet, but we are steadily building up relationships with specialist marine companies that we can work with on future projects. We’d like to have about ten such companies worldwide. Currently we are working with about five of these, and further down the road we might look again for business opportunities to the Middle East where we worked in the past. We built boats for clients in Jordan and in Saudi Arabia about twenty-five, thirty years ago. We even had our own design office then but it worked out too costly and wasn’t viable. So, for that reason we tend now to farm out design work. What’s your message to government? Government is still not listening to the marine sector. Of the €1.6bn worth of fish taken in Irish waters last year alone, Ireland got only 23% of the volume and only 17% of the monetary value. That means, €1.3bn of fish went out of Irish waters. That’s shameful, and government should be doing something about it. I see

huge opportunities in every aspect on the marine sector. The proposed salmon farms for the Mayo and Galway coasts must be allowed go ahead. There will be fantastic job opportunities for communities that have lost out to the drift net ban. Should marine be a single department with a senior cabinet minister? Definitely. Our marine sector is too fragmented and should be a full department to look after the entire marine industry. There are multiple industries with huge potential: inshore and offshore fishing; oil and gas; renewable energy; fin fish farming; shellfish farming, the list goes on and on. There are enormous opportunities out there in the marine but there’s too much red tape and cronyism involved in getting things done in Ireland. We just need to move away from all that and let people with ideas and energy do their jobs well. I’m afraid though it won’t happen because there’s nobody in government with blue in their veins.

24 inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

marine r&d

Defence Forces Officers attending the NMCI 10 year anniversary celebrations

Teresa Brien, Noreen Kelleher, Sean Cremin, Viv Gough celebrating NMCI’s 10th anniversary

Celebrating 10 years of maritime education and training in Ireland

O Compiled by Cormac MacGarry

ctober 3 saw the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) celebrate 10 years in operation. The NMCI, a constituent college of Cork Institute of Technology, brings together the Irish Naval Service and merchant marine under one roof in one of the most advanced maritime academies of its type worldwide. The NMCI was the first third-level college in the country to be built under the Government’s Public-Private

Partnership scheme, a model that has allowed the college management and teaching staff to concentrate on education while the private partner (Cofely GDF Suez) has been responsible for services to the college and the maintenance of its facilities. In addition to supporting the maritime education and training needs of the merchant, naval, coastguard and emergency services, recent years have seen rapid growth in NMCI’s activities both at home and abroad. The expansion of the College’s academic,

commercial and research services have resulted not only in an enhancement of Ireland’s international reputation, but has supported the employment of thousands of Irish men and women in maritime and offshore sectors. This industry currency and capability was exemplified recently in the award by Chevron to the College of the largest maritime training contract in the history of the State. This brings with it not just significant revenue for the College but the creation of high-end jobs for Irish workers and revenue for local support services. To mark the occasion, Simon Coveney visited the campus where he was given a guard of honour by the Irish Naval Service. The CIT Foundation and Focus Education donated a 3D-map of Cork Harbour to

celebrate the anniversary, while Ardmore Shipping, which has had a close relationship with the College from its beginnings, gifted a stunning model of the latest addition to their fleet, the Ardmore Sealion. Head of College, Conor Mowlds, commented how the NMCI has acted as a platform for research and innovation both through its core role in the Imerc cluster initiative and also with the Halpin Centre, driving innovation as the research and development department of the NMCI. Within the greater NMCI’s success, the Halpin Centre itself has seen 200% growth year-on-year since its establishment two years ago, marking itself as an ambitious applied maritime research centre.

National marine litter forum

ow can we reduce the number of litter items on our beaches and in our seas? This question was at the heart of a lively interactive discussion during the National Marine Litter Forum organised by the Coastal & Marine Research Centre (CMRC), University College Cork in April. The event, held in Dublin as part of the Marlisco project successfully engaged a live audience including representatives

from industry, waste management, retail, tourism and recreation, NGO’s, local authorities, State agencies as well as education/research. To make the event more accessible to interested stakeholders from around the country, a live broadcast was transmitted online to satellite groups from around the Island of Ireland. Participants included representatives from tidy towns, county councils, education and research groups including the Halpin Centre, aquaria, Clean Coasts groups,

conservation groups and divers. The Halpin Centre also hosted a satellite group with the Cork Environmental Forum. Addressing a full-range of marine litter issues, the discussion highlighted that once plastic litter enter the marine environment, it fragments into smaller and smaller pieces through physical abrasion and photodegradation. These small pieces are known as microplastics (generally defined as plastic pieces or fibres measuring less than 5mm). Another source of microplastics however enters our environment

from our homes as fibres (torn from polyester clothing during the washing process) laundry wastewater, or as plastic pellets used in industry or found in personal care products. The sources of marine litter are clearly linked to human behaviour and apart from being unsightly, cleanups have a substantial economic cost estimated at €1.5m in volunteer time alone. Midway through the event, host and broadcaster Sean Moncrieff asked the participants and satellite groups to work as teams and bring their unique experience to the

table to create one specific action per group that might reduce marine litter. Over 20 ideas were captured and each participant was asked to vote on which ‘action’ they thought would be the most effective and most implementable at reducing marine litter. The Halpin Centre satellite group discussed actions such as a ‘plastic levy’; a plastic bottle deposit refund scheme; positive pester power; clearer product specification;, fishing for litter and a ban on plastic microbeads.

inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015 25

marine r&d

Lt. Caroline Scanlon from Imerc testing the waters for an ROV with Cormac Mc Garry from the Halpin Centre

Atlantic Power Martin Wall, Imerc, presenting to the winners of the 2104 Mechathon

The Mechathon A

s part of the Imerc Innovation Week in September, UCC hosted the inaugural ‘Mechathon’ event at the Hydraulics & Maritime Research Centre in Cork. The occasion saw four teams of students drawn from the Cork Institute of Technology, the National Maritime College of Ireland, the Irish Naval Service and UCC pitted against one another to build a Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle (ROV) in less than a working day. The teams were split so that future electrical engineers from UCC had to work alongside future marine engineers from NMCI, as well as naval apprentices and CIT mechanical engineering students. The mixing of these backgrounds demonstrated the Imerc spirit of cooperation towards innovation. And indeed, innovation was achieved. The teams had access to a ‘Junk Bank’ of elements such as Wavin piping; battery-powered propulsion rotors; wiring and other ‘junk’ that could be used to build a working ROV. The Halpin Centre provided a lot of the planning and technical support for the event, including an ROV (aptly named Woof) prototype beforehand to ensure that the Junk Bank had everything the teams would need. On the day, Halpin Centre staff were on-hand to provide mentoring support and advice, as well as judging the victors. The machines the Mechathon teams built were then put through a series of speed and agility tests to determine the win; this included an obstacle course with a contentious finish which led to a straight line race off for victory.

he Atlantic Power Cluster is a successful cooperation project that improves competitiveness and innovation capacities of the marine renewable industrial community in Atlantic Regions. Thanks to the holistic approach developed during the project, the partners (industry, AP Cluster, Research Centre, regional councils, etc.) now aim to develop a collaborative and coordinated Marine Renewable Energy Strategy, to be implemented in the Atlantic Regions. Building on an existing Cluster Accord, the partners are currently discussing how MRE projects can be concretely developed in the Atlantic Regions. The Atlantic Arc regions have a huge potential for marine renewable energy, including wave, tidal and offshore wind. The scale of this resource is significant in terms of achieving EU energy policies for secure, clean and green electricity generation. The development of such a sector provides not just the chance for renewable electricity, but will also contribute to the prosperity of the industries and populations in the Atlantic regions, while meeting the objectives of economic, social and territorial cohesion.

LEANWIND – offshore wind logistics

he offshore wind industry in existing nearshore shallow sites has yet to become cost competitive with traditional forms of energy while new sites are being planned for greater distances from shore or deeper water, bringing new challenges. This sector has not yet applied lean principles to the logistical operations of the wind farm in all stages of the lifecycle as proposed by the LEANWIND project. ‘Lean’ principles were originally developed by Toyota to optimise the processes of manufacturing industries; these principles of optimisation and efficiency have been subsequently adopted by many other industries to remove wasteful stages and streamline processes. This new ‘lean’ paradigm will be applied to each of the critical project stages: logistical processes; shore-based transport links; port and staging facilities; vessels; lifting equipment; safety and operation & maintenance. The Halpin Centre is providing a largely real-life advisory role for the project to ensure that principles drawn up on paper are actually feasible on the water.

Newly built ROV entering the HMRC obstacle course for the IMERC Mechathon

26 inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

GSI

Koen Verbruggen, Director Geological Survey of Ireland and Maria Judge, Project Geologist with Project Manager, John Hopper (GEUS) Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland at the launch of the NAGTEC Atlas.

EMODnet Geology Phase II partners meeting, October 2014.

GSI’s European Marine Projects Janine Guinan, GSI

fter the successful completion of the preparatory phase of the EMODnet (European Marine Observation and Data Network) initiative on time and on budget in 2012, marine geoscientists at the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) have begun working on new data requirements for Phase II under the themes: geology and bathymetry. The EMODnet project has the long-term aim of making previously inaccessible and fragmented marine data available to public authorities, institutions and a range of end- users. The initiative is coordinated by the European Commission DirectorateGeneral for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) as part of its Marine Knowledge 2020 strategy. The EMODnet-Geology project Phase II held the first meeting of this second phase in Lisbon, Portugal, in January 2014. The new phase sees an increase in the number of project partners to thirty-six. The geographical scope of the project has also been extended to include full coverage of European sea basins. The data, data portal and map products include: »» information on the seabed substrate including rate of accumulation of recent sediments »» the sea-floor geology (bedrock and quaternary geology) and all boundaries and faults that can be represented at the 1:250,000 compilation scale with information on the lithology and age of each geological unit at the seabed; »» geological events and probabilities

»» minerals Information on coastal type and behaviour will be supplemented by information on coastal erosion or sedimentation and the rate at which it occurs.

Substrate map update

In June of this year, the GSI seabed-mapping team, along with all project partners delivered an update to the seabed substrate map of Irish waters at the 1:250 000 scale in accordance with the EMODnet Folk seabed substrate classification. This data is an important base layer for the Seabed Habitats theme which is another project in EMODnet Phase II. The GSI is again lead partner on the minerals work package, and has circulated a comprehensive guide of data requirements and deliverables, and is currently collating all European data which will be available to access through the EMODnet data portal. Mapping the spatial extent of minerals within European waters will allow better communication of their extent visually, using one common data standard and at one common scale. It is proposed that these seabed mineral deposit maps will be critical to policy makers, planners, industry and society. Such maps will be invaluable to informing seabed mineral legislation, and to ensuring that non-renewable mineral resources are safeguarded in a sustainable manner for future generations.

Web mapping services

The second meeting took place in Ocotber with all 36 partners in attendance. The various work package leaders presented on progress and updates for the project. Where the most up-to-date geological information is held by third-parties,

arrangements will be made for web-mapping services to provide these data to the EMODnet-Geology portal. EMODnet Bathymetry Phase II is producing a bathymetry Digital Terrain Model (DTM) for European sea basins and making inaccessible European marine data publicly available. The ur-EMODnet Bathymetry project developed a pilot portal that allows users to view and download a European 463m bathymetry grid or DTM. A user can click on any point (DTM cell) and obtain the depth at that point (average depth, minimum depth, maximum depth, standard deviation) and also the related metadata for the survey. Phase II of the EMODnet Bathymetry project began at a meeting in Lisbon in June 2013. The project will improve the resolution of the DTM from ¼ (ca 463m x 463m) to 1/8 of a minute of Lat. - Lon. (ca 232m x 232m) for all sea regions and will extend the geographical coverage to include: Black Sea, Baltic Sea, Norwegian and Icelandic Sea, Canary Islands as part of Macaronesia. The original consortium has been expanded with new partners and associate partners, including the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) group. In addition, there will be three pilot projects which will create a higher resolution coastal DTM (10-15m) merging multibeam echosounder data and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) data. The GSI is one of the three countries involved in pilot coastal DTM and will be producing Bantry & Dunmanus Bays coastal DTM. Finally, extra information layers will be added to the portal, including underwater features ( wrecks, seabed

obstructions, seamounts, A training workshop in Tenerife in January 2014 underwater volcanoes). focused on the generation of DTMs following the EMODnet methodology using Globe software. Since then all partners have been creating the DTM and metadata for their areas. The project plans to release a new updated DTM every year. The DTM for this year is due to be publicly available by December 5th 2014.

http://www.emodnet-hydrography.eu

NAGTEC project In September the INFOMAR team celebrated the completion of the successful Northeast Atlantic Geoscience Tectonostratigraphic Atlas (NAGTEC) project, at the launch of the project Atlas in Copenhagen, Denmark. The NAGTEC project was a collaborative approach that correlated all marine geological and geophysical information relevant to the North East Atlantic for the first time, in order to reconstruct the geological and tectonic history of the entire NE Atlantic region. This hugely ambitious project was co-sponsored by eight western European geological surveys and 15 oil company sponsors; it was completed on target, on budget and on time. The experts involved worked over three years in order to produce worldclass geological interpretations and a comprehensive organised database. It is envisaged that both products will stimulate research offshore Ireland and support further petroleum exploration, by de-risk our under-explored territorial waters and highlighting the potential exploration area to sponsoring companies, not yet operating in Irish waters. This project has also identified data and knowledge gaps for further exploration and research. NAGTEC has proven to be a great example of how geological surveys can work together, using our shared scientific interests and cumulative data, to develop value-added projects. Such projects aspire to address technical challenges and sociogeological interests on a large scale, in order to derive national economic benefits. The Irish contribution to the NAGTEC project was coordinated by Maria Judge, INFOMAR geologist at the GSI, and employed technical support from a post-doctoral researcher, Dr Kenneth McDermott, School of Geological Sciences, UCD, under the supervision of Professor Pat Shannon.

inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015 27

GSI

New INFOMAR marine & geoscience education APP

Charise McKeon, Geological Survey of Ireland

he Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR) and the Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) have invested hugely in the INFOMAR project to date, devoting a large amount of time, money and resources to generate a vast databank of crucial importance to the development of Ireland’s marine, fisheries, energy and offshore sectors. The challenge now is to ensure that exploitation of that data is equally impressive and that the INFOMAR project engages successfully with the widest possible audience. A recent evaluation of the INFOMAR programme estimated that the potential value of INFOMAR in terms of the value of research to the Irish economy will be €5- €10m by 2026, thus further highlighting the need to develop such an initiative, beginning at this level. Currently, access to INFOMAR data is mainly targeted at industry professionals rather than the

general public. Also, the majority of INFOMAR-related research requires graduate level personnel to complete it. Therefore, if we provide information on INFOMAR to primary, secondary and thirdlevel institutions, we can promote the programme across the entire country. It is envisaged that by engaging a small percentage of students in INFOMAR-related projects, progress to third level in the scientific disciplines associated with Earth Sciences, Geosciences, ICT and GIS will follow, and potentially provide greater value to the economy as a whole. This INFOMAR transition year student Education and Outreach Development Programme (EODP) initiative aims to provide INFOMAR with an IT platform that allows transition year students to collect marine and geoscientific data using their mobile phones, thus raising the profile of INFOMAR data, making it more freely available to the general public and exposing students to GIS technology and open data concepts. Engaging students, through their learning environment, particularly at secondary level, demonstrates to them how GIS can benefit society, business and the environment. These students will act as early adopters, providing the user case for wider social interaction with INFOMAR through the new technical platform provided under this project. Currently there are over 35,000 transition year students in Ireland and this figure is growing annually. The EODP is currently being tested, based on a pilot model with the following aims in mind; • engage the students • evoke a sense if interest in Earth sciences • expose TY students to GIS

• expose students to Earth and Geo Sciences • expose the students to a live field study • expose the students to web maps and web coding • demonstrate how the study subject impacts the environment Esri Ireland along with GSI staff have developed an ArcGIS Online project to act as the geospatial content management system for inventorying, managing and sharing this survey data. More specifically, ArcGIS online will be used to author focused web maps that each student will individually create. They will be responsible for the look and feel of their own specific web map application. In the field, students will use the Collector for ArcGIS, a mobile application that is downloaded onto their devices to collect the survey data. The current model comprises five modules; these include: • developing a web map using the ESRI tools provided • learning about the science of the project and download of the mobile data collector linked to the web map in lesson one • preparing, executing and analysing the field study where the students go to the field and use the mobile collector to collect data and link to the web map • understanding and learning basic development of web maps, allowing students to edit and manipulate web maps using a development sandbox, and finally • a review of the project in analysing and collating the data, linking the project to relevant third-level courses in Ireland and carrying out a survey on the student experience. The next steps for the EODP will be to review the programme and edit the content, based on student and teacher feedback having now completed two trials of the programme in St Fintan’s High School, Sutton, Co Dublin. Following this, the model will be re-tested and further changes will be implemented as required. It is then hoped that the EODP model can be linked into the national curriculum and Scoilnet. The App recently won Best use

of Location Based Application for Mobile or Tablet at the IRLOGI

Students from St Fintan’s High School, Sutton, Co Dublin carrying out field study and data collection on seaweed types as part of the new Infomar Education and Outreach Development Programme education App.

Space & Place Awards 2014 Lesson Plans, Teachers Notes, Worksheets and a PDF presentation can be downloaded from http://www.infomar.ie/ EODP/EODP.php

Producing plastic from seaweed Daithi O’Murchu Marine Research Station

EABIOPLAS is an FP7funded project that aims to introduce sustainably cultivated seaweeds as feedstock for biodegradable bioplastics. In 2010, Europe produced 57 million tonnes of plastics with the majority (39%) being used in the packaging sector. Producing plastics puts a strain on our already depleting fossil fuel resources, and also impacts on the environment in terms of recyclability and biodegradability. Increased production of biomass-based, biodegradable plastics, is needed to achieve the EU2020 target of 10% of market plastics being bioplastics. PolyLactic Acid (PLA) will be one of the leading contributors to bioplastic growth and was the most produced biodegradablebiopolymer in Europe in 2010. It is a sustainable alternative to petroplastics and is compostable and biodegradable.

Green alternative

Current production of PLA and other bio-polymers is based on the use of important food sources for humans and animals (e.g. corn, wheat, sugar beets and sugar cane) and other natural resources. With the production of bioplastics expected to rise, the use of these resources will also increase and compete with food and energy production. This in turn will affect biomass prices and environmental degradation. SEABIOPLAS is developing a greener alternative to these plastics. In 2010, world seaweed production (almost exclusively from aquaculture) was 19.9 million tonnes. Of this, Europe was only responsible for 0.4%. The main markets for seaweed are food, industrial specialities, fertilisers, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and feed. Controlled cultivation of seaweeds allows for high traceability, management

of biomass composition and properties, high quality and sustainability. Sustainability is further increased when seaweed cultivation is carried out in Integrated MultiTrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems. IMTA systems work by incorporating the waste products produced by one species into the diet of another species.

Photosynthesis process

Aquaculture produces phosphorus and nitrogen in large quantities which are lost to the surrounding ecosystem. Over 67-80% of nitrogen and 50% of phosphorus fed to farmed fish goes into the environment, either directly from the fish or from solid wastes. Seaweed is able to utilise this nitrogen and phosphorus and produce new biomass through photosynthesis, thus removing these excess nutrients from the surrounding area. As well as the benefits of seaweed in IMTA, it also has several advantages over using raw materials currently used in biomass-based plastics. These include a reduction of CO2 emissions, higher productivity, no risk of potential deforestation, no freshwater consumption and no fertilisers or pesticides used. After sustainably-grown seaweed is processed to produce lactic acid (the precursor to PLA), seaweed residues are generated. These by-products have potential market value in the animal feed sector and can also be used as ingredients or supplements/additives. Currently, many additives come from SE Asia so the possibility of a European supply will be beneficial. The capacity of both the cattle sector and fish aquaculture sector to absorb seaweed by-products as new ingredients is huge. Waste represents enormous losses of resources and so by utilising the by-products as additives and an ingredient to animal feeds, waste is minimised.

28 inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

crow’s nest Established in 1963, the OGA (Old Gaffers Association) promotes the preservation of the traditional ‘gaff’ sailing rig. New vessels are either built using traditional methods while others are built using more modern materials, based on traditional lines. On the island of Ireland, the OGA has two branches: Dublin Bay (DBOA) and Northern Ireland (NIOGA).

Teaching young gaffers old tricks Tim Magennis, DBOGA Area President

ccording to Tomas de Bhaldraithe’s classic IrishEnglish dictionary ‘Óg’ is a two-word letter in the ancient Irish language meaning ‘young’. For some time now, the current president of the Dublin Bay Old Gaffers Association (Sean Walsh) has been scrambling his brain as to how ‘Óg’ could be introduced into the OGA’s official title, without offence, as a kind of recruitment drive to attract Irish youth into membership. While DBOGA Óg seemed to initially fit, somehow the impact wasn’t there and so the thinking process continued. Over a weekend in May, a group of ten, 15-17 yearolds travelled from Cork to Poolbeg YBC and marina on Dublin’s River Liffey where DBOGA members provided gaff-rigged vessels for sailing experience and instruction.

Not one of the four girls and six boys had ever sailed before. The aim was simple: to provide a realistic gaffrig sailing experience and instruction under the aegis of the OGA Youth Sailing Project and from start to finish, the inaugural event was a total triumph for all concerned.

Setting the scene

The school selected was Mayfield Community School, Cork – and inspired choice. Was this not the school where ace Irish footballer and current assistant coach to both the Irish national team and Aston Villa, Roy Keane was educated? In addition, two of the school’s teaching staff, husband and wife Liam and Marian Begley, were crew members on Sean’s fast Tir na Óg of Howth. Their commitment to the project proved crucial in securing approval from school management and in the selection of suitable candidates. The selected students were

briefed thoroughly on what to expect of a gaff-rigged boat under sail as they would experience it; the significance of Galway Hookers in Connemara and island culture and economy and the work of the oyster fishermen in Falmouth, working on boats, similar to Tir na Óg of Howth. Marian and Liam accompanied and supervised their young group over the weekend while the DBOGA team organised the vessels, food and embroidered polo t-shirts with the simple declaration ‘I’ve sailed a gaff-rigged vessel.’

on all four winches as the staysail and jib were brought in, the lee-side runners were let off and pulled in on the weather side, and the mainsail came across. A wonderful end to a good sail on a gaffer!” A BBQ awaited the hungry sailors and the clubhouse pool table provided the entertainment until sunset. After breakfast on Sunday, each participant was given a

certificate, signed by the OGA President which confirmed that they had fully participated in the OGA Youth Sailing Project, and could ‘hand, reef and steer’, a gaff-rigged vessel. The team then sailed upriver under the two lifting bridges to a small riverside church to the annual Poolbeg YBC ‘Blessing of the Boats’ ceremony.

First published in Gaffers Log, September 2014

Positive feedback

When the weekend was over, Sean Walsh summed up the experience: “To the delight of the skipper on Tir na nÓg, the crew tacked their Heard 28 the last mile upriver against a strong ebb, all the way to their Poolbeg marina berth. They had learnt the ropes ― and the language when the youth on the helm called out: ‘Ready about?’ to which his crew relied ‘Ready, lee ho!’ “Furious activity followed

THE Most Dangerous Marine Animal

The animal which kills the most people in the sea each year is the humble Box Jellyfish Chironex fleckeri. This little animal has dozens of tentacles, each up to five metres long and enough toxin to kill around 60 people.While the Great White Shark (the largest predatory fish in the sea) is seen as the most dangerous shark - that dubious honour goes to its smaller cousin the Tiger Shark which, while it attacks less humans than the Great White causes more actual human fatalities. It is worth noting however, that the TOTAL number of human deaths in US coastal states caused by shark attack annually is still almost forty times less than those caused by lightning strikes and that only three species of shark – the Great White, Tiger and Bull Shark – have double figure kill records. Keeping a far lower profile, but a far higher body count, is the most venomous fish in the sea, the Stonefish which, because of its incredible ability to mimic part of the seafloor, inflicts injury by accident when barefoot beachcombers step on it and trigger its venomous spines. Another small bottomdwelling animal with a bad reputation is the Blue-ringed Octopus of Australia, which grows to only about 20 cm across but carries enough venom to kill around 30 people and whose bit can kill a human in about five minutes. In terms of simple statistics however, the animal responsible for the most human deaths each year worldwide is the humble mosquito. Because it feeds on human blood and injects saliva into its victim to promote blood flow, it can transmit a number of fatal diseases including African sleeping sickness and the HIV virus that causes AIDS. It is estimated that diseases carried by mosquitoes cause between 660,000 and a million deaths a year. Topping the charts however, as THE most dangerous ‘animal’ in the history of the world would be ourselves! According to Matthew White, author of The Historical Atlas of the Twentieth Century, 2010, human deaths caused by war, famine and democide (murder by governments) in the 20th Century was around 203 MILLION!

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

inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015 29

crow’s nest

A door to maritime adventure opens to pupils of Mayfield Community School Marian Sweetman Begley

uring a magical weekend in May, a door into another world was opened for a group of teenage students from Cork city. The setting for this adventure into the world of sailing traditional boats was Poolbeg Marina, Dublin, and the hosts were Dublin Bay Old Gaffers Association (DBOGA) and Poolbeg Yacht and Sailing Club. Sean Walsh, president of the Old Gaffers Association, has a passion for sailing traditional boats, and wants to explore possibilities for passing on the valuable knowledge, skills and sailing experience of OGA members to a younger generation. Sean drew a team together to take a sail-training weekend in traditional boats from concept to reality. The team comprised the DBOGA; Poolbeg Yacht and Sailing Club; skippers and shipmates. Stefan Ó Laoire and Liam Begley developed the curriculum for workshops before and after the weekend, and the weekend itself. The young participants were recruited from Mayfield Community School, Cork, where Liam is a teacher. Ten young gaffers were selected and attended two workshops after school for an introduction to the history, structure, rigging and sailing of traditional boats and to prepare them for the practical weekend. On arrival, the students and two teachers received a warm welcome from the

Commodore, Negley Groom; Sean Walsh (OGA president) and very welcome tea and sandwiches from Katie. As a female teacher in the same school and an occasional crew on Sean’s boat, I was to supervise the four girls. Our berths were on Tír na nÓg and for the young gaffers this was their first experience of sleeping on board a sailboat. They quickly adjusted to the limited space, the lack of privacy, the absence of electric sockets for recharging their phones and the novelty of ‘the heads’! Changed into PJs and sitting on deck, they watched the giant ocean liner Mein Schiff 1 slowly leave its mooring and move towards our boat. Everyone was reminded of Titanic as the lights of this floating skyscraper got ever closer - and to everyone’s relief slowly and silently turned and floated away out to sea. Getting to sleep for some was difficult and the constant movement, weird noises and sharing cramped quarters were all very strange. The following day we awoke to blue skies, sunshine and enough wind to make the sailing interesting but not too challenging for the novices. The young gaffers were divided between three boats, Tír na nÓg, Naomh Crónán and Rinn Explorer for the trip to Dún Laoghaire. Everyone had an opportunity of putting theory learned in the introductory sessions into practice; they were particularly appreciative of being ‘trusted’ to handle the boats. Listening to conversations

on deck at night was interesting. They thought that Katie was great, very friendly and welcoming, and were amazed when they heard that she worked at the club for free, everyday and even at night! They were intrigued by Paul’s story of building Naomh Crónán and how he and the crew maintain the boat and would go off on voyages to France and other places. They loved chatting on deck in the moonlight, watching and listening to the boats coming and going in the harbour. I observed how sailing provided a real opportunity for the young people to gain in confidence; to learn from their own and other peoples’ experiences; to have a real adventure rather than a virtual adventure and to be close to nature rather than being insulated from it. The training weekend gave these young gaffers more than sailing skills and a greater understanding of traditional boats, it also gave them a unique opportunity to spend time and share experiences with people who are living their dream of sailing boats and having real adventures of sailing to places far and near. The door into a world of adventure was opened if they choose to go through it, which is up to them. Thanks to Sean Walsh and all the crew for a brilliant weekend, good memories and a great adventure.

“We could all see what a heartwarming success our project was. It was fun for us boat owners, for the DBOGA, for Poolbeg YBC, and for the youths, and we look forward to doing it again in 2015.” Sean Walsh, OGA President

SAILING BY – Celebrating 25 Years of RTÉ Radio 1’s Maritime Programme SEASCAPES

he 25th anniversary of Seascapes is being celebrated with the publication of Sailing By, edited by Marcus Connaughton and published by The Liffey Press. Sailing By is a compendium celebrating maritime heritage and the long- running maritime radio programme. It features regular contributors Dick Robinson, Hugh Oram and Norman Freeman, plus a series of Thomas Davis Lectures that were broadcast on Seascapes in 2002. This lavishly illustrated book also features extracts from maritime-related editions published by The Collins Press and The Liffey Press with contributions from Michael Smith and Pete Hogan, among others. Seascapes began in 1989 under the watch of former RTÉ marine correspondent Tom MacSweeney who retired in 2009 with Marcus Connaughton taking the helm as producer/presenter of the maritime programme. Sailing By carries a foreword from Rear Admiral Mark Mellett DSM –Deputy Chief of Staff, Defence Forces Ireland and a preface from the Head of Radio 1 –Tom McGuire. The publication features powerful images with a striking cover shot of Jolie Brise celebrating her centenary off The Fastnet Rock, taken by the Brian Carlin - an on board reporter on team Vestas Wind in the latest Volvo Ocean Race - and regular contributor to Seascapes. Available online at www. theliffeypress.com – price €16.95. All royalties are being donated to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

eascapes is presented and produced by Marcus Connaughton and is transmitted every Friday evening at 10.30pm on RTÉ Radio 1 Seascapes – RTÉ Radio 1 –seascapes@rte.ie

Essays include:

»» Sailor and explorer Paddy Barry’s circumnavigation of the island of Ireland »» W.M. Nixon on Ireland’s sailing tradition »» Pete Hogan on building his own boat and sailing it down the coast of California, through the Panama Canal and across the Atlantic to Ireland »» Historian Dr Michael Martin on Ireland’s emigrant and convict ship trail »» The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, by Dick Robinson »» Fishing and Harvesting the Sea with Jason Whooley, former Chief Executive, BIM »» Gerald Butler, one of Ireland’s last lightkeepers, on the tragic 1979 Fastnet yacht race »» Trade unionist Francis Devine on Irish seafarers and trade union organisation »» Former Flag Officer of the Naval Service, Commodore John Kavanagh, on Ireland’s Naval and Merchant Marine Service »» The sinking of Lusitania, by Patrick O’Sullivan »» Hugh Oram on the legendary John de Courcy Ireland »» And much more

Richard McCormick, President, Maritime Institute of Ireland; Marcus Connaughton RTE Seascapes, Rear Admiral Mark Mellett DSM –Deputy Chief of Staff, Defence Forces Ireland; Evelyn Cusack, Deputy Head of Forecasting at Met Éireann. Photo Gillian Mills

30 inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

Book review

Shackleton – By Endurance we Conquer

hen one speaks of Sir Earnest Shackleton in Irish maritime circles today, two wonderfully rich resources immediately spring to mind. The first is John O’Reilly’s internationally touring Shackleton Endurance Exhibition, currently housed in the completely transformed space of the Stena Line ferry terminal at Dún Laoghaire Harbour, Co Dublin. This exhibit contains many wonderful original images of the great voyages and enduring hardships of Sir Earnest and his men; great narrative guidance along with a reservoir of further research material - and even a full-scale replica of the famous James Caird lifeboat. The second resource is this latest epic polar instalment from Michael Smith. As it is some 30 years since the last major biography of Shackleton was produced, it is high time, and highly appropriate that a new assessment and consideration of the man should emerge: Shackleton himself would be 140 this year; Britain entered the Great War a century ago as Endurance set sail for Buenos Aires, and November 21 also marked the hundredth anniversary of the famous sinking of that same ill-fated Endurance among the crushing pack ice of the Weddell Sea. Smith’s own lifetime of knowledge and reading on Antarctic exploration, his commentaries on Shackleton’s activities, and the general research is vast. The sheer lengths to which he reached for fact and breadth of investigation would impress even the hardiest of scholar. He has used a large volume of original material, published

and unpublished writings, alongside difficult-to-glean references, images and maps, to piece together a narrative of one of the 20th Century’s most intricate and challenging characters.

Early days

We glimpse into the background of the son of a farmer turned medical man – an early life of contending with change and adaptation, a capacity towards improvisation – key traits in the character of Shackleton the man who would often be faced with situations of rapid change and unpredictability. It is fascinating also to read of the young adventurer during his first working days as a sailing hand on the three-masted clipper Hoghton Tower, sailing from Liverpool to Valparaiso, Chile, where we can see that the young explorer would be destined to make ocean crossing the norm throughout his life. His rapid rise through the seafaring ranks on clippers, steamers, to ocean going liners, where he could rub shoulders with the wealthy elite of society, also hint largely to a man driven to the top. Always ambitious and filled with a spirit of adventure, we can easily imagine that were he alive today, Earnest Shackleton would not be content as a mere NASA scientist landing the Philae space probe on Comet 67P via remote control; instead he would be plotting his own assault on the comet itself. It is difficult however to separate the ambitious adventurer from his peers and predecessors, and Smith grants us a clear view of the relationship in development, and rivalry between Shackleton and his closest of compatriots, namely Scott on the National Antarctic Expedition sailing Discovery.

After keeping his failing health a secret from the naval skipper and despite the major combined team effort in securing a record ‘furthest south, upon return to the Discovery, ‘Scott ordered Shackleton to leave the Antarctic, expelled from the expedition like a feeble invalid. Even the shame of being carried on the sledge for a few miles paled into insignificance beside eviction’ (p.94). Such moments only served to re-invigorate Shackleton’s ambitions, and to develop his own leadership style.

Persuading personality

Smith regularly outlines how fortunate Shackleton was with patrons and finances – the sheer numbers and eclectic range of benefactors to the expeditions embarked upon – from Charles Dorman; Beardmore; Queen Alexandra to James Caird, Dudley Docker, and Leonard Tripp in the latter years. While each had their own reasons for becoming part of a geographical exploration expedition, more often than not it was Shackleton’s sheer force of personality and charm that won each investment, despite as Smith often reminds us: Shackleton’s most pressing problem was the habitual shortage of money. (p.401) His difficulties with dogs; ponies; family life and competitors would all suggest that Shackleton could not seem to make any project work to a successful outcome. Yet, and this is where Smith excels as he absorbingly relates the epic achievements of the team’s escape to Elephant Island; the long voyage across the Southern Ocean in James Caird to South Georgia, and subsequent crossing of South Georgia to Stromness – these journeys are depicted in such engaging detail that the

reader might be mistaken for believing themselves to be that mythical ‘fourth person’ we understand Worsley to be speaking of when he remarks: ‘Boss, I had a curious feeling on the march there was another person with us. (p.392) Smith’s forte throughout is his context setting and capture of the frenetic and dramatic essence of his subject. The backdrops of war; dogged rivalries; financial instability; Shackleton’s familial and extra-familial affairs forge a clear picture of upheaval and challenge. The epic endurances through extreme conditions, hunger, cold, damp establish a dramatic irony in the life of the man. It becomes easy to see why Shakleton relied so much on poetry to cheer his men as they followed him on each gruelling adventure.

Smith shows us Shackleton quoting the poet St. John Lucas as Endurance departed South Georgia in 1914: We were the fools who could not rest in the dull earth we left behind But burned with passion for the South, And drank strange frenzy from the wind... And blind across uncharted seas We stagger on our enterprise (p277) This new biography by Smith has superb value in its engrossing and allencompassing nature. It shall beg multiple return readings from academics and general readers alike, and shall certainly convert many more to the ideals of the inspiring Shackleton family motto – through endurance we conquer – Fortitudine Vincimus! Cian Gallagher

Michael Smith, Collins Press, 2014 ISBN 978-1-84889-176-0

Competition The publishers have generously offered two copies as competition prizes:

Q: In what year did Shackleton depart South Georgia? Answers to mills@inshore-ireland.com or by postcard to: 3 Hillview Cottages, Pottery Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. Closing date: January 16. Good luck!

august/september COMPETITION WINNERS no flowers on a salilor’s grave Mary Marshall 111 Riverview Estate, Knockboy, Co Waterford Anthony O Sullivan Garyhesta, Ovens, Co.Cork

Congratulations to all our competition winners

inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015 31

outside ireland

Food security and nutrition: fisheries gets on the agenda The contribution of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture for food security and nutrition was discussed at the 41st Session of the FAO’s Committee on World Food Security. Adapted from ICSF’s Samudra Report No 68, November 2014. Brian O’Riordan, Secretary, ICSF Belgium (Liaison) Office.

ish undoubtedly plays a key role in human nutrition. Sustaining fisheries resources is vital for ensuring the well-being and food security of both current and future generations. It was therefore a welcome development that one of the most important international policymaking bodies on food and nutrition – the FAO Committee on World Food Security (CFS) – gave fisheries a high priority in the deliberations of its 41st Session (CFS 41) from October 13-18 October 2014.

Policy debate

Participants were asked to engage in an “open and substantive debate so as to contribute to concrete policy recommendations for consideration by the CFS’ on the role of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture for food security and nutrition. This was the first time in its history that the CFS had given any importance to the contribution of fisheries to food security. So too, at the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) in Rome from November 19- 21 when fisheries and aquaculture were in the spotlight. According to FAO, food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. By this FAO, or by any

Women selling fish in a local fish market in Pudicherry, India

other definition, without access to fish and fishery products, there can be no food security or adequate nutrition. Fish provides a source of essential proteins, vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids (notably DHA - docosahexaenoic acid) and other nutrients not readily available in other foods. These nutrients are vital for foetal and infant development, as well as for pregnant and breast feeding mothers.

Import dependent

In Europe, we are far from food secure when it comes to fisheries. Increasingly we depend on imports to meet our food needs. At the same time, as the recent tragic loss of the Scottish fishing vessel Ocean Way highlighted, Europe’s fishing fleet increasingly depends on crews from less developed countries like the Philippines. Here in Europe, few people go hungry thanks to economic prosperity and social safety nets. What we are unable to produce ourselves we can buy in - or in the case of Ocean Way, bring in foreign crews to catch our fish for us. In poorer countries, large sections of the population go hungry. FAO estimates that one person in eight suffers from chronic hunger, regularly not getting enough food to conduct an active life. This not because there is a lack of food in the world; rather it is because either people can’t afford it (there are no

hungry people with money), or because their access to productive lands and waters has been curtailed. ‘Land grabs’ and ‘fish grabs’ are an increasing phenomenon, whereby large companies buy up lands, and fishing rights and concessions, transforming coastal areas into marine parks, tourist sites, industrial export oriented aquaculture ventures and such like. Productive lands and waters are increasingly being transformed into commercial ventures to produce animal feed, energy, and cash crops. Here in Europe, the inequitable ownership of fishing quotas, the closure of fishing areas by marine parks, and the increasing competition for space in our inshore waters from tourism, energy production, waste dumping, and so on, have received much attention. This is why the boots of European fishermen are increasingly being filled by feet from poorer countries; where they live there are few opportunities to earn a living wage. Indeed, worldwide, the extraction of fish from the sea and its production in aquaculture increasingly depends on migrant labour – even in poorer countries.

Redressing imbalances

Food security is therefore much more complex than just having access to food. Increasing production does not in its self lead to greater

food security and better nutrition; imbalances of power in food production systems and value chains, social and economic inequality, and discrimination against women among other issues must be addressed to achieve food security for all. Importantly, unlike other FAO committees, like the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI), the CFS includes civil society and nongovernmental organisations and their networks (CSOs) as full participants. This means that the voices of fishermen’s and fishworkers’ organisations can be heard in the CFS. At CFS 41, two main organisations representing small-scale fisheries – the World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fishworkers (WFF) and the World Forum of Fisher People (WFFP) – certainly had a chance to have their say. Disappointingly however, resulting recommendations were quite weak and watered down. One particular disappointment was that the ‘round table’ discussions proved blind to the crucial role played by women in sustaining fisheries and aquaculture production throughout the value chain. Rather, only the work of women in the harvesting sector was recognised and to be afforded social protection. The final recommendations were certainly not as strongly or as explicitly worded as the CSOs would have liked. But importantly, it has given the CFS a nuanced, if rather watered down, set of recommendations on fisheries and aquaculture issues that go beyond a narrow productionist focus.

Further information:

Landing the catch at Costa Rica.

Photos Brian O’Riordan

FAO Committee on World Food Security CFS 41 Report: http://www.fao.org/ fileadmin/templates/cfs/ Docs1314/CFS41/CFS41_ Report_for_Adoption.pdf Civil Society Mechanism http://www.csm4cfs.org/ Understanding food security through a gendered lens: http://participationpower. wordpress.com/2014/06/16/ understanding-food-securitythrough-a-gendered-lens/ Maximizing the contribution of fish to human nutrition. ICN2 Expert Paper. http://www.fao.org/ about/meetings/icn2/ preparations/documentdetail/en/c/242589/

32 inshore ireland December 2014/January 2015

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