Inshore Ireland Vol 8 nr 2 Apr-May 2012 by Inshore Ireland Publishing

€2.20/£1.90 Bi-Monthly

The Marine & Freshwater Environment Publication Book and poster competitions see Coffee Break pages 24-25

Interview with Ray Earle, chair of IWA World congress on water, climate and energy

pages 14-15

News.................................................... pages 1-5 Your View........................................... pages 6-7 Donegal Islands Survival Plan........ pages 10-11 Q&A With The Department........... pages 12-13 Marine Geostrategic Conference.. pages 18-19 Marine R&D.................................... pages 20-22

April/May 2012 Vol 8 Issue 2

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As sixty nations head for these shores, where lies Ireland on green law implementation? Gery Flynn and Gillian Mills

s Ireland prepares to host a major international congress, unique in style by addressing the inter-relationship between water, climate, energy and food ‘under one roof ’, where stands the ‘Emerald Isle’ when it comes to environmental regulation? Inshore Ireland invited the Department of the Environment to comment on progress towards fulfilling Ireland’s obligations to the EU Water Framework Directive, and Floods Directive. We also asked if the department intended to hold a public awareness campaign in relation to these directives, and regarding on-site waste water treatment plants (septic tanks) and on looming domestic water charges. At the time of going to press, no response had been received. »» page 2

Auckland is known as the “City of Sails” for good reason. With boat ownership running at 1:4 people, few locals are without an opportunity of some kind to enjoy leisure time afloat. Could Ireland take up the charge and benefit from this multi-million Euro industry? See page 7. Photo: David Branigan/Oceansport

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10 inshore ireland April/May 2012

Inshore Fisheries

Donegal fishermen seek easing of salmon driftnet ban to save communities Gillian Mills

three-year plan to ‘save and maintain’ communities on the Donegal islands of Arranmore, Boffin and Tory is seeking ‘fair treatment of small island communities and respect for fishermen as providers of sustainable seafood and as custodians of our fisheries and the sea.We ask for responsibility and right to practice traditional livelihoods that are ecologically sustainable, socially just and culturally diverse and pass down our traditions, knowledge and skills to future generations.’ The Donegal Islands Survival Plan, 2012 -2015 was presented to Dinny McGinley Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht at a conference on Árainn Mhór at the end of March. The plan calls on government to look at creating opportunities by easing the 2006 ban on salmon fishing. It states: ‘Scientists agree there is a surplus of 250,000-300 000 wild salmon in the Atlantic.The salmon are going up Irish rivers 365 days-a-year. A small fraction of these days and catch of this wild salmon stock will provide a livelihood while still maintaining the stock.’ The plan proposes: • Access to 10% of the days • Access to 10 % of the surplus stock, i.e. 25 000 salmon • Two days-at-sea (DAS) scenarios • Daylight hours only: 36 day seasons • 4 days-per-week for the summer season: 7 weeks period in June, July, August. • Catches will be monitored and controlled by an independent third party • Official reports will be submitted to government, the County Council and scientific interests. Easing of regulations that restrict fishing in area V1 A • Islands communities should be allowed to fish other species around the islands within the 12 mile limit using their traditional, (sustainable, and small-scale) methods. • Strengthening the derogation to principle of open and equal access to a common resource by restricting the 12-mile zone only to local island small-scale inshore fishermen, and managing the fishery on a days-at-sea (DAS) basis. • Providing a special derogation to the council regulations for fixing fishing opportunities (TACs and quotas), by making special provisions for island communities, and ring fencing island quotas. Such recommendations will not have a significant detrimental effect on the environmental stocks at risk, but will have significant positive effects on the community. New governance and stakeholder actions In addition to the above changes in management measures, the islands’ fishermen propose to: • create an independent organisation to represent them at state and public level • work with an Irish Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAGs) and the FARNET support unit of the European Commission to create bottom-up projects for designing and implementing local strategies for the sustainable development of fisheries areas. This could include, for example, creating a trade-mark (e.g., “organically caught”) to brand and sell their catches in European markets • work to create new jobs to maintain families on the islands The report states: Policy and directives in the EU mandate that management sustain communities and society in addition to protecting natural resources and the environment.This is called for, for example, in the Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) and the CFP. Under the current reform of the CFP, discussions at the EU level include the importance of considering small-scale fisheries, small communities, and small islands communities. The European Commission and the EU Parliament are also

Alyne Delaney (Innovative Fisheries Management, Aalborg University in conversation with Dinny McGinley, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht talking about regionalization, giving more power to the regions to manage fishing locally, thus the Parliament has an interest in Member States (MS), including Ireland, managing their communities and environment in a sustainable way. The report notes that the IMP and CFP have three supporting pillars: environment, economics, and society which is says tie in with the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992) that calls for the protection of island

communities. ‘Thus, considering island communities in the management process does not give special treatment to communities at the expense of natural resources, but actually follows the mandates of EU policies and international agreements. It is time that community and environment not be viewed as “either - or” but are rather seen together as an integrated one, as fitting in today’s climate of broad, ecosystem-based management.’

inshore ireland April/May 2012 11

Inshore Fisheries

Fisheries Management The report suggests that management measures should consider the environment and natural resources, as well as local island society and culture. It cites numerous cases worldwide where local island communities and populations are provided access to local resources, particularly in cases of marine protected areas. This is done to save both the environment and the local societies, often living a peripheral existence to the rest of society with limited employment opportunities and working individually on a small scale. Impacts on Árainn Mhór The direct impact of the 2006 and 2008 closures has been significant on the community with families and businesses declining: • population declined from 768 to 487 • five businesses have closed their doors on the island (one hotel, one pub, and three shops) • closure of the Burtonport fishing Cooperative • One school is threatened with closure. If one more student leaves it will close • €1m lost from its annual economy As the population declines island safety is also compromised, with the loss of 25% of the Árainn Mhór lifeboat crew. This same loss of manpower negatively impacts tourism, with experienced seamen no longer able to assist in the running of regattas and sailing races. At the same time, the loss of manpower and skills means many traditional, unique skills will not be passed on to the next generation of islanders. Potential solutions Carleton, Crick. 2009 Submission of the Review of the CFP outlines the main areas of fisheries policies and funding that impact Árainn Mhór islanders. These include: • Good stewardship. Árainn Mhór islanders exploit marine resources only in the immediate environs of the islands, yet they do not have exclusive access to these fisheries. A co-management system which provides them with exclusive rights would enable them to sustainably manage the resources. Such a system can fit within other fisheries management systems, such as marine protected areas, for example • Irish fleet policy, driven my EU requirements to control and reduce fleet capacity, prevents locals from adapting to new situations such as mixing commercial fishing with angling and other forms of marine tourism. a) The potting licence under which most islanders operate has a sunset clause which is designed to achieve national fleet capacity limits - but this has an unintended consequence of undermining the medium and long-term viability of island fisheries; under the current system island fishing is constrained and penalised for the excesses of other components of the Irish fleet b) Public funds policies. Prevents locals from upgrading their fleet and adapting to new opportunities.They could be given a derogation which also provided for a modest reallocation of the national fleet capacity to allow for future development; modest public funding could also be used to assist this process. • Investment needs.There is a need for increased clarity in the application of public funds in support of funding/management of investment vehicles used to support improvement of the fleet. Árainn Mhór and surrounding island communities are fragile communities and community ownership of assets could be one way to aid individual fisheries, if constraints on the use of public funds were re-defined

Photos: Loic Jourdain of Lugh films

• EU funds:The European Commission has avenues available for some funds and opportunities, particularly through FARNETFisheries Area Network.Through this group, many Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs) around EU MSs have managed to work as drivers of green growth in fisheries areas as well as fund local initiatives for projects such as on cultural heritage and value added activities. Conclusion The report contends that it is ‘within the power of the Irish government to sustain both Ireland’s natural marine resources and socio-cultural resources. Part of the misperception behind the view of difficulty in moving in this direction in not only Ireland, but throughout the EU, stems from the lack of precedent of including social sustainability with environmental sustainability at the management, rather than political, stage of the process. It also comes about from varying interpretations of EU policies at the national level. Yet, there is support from the European Parliament and Commissioner Damanaki; there are also funds available through the European Fisheries Fund and support through the FARNET support group of the European Commission. Small, offshore island communities have special cases through their circumstances (Carleton 2009). These facts are acknowledged and understood by the European Commission itself through its CFP Reform Green Paper where the possibility of small-scale fisheries needing adaptive approaches for their unique situation is explored.Thus, there is acknowledgement and steps being taken in the EU for the case of the small-scale fisheries and small island communities in management issues. Small communities such as the ones on the Donegal Islands are taking positive, proactive steps for saving their way of life for the future.The fishermen, for example, have formed their own group, Donegal Islands Fishermen.They have also searched for information and outside aid from organisations such as the International Collective for the Support of Fishworkers (ICSF), the Gaia Foundation, and the European small Islands Federation (ESIN). And they are participating in research projects such as the “Connecting Coastal Communities” which explores the connections between the fishing traditions of Gaelic speaking island fishing communities in Ireland and Scotland. These steps are simply strides in the right direction, however, and do not yet take them to their destination. For a community like Árainn Mhór, waiting for the CFP Reform will be too late. The Irish government has the opportunity to make a bold and groundbreaking move for sustainability on all levels. And with such a step, it will show the EU and the world it is a progressive nation, with a rare ability to protect all of its resources, human and natural, alike. The plan was compiled with the support of Alyne Delaney (Alyne E. Delaney, Innovative Fisheries Management (IFM); Aalborg University, Denmark; Brian O’ Riordan (ICSF), the Gaia Foundation, the European small Islands Federation (ESIN); Iain MacKinnon of the Scottish Crofting Federation, Ruth Brennan of the Scottish Association for Marine Science. This report will be followed in May by an independent cultural-ecological study being carried out by Iain MacKinnon of the Scottish Crofting Federation, Ruth Brennan of the Scottish Association for Marine Science, and independent visual artist Stephen Hurrel examines connections between the fishing traditions of Gaelic speaking island fishing communities in Ireland and Scotland.

Comment to Inshore Ireland Séamus Ó Cnáimhsí Comharchumann Forbartha & Fostaíochta Árainn Mhór

Fishing as we know it is at a crossroads.There is a growing realisation that the current regulatory system or CFP is not sustainable either in terms of managing fish stocks, or serving the coastal communities that depend on them. The Donegal Islands Survival Plan, 2012 -2015, compiled by Dr Alyne Delaney of the University of Aalborg in Denmark, is the culmination of a long campaign by Donegal islanders to regain access to their traditional fishing grounds.The report builds on a long campaign by fishermen including John O Brien of Inis Bó Finne and Jerry Early of Árainn Mhór and charts a way forward for the island’s small inshore fishing fleet. The 2006 drift-net ban on salmon fishing has had a devastating effect on island communities, particularly those in Donegal.This blow was compounded in 2008 by the closure of the waters around the Donegal islands as part of a European cod conservation measure.This prevents even the small inshore fishing fleet from fishing whitefish for sale or for bait in their lobster or crab pots. Instead, island fishermen have to travel to Killybegs or Greencastle to buy prime fish to bait their pots.The result of this exclusion from their traditional fishing grounds and livelihoods has been devastating to the fragile island economies of the region. For example, the population of Árainn Mhór, which has been identified as “Extremely Disadvantaged” by a series of government studies, has fallen from 1,151 persons in 1956 to 514 in the 2011 census, a drop of 45%. The latest survival plan comes after a long road which has taken islanders to the European Parliament and back. It builds on other work conducted on the islands in the past. A review, Fisheries on the Gaeltacht Islands of Ireland commissioned by Comhdháil Oileán na hÉireann in 2007 provided a series of concrete actions to secure the future of small-scale fishing on the islands.To date none of the report’s recommendations has been implemented. The time is now ripe to show the way forward for managing fisheries all along our coast and The Donegal Islands Survival Plan, 2012 -2015 provides the first steps that can be taken to achieve this.

12 inshore ireland April/May 2012

Fisheries

Is ‘mis-management’ and ‘lost opportunity’ rife within Ireland’s Fishery Harbour Centres? Gillian Mills

The following questions were sent to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on foot of issues arising in a Dáil Submission of January 2012 by John Shine and Sean Doran of ‘Fishing for Jobs’: Full text: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002313756109 Q: What measures have been taken/are intended to be taken to address the recommendations contained in Section 12 ‘Conclusion’ of the Burke/McIver report? The Dáil Submission includes three examples of dereliction, management problems and stagnant economic growth at Killybegs and Howth, and offers solutions which it says have been ignored or rejected by DAFM. The group also cites upward-only rent reviews in harbour centres which it says are killing potential job creation and calls for a fair and responsible rent structure to be put in place.

Q. How would DAFM respond to this? Fishing for Jobs’ suggests that the appointment of a top dept official to the task force for jobs in Killybegs launched by Minister Coveney last November was a ‘smoke screen’ devised to cover up public pressure generated by their campaign.

Q. How would DAFM respond to this? Fishing for Jobs’ contends that DAFM is ‘refusing to implement the recommendations’ of the Kerrigan; Bonner and Burke/McIver reports which it says are ‘gathering dust in Clonakilty’. Inshore Ireland is also advised of a marketing plan compiled in 2005 by Helen Kerrigan for developing the fishing industry.

Q. What is the status of this report and can DAFM confirm/correct its cost of €75,000.

DAFM responds:

he Business Plans for the Development of the Fishery Harbour Centres (FHCs) provide a blueprint for the future development of the harbours. The plan was published in 2009 and sets out a five year strategy. The Department is working to implement the recommendations. For Killybegs FHC, an additional report dealing only with Killybegs, the ‘Killybegs Fishery Harbour Centre Marketing Strategy’ was published. This report sets out the findings of key officials including the Department and other State Agencies. This report identifies opportunities that commercial interests can pursue to align with the Department’s strategy and leverage the investment already made in the Killybegs area. Specific recommendations in relation to Killybegs FHC will continue to be addressed by this Department Actions taken to address the recommendations made in Section 12 of the Business Plans include:

Harbour Users Forum

The Department facilitates a regular Harbour Users Forum for each of the six FHCs. This provides a valuable platform, where the views of stakeholders are heard and discussed. The stakeholders include fishermen, other commercial users, local representatives,

Government Agencies and Local Authorities.

Raising the profile of the Fishery Harbour Centres

The Department has worked proactively to raise the profile of the FHCs and attract increased foreign landings. For example, in July 2011, Department officials in conjunction with BIM met with representatives of the French fishing industry and Minister Simon Coveney launched the ‘Strategic Partnerships – Linking Irish and French Seafood Industry’. Significant benefits will accrue to both FHCs and local industries. The benefits of increased foreign landings was evidenced this Spring with large-scale landing into and processing in Killybegs of blue whiting from the Norwegian fleet.

Additional business

The Department is conscious of the need to serve a multi stakeholder and for example facilitates wind turbine and other cargoes in Killybegs. The offshore oil industry is also currently accommodated at this FHC and indeed the Department is conscious to work with other potential customers at other FHCs. Visiting cruise liners are accommodated and encouraged at the FHCs. These businesses provide a boost to the local economy and also valuable spin-off employment to the hinterland of the FHC. The importance of marine leisure is recognised; for example the Department has just recently completed

a small craft facility at Ros a Mhil FHC, which is expected to attract and facilitate considerable additional business to the harbour.

Task Force

Specifically in relation to Killybegs, it should be noted that following the publication of an economic study carried out for the EU Commission which assessed the status, development and potential of Killybegs as a fisheries dependant community, Minister Coveney was approached by a delegation who requested assistance in identifying strategies to convert the potential in Killybegs into employment. The delegation was led by Sean O’Donoghue, KFO and Seamus Neely, the Donegal County Manager. Minister Coveney established a high level group comprising Sean O’Donoghue (Chair) KFO; Jason Whooley, BIM; Seamus Neely, Donegal County Manager, Paul Hannigan, President of LYIT; Conor Fahy, Enterprise Ireland; Niall O’Gorman representing the Donegal Fish Merchants Association; Jim Parkinson representing the offshore energy and ancillary industries and Cecil Beamish DAFM. The group was requested to report back within a short timeframe and to identify opportunities for creating 250 new jobs in the area on a cost neutral basis for the State. That Group has worked hard and made a significant effort to identify a range of strategies that could lead to the creation of 250 jobs by 2014. The group was essentially a group of local people working proactively, assisted by the

relevant Government bodies, to tap into the local potential and apply whatever catalyst is necessary to unlock this potential and create much needed employment.

Property management

The Department has proactively worked on the implementation of the recommendations of the ‘Business Plans for the Development of the Fishery Harbour Centres’ in relation to property management. Chapter 11 Paragraph 4 sets out the actions that should be taken regarding the Department’s property portfolio. The Department can confirm it has: »» worked to ensure a commercial focus on its property portfolio »» put commercial arrangements in place for the various State bodies using Department owned property »» conducted all necessary valuations »» brought the rent review process up to date »» worked to ensure timely payment of all lease payments

Rent review process

Regarding the matter of upward only rent reviews the following is the current position. There are only five rent reviews currently in dispute, two of which have been referred to an independent expert for valuation and the remainder are under review by the Department. In effect, less than 6% of the Department’s tenants are

in dispute in relation to the terms of their lease and one third of those are proceeding with independent expert valuation as provided for in the Department’s dispute resolution mechanisms. For properties it may be helpful to outline the Department’s policy regarding the rent review process at the FHCs. »» All leased properties at the six FHCs are subject to rent reviews in accordance with the rent review terms and conditions of each individual lease. The Department notifies the tenant of the rent review and the open market value of the premises is decided, by a qualified valuer. The Department bears the cost of the initial rent review. »» All leases issued in the six FHCs, prior to the application of Section 132 of the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act, 2009, have what are referred to as ‘upward only rent reviews. »» In the event that a tenant is not in agreement with a revised valuation as assessed at the time of a rent review, the leases include a mechanism for the resolution of the disagreement. This involves seeking agreement of both parties to nominate a chartered surveyor to determine the rent. All fees and expenses of the chartered surveyor are borne jointly by the Department and the tenant. »» To further assist in the process, a tenant is provided with the names of three chartered surveyors to whom the Department

inshore ireland April/May 2012 13

Fisheries is agreeable and is asked to agree to nominate one of these as an expert to determine the rent. In the event that a tenant is not happy to choose one of the three it is then open to the tenant to suggest an alternative chartered surveyor for consideration. If the parties cannot agree on a nomination it is open to either party to approach the Chairman of the Society of Chartered Surveyors to make a nomination. The mechanism has worked well and it is worthy to note that in no case was the independently assessed rent found to be less than the rent in place prior to review. As an exceptional measure and in recognition of the current economic situation and the difficulties being experienced by some business the Department has decided to offer a nil increase for all FHC tenants with rent reviews falling due in the years 20082012.

FISHERY HARBOUR CENTRES (RATES AND CHARGES) ORDER 2012 The following table contains selected extracts from the draft FISHERY HARBOUR CENTRES (RATES AND CHARGES) ORDER 2012 released by Simon Coveney, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The document in full is available for downlaod at http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/media/migration/fisheries/fisheryharbours/rate sandchargesatfisheryharbourcentres/draftordernewratesfhc.pdf Charge Number

SCHEDULE - Description of Facility or Service

Rate or Charge

Annual composite harbour entry charge for any fishing vessel using the facilities at any one or more than one Fishery Harbour Centre

€3.00 per gross tonne payable in advance on first entry to any Fishery Harbour Centre after 1^’ January each year

Single harbour entry charge for any fishing vessels using the harbour facilities

€0.50 per gross tonne

Harbour entry charge for merchant vessel

€0.50 per gross tonne

Use of harbour in connection with discharging of fish-

€400 per landing

Use of harbour in connection with the loading of Frozen Fish Per tonne:

€2.50

Use of harbour by tug boats and other non fishing vessels, other than yachts and pleasure craft, for purpose other than loading or discharging.

Use of harbour by vessels not registered as fishing vessels or de-registered fishing vessels or vessels not holding a current fishing boat hence. Use of the harbour by hulks or derelicts and all other vessels which are not covered under other charges in this Order (a) up to 20m in length (i) for first six weeks (ii) for second six weeks (iii) for thereafter (b) over 20m in length (i) for first six weeks (ii) for second six weeks (iii) for thereafter

Use of fresh water*

(a) Vessels carrying fish for reduction to Fishmeal where metering is not available Where metering is available (b) Pelagic (excluding vessels landing blue whiting) Where metering is not available Where metering is available (c) All other vessels Where metering is not available Where metering is available *Note: 1. This charge is mandatory on all vessels using a Fishery Harbour Centre whether or not they use fresh water. 2. If a charge for fresh water is levied at one Fishery Harbour Centre in a month this charge will not be levied in another Fishery Harbour Centre used within that month. 12

€2.00 per tonne/€0.10 per 50 kg

Use of syncrolift

€1.20 €1.00 €1.25 €1.05 €0.90 €1.10 €1.00 €2.50 €2.50

€1.00 per gross tonne per week

€75 per week €150 per week €300 per week €100 per week €200 per week €400 per week

€450 per landing €3.00 per cubic metre €90.00 per month per vessel €3.00 per cubic metre €30.00 per month per vessel €3.00 per cubic metre

(a) Lifting and lowering (b) Transferring to loading bay (c) Standing in repair bay for 1 to 28 days (except when a vessel has to remain in repair bay to facilitate an inspection by a government body) (d) Standing in repair bay 29 days and over (except when a vessel has to remain in repair bay to facilitate an inspection by a govemment body) (e) Standing in covered repair bay (f) Supply of waste skip (g) Supply of water where metering is not available Where metering is available

€20.00 per metre length €10.00 per metre length €100.00 per day €200.00 per day €100.00 per day extra €250.00 per hft €30.00 per day €3.00 per cubic metre

a) Operation of mobile crane on a normal working day (b) Operation of mobile crane on weekends and Public Holidays All machinery should fully comply with Health & Safety Regulations and Harbour Best Practice Procedures

€50.00 per day €200.00 per day

Use of Weighbridge for

Training

Induction training has been put in place for all new harbour management. In addition the Department’s Training & Development Unit actively pursues the identification and delivery of necessary and appropriate training for harbour staff. Regular meetings are held with Harbour Masters and their staff in order to facilitate and ensure best business practices.

Landing of whitefish

Note: In the case of a Single Cargo Movement i.e. the immediate transfer of frozen fish products from one vessel to another vessel both of which are alongside the pier, the charge will be limited to one charge of €2.50 per tonne only. This definition does not apply to frozen fish stored in a cold store and subsequently transferred to a vessel at the pier. Use of harbour in connection with the loading and discharging of other cargo as follows: Metals - Girders, mesh, steel tubes, pipes and similar Timber - hard, soft, logs, poles and similar Sand, gravel, crushed stone and similar Offshore oil or gas related exploration or production goods Bagged Coal Cement, concrete products Animal feed and grain Machinery, manufactured from metals and nonferrous metals Use of harbour in connection with loading and discharging of cargoes other than those specified above

Rates & Charges Order

A review of the Fishery Harbour Centres (Rates & Charges) Order 2003 (S.I. 439 of 2003) which is the basis for charges at Fishery Harbour Centres has been conducted. The introduction of new charges will follow a public consultation as part of the process of revising the Order. Stakeholder views and the recommendation of the Killybegs Task Force in relation to syncrolift charges have been taken into account. A public consultation document is currently available and the Department and is receiving submissions in relation to it.

€4.00 per tonne/€0.20 per 50 kg €10.00 per tonne/€0.50 per 50 kg €40.00 per tonne/€2.00 per 50 kg €14.00 per tonne/€0.70 per 50 kg

(To include the use of harbour in connection with discharging of whitefish, harbour entry, use of tresh water and disposal of ship generated waste) This charge may not be combined with the entry and landing charges as set out in 1, 2 and 4 above during the calendar year.

Capital investment

The Department has continued to oversee and progress capital investment in the FHCs. In 2011, €10,177m was allocated to the Fishery Harbours and Coastal Infrastructure Capital Development Programme. This year despite the current economic conditions, €6m has been allocated to this programme to facilitate ongoing investment and maintenance at the FHCs and Local Authority owned piers, slipways and landing places.

(a) Value 0 - €500 per tonne (b) Value €501-€10,000 per tonne (c) Value €10,001 or more per tonne (d) Landings of mackerel and horse mackerel, over two tonnes Fish Values to be based on the average price in the relevant harbour in the previous calendar year as determined by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority. Previous calendar year values will come into effect on P’ June each year. Note: Where average price values for the previous calendar year are not available either current values or values for the most recent year available, whichever is the higher, will be substituted. (e) Fish for reduction to fishmeal.

Weighing of fish (The charge will not apply to the weighing of fish arising from obligations under Council Regulation (EC) No. 1224/2009 of20 November 2009’ and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) Now * 404/2011 of 8 April 2011) Weighing of all other loads on a normal working day Weighing of all other loads at weekends and Public Holidays 28

Use of Forklift, Harbour Launch and other Harbour Equipment (if available and at the discretion of the Harbour Master) a) During a normal working day b) At weekends and Public holidays Note: Harbour equipment will at all times be operated by Harbour Staff

€10.00 per weighing €30.00 per weighing €100.00 per weighing

€50.00 per hour €100.00 per hour

14 inshore ireland April/May 2012

Interview

Convention Centre Dublin

International congress will hear that ‘hard engineering’ alone cannot protect the natural environment Gery Flynn

s organiser and chair of the International Water Association (IWA) World Congress on Water, Climate and

Ray Earle

Energy (Dublin, May 1318) it’s no exaggeration to say that Ray Earle is definitely a man in the ‘hot seat’. A qualified structural engineer he has been thirty years working in the Irish public service

as a distinguished project manager. With an MBA in environmental engineering and several diplomas along the way, Earle adopts a multidisciplined approach to the challenges associated with the impact of engineering on the environment. And as a devoted ecologist and lover of the natural environment, he highlights the need for more flexible thinking from all sides, arguing that for water, climate, energy and food - now with the added unpredictability of climate change – there has to be a move away from ‘hard’ engineering solutions solely towards embracing more natural systems. “What’s needed now is a softer, holistic approach to working with Nature instead of against her.” Ray Earle talks to Inshore Ireland ahead of the congress that is expected to attract upwards of 1000 worldwide delegates. You say the format of the Congress is unique. What do you mean? Heretofore there’s been a major difficulty with terminology, classification and communications regarding the inter-relationship between water, climate, energy and food. People generally went to climate change conferences that discussed whether the science is believable, and the

severity of particular weather events. On other occasions the topic was singular, perhaps just water or energy, and perhaps discussed only renewable targets. Other times you might have had water and energy together, but you rarely had water, energy, climate - and also food, which we’re including at the same event. That’s why the Dublin congress is unique. What do you mean that the Congress is a forum for genuine joined-up thinking: To address water, climate, energy and food? The urgent issue is the fact that we cannot go on the way we are behaving – in a totally unsustainable way. Just like if you keep spending beyond your means you’ll eventually hit a financial crunch and you won’t get any more credit. It’s exactly the same with the environment: using up resources which in theory we should leave for future generations. We should instead be aiming to move to a balanced situation whereby energy is renewable, water is recycled to be renewable – and doing it in the context of climate change uncertainty. The challenge is to create a flexible and coherent action plan for water, energy and food production And we have

to learn to build as much flexibility into our predictions and our responses as possible. You refer to the ‘key mantra’ of building a sustainable global future by returning to natural systems – cleaner, more efficient and sustainable flood/ drought/mitigation systems. What do you mean? There’s no doubt that the so-called ‘hard’ engineering solutions that were conventional practice through the 1950s and the 1960s have ultimately proven to be unsustainable. Firstly, they don’t protect the ecology, ecosystems or the food chain upon which we all rely. And secondly, we now know that even the best engineering in the world cannot be the only solution. For example, on October 24 last year we had an event in Dublin that no infrastructure in any city in the world would have been able to cope with. Dublin literally had twentyfour hour rain in about three hours. The truth is that while engineering is a very, very laudable profession, it ultimately comes back to the point that ‘soft’ solutions ideally, more natural solutions should be driving the provision of drainage and other infrastructure in the future.

inshore ireland April/May 2012 15

Interview

How would this be applied in relation to planning and development? In terms of planning and development it is better to design areas that can actually flood, such as parks or football fields. Should a big flood arise, these areas can then be used for temporary water storage which eventually attenuates, thus minimising risk to life or property. In other words, flooding is being managed in a very organised way. Conversely, if you try to do that in a purely ‘hard’ engineering way you could run into all sorts of difficulties in terms of calculations literally trying to put figures on hazards and risks and on insurance. And the track record shows that we haven’t been very good at it. Insurance companies nowadays are not prepared to quote a premium for developments on known flood plains. Lives have been lost, and major property damage is inevitable. Having said that, even the best engineering proposal in the world can still be over-ruled by the politicians. There’s a debate even now as to whether it is better to go down the route of public protection or individual property protection mechanisms. Another major consequence of climate change is likely to be the source of water and water shortages. For example, as a capital city, Dublin does not have enough water. There is nothing in terms of surface water or ground water so you are effectively left with de-salination or with having to move water from the Shannon. [see article pg 6] All of this is new territory for Ireland. We never thought we’d have to look

at de-salination again, and we probably never thought we’d have to get into this cultural debate about transboundary movements of water in order to supply industry and municipalities. It’s another solution we’re forced into finding because we’ve gone beyond the lessons we should have learned from the sole application of ‘hard’ engineering. If we are to succeed, a major cultural change in our attitude to water is required. The Congress aims to integrate academics, engineers, landscape experts, etc. that’s an ambitious target when many of these disciplines don’t easily communicate with one another? Absolutely. That’s why I said earlier we’ve to agree very clear terminology, very clear definitions, and very clear communication strategies to ensure we are all talking the same language - not only between all these disciplines but also with economists, the general public and of course with our politicians. The same language has to be just as applicable top-down as bottom-up. So, I suppose in a nutshell what we’re really looking for from this Congress is smart outcomes that are both up-to-speed and downto-earth. What are the challenges to overcome if we are to achieve this? Unfortunately there’s no way of doing it without bringing together all these disciplines because they’re all inter-linked. Providing drinking water – a necessity of life – means you’ve got to go through several complicated

stages: generation, treatment, distribution and finally, how you actually deliver it to the consumer. This path is fraught with risks in terms of contamination entering the water system so you’ve got to also be able to talk to public health specialists and other experts - the people who understand virology, microbiology and pathogens. You have to talk to the hydrologists and the designers of pumps and pressure control systems. And then there’s the whole question of metering and understanding volumes and quality - ultimately of getting the right quantity of water in the right place and at the right time. In other words, we need to speak a clear language for the different sectors: what precisely is the use for the water; what precisely is the source and what precisely are we doing in terms of treating it to produce the water we need. Finally

then, how precisely are we handling any by-products in a way that doesn’t harm the environment? You say the Congress outcome will provide ‘a key advocacy document’ for institutions such as the World Bank; United Nations; EU etc. Is there a definite timeline in place to achieve this? Absolutely. Firstly, we’ve got several key EU waterrelated Directives and other legislation coming through. And the Framework concept puts the onus on the Member State to devise its own plan and measures to meet the objectives of that particular Directive. With roughly three-hundred EU waterrelated legislative documents, and with so many issues to be taken on board, joined-up thinking is needed to meet the objectives of all these - at the same time.

Unfortunately however, there are anomalies and inherent conflicts between some of these. For example, in the Water Framework Directive the focus is on ecology; however almost as an afterthought it also refers to the mitigation of floods and droughts. On the other hand the Floods Directive’s focus is more on the protection of life and property, but also states that the WFD must be taken into account. Quite obviously, with different architects and drafters these anomalies are understandable. Nevertheless, in order to properly implement directives, plans, programmes and policies must be coherent. So I think it works both ways: firstly we have to comply with the law and decide what are the genuine priorities but secondly, how do you do this in such a way that you don’t end up in front of the European Court of Justice?

16 inshore ireland April/May 2012

Aquaculture

Positive investor feedback on proposed Galway deep sea fish farm

ork on the proposed deep-sea fish-farming project in Galway Bay by BIM is well underway with Environmental Impact Assessment and licence application in the final stages. If successful, BIM will hold the licences in trust for the State and attract commercial developers through a franchise agreement to operate the fish farms. The project promises to deliver 500 jobs both directly and indirectly and will demand investment of €45m. (Full report www.inshoreireland.com Issue 7.6) At a recent major international conference, North Atlantic Seafood (NAS) Forum in Oslo, BIM’s chief executive Jason Whooley outlined the investment potential: “The market opportunity that the proposed project

presents is being received with keen interest by investors we’ve met here. We all acknowledge that it is early days, but I have received firm indications of interest and am confident that if we are successful with our licence application, BIM will secure a suitable investor and commercial operator for the development”. Background research and data collection for the EIA continues and the agency is aiming to have a formal application lodged with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine before this month. In November 2011, BIM issued letters to 695 recipients (both statutory and other consultees) inviting them to lodge suggestions or areas they felt should be researched in the EIA for the proposed project. Some responses were

Enclosure cross section impression received, some of which arrived after the submission closing. Nonetheless, the agency confirmed that the late submissions required attention and it is endeavouring to ensure all areas raised are

comprehensively dealt with in the final EIA. Note: Inshore Ireland has received a number of ‘off the record’ counter arguments to this initiative. It is not

the policy of this paper to publish unattributable comments; however their veracity will be scrutinised for potential publication in the June/ July issue.

Chinese and Irish collaboration on marine algae research Joe Silke, Marine Institute

rofessor Cheng-Qi Fan from the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fisheries Science in Shanghai has completed an internship in researching novel bioactive compounds from marine micro algae at

the Marine Institute. Professor Fan’s research involved the culturing of various strains of Irish phytoplankton species and the extraction of their novel compounds. These extracts were then examined and analysed to observe potential bioactive properties. This initial programme has been very promising with some extracts showing potential for use as human medicines.

Professor Cheng-Qi Fan at work in the MI laboratory

“This is a very exciting collaboration and these quick results have already shown that phytoplankton in Irish coastal waters are a rich source for novel bioactive compounds. “Transforming these rich natural marine resources into commercial products requires strong research networks. Establishing links through internships such as this one is an excellent

means to achieve this objective,” explained Joe Silke, section manager of Marine Environment and Food Safety, MI. Professor Fan, who is a natural products chemist in fisheries biotechnology, collaborated with Irish scientists on these bioactive compounds extracted from strains of Irish phytoplankton. The work was conducted as a joint project between

Photo: Cushla Dromgool-Regan

Prof Fan and the scientific teams at the Marine Institute Phytoplankton, Biotoxin labs, facilitated by the Beaufort Marine Biodiscovery programme at the Marine Institute under the guidance of Dr Margaret Rae. Commenting on the collaboration Prof Fan said that his internship had been very worthwhile. “Working alongside scientists in the Marine Institute has been a great opportunity to exchange ideas on the design of experiments which will benefit research at both of our agencies.” This programme is an important component of the Marine Knowledge, Research and Innovation Strategy for Ireland 2007-2013 (Sea Change), which identified marine biodiscovery and biotechnology as areas of development for the country. The demand for marine biomaterial products and for functional bioactive substances derived from marine micro algae, bacteria and seaweed is high due to their potential uses in pharmaceutical products, cosmetic and food products that have medical benefits, and chemicals produced for agriculture and medical industries.

inshore ireland April/May 2012 17

Aquaculture

Seaweed biomass cultivation likely to replace finite fossil fuels Stefan Kraan OHT

In 2050

otal worldwide energy consumption today is roughly 480 exajoules with almost 90% derived from the combustion of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas are limited in supply and will one day be depleted. As a result, the quest for renewable energies – being energies generated from sustainable natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides, etc and from industrial or urban waste and biomass – began decades ago. In 2007, the 27 member states of the EU decided that 20% of its energy should come from renewable sources by 2020 (Lisbon Treaty). The table above shows global energy consumption and its estimated increase by 2050, and the worldwide potential of biomass for energy production based on recent studies. This clearly indicates the need for aquatic biomass to fulfil our energy consumption in a renewable and sustainable way.

At sea biomass production Since the available area for cultivation at sea is so much greater than on land (70% of the earth’s surface is ocean) and with macroalgae growth rates being much higher than of conventional land crops, the potential for biomass production at sea is enormous. In addition, aquaculture for energy production can avoid the often heated debate surrounding food crops for fuel (food-energy nexus); sustainability; water usage; pesticides and land use change. Equally, fertilisation, which has a major affect on greenhouse gas balances of crops on land, can be altered or even diminished when cultivating in an aquatic environment. Greenhouse gas emission worldwide using aquatic biomass for energy and fuel is, in most cases, much less, compared to the more conventional biofuels,produced from land-based crops. Seaweed cultivation is a traditional practice in East Asia. A total of 15 million tonnes wet-weight is cultivated per annum, making it the

macro algae on open sea

macro algae on sea infastructure

other

In 2005

micro algae on coastal arid land

nat gas energy crops on agricultural land

oil

energy crops on marginal land

coal

residues World energy consumption

Biomass potential

Global biomass potential versus worldwide energy consumption

biggest aquaculture venture on the planet. Of all seaweed harvested, 93% is produced from aquaculture. Seaweed cultivation in Europe is still in a developmental phase with only a few commercial farms in operation, notably in France, Germany and Ireland, where the focus is on smallscale production for high added-value seaweeds. Total combined production of these farms is less than 100 tonnes wet-weight per annum. Multi-purpose usage Seaweed is a source of food; food additives and high added-value specialty products such as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. It also has huge potential as a biomass source. Therefore, the combination of bio-refinery, with the isolation of valuable seaweed components for high-value products and renewable energy production, will be necessary in future years. Today, aquatic biomass cultivation is a logistically complex multi-step process onshore and offshore, and is mainly based on small volume production on long ropes and manual harvesting. As a result, production costs per biomass unit are much too high. Urgent research is therefore needed to develop near shore and offshore cultivation in the western world, to produce a sustainable, consistent and cheap feedstock with a high carbohydrate level. No matter the species, it usually takes significant time to develop into a booming aquaculture industry. With oysters for example,

it took almost 30 years. Seaweed too is likely to go through a similarly lengthy developmental process, despite significant breakthroughs such as the biochemical process to convert algal carbohydrate into ethanol. Indeed, several initiatives have already been funded, amongst them the MERMAID and Energetic algae (ENALGAE) projects in Denmark – the latter with Irish participation lead by Dr Maeve Edwards of NUI, Galway. Seaweed as feedstock Another EU project with Irish involvement that is looking at seaweed as feedstock for biofuel production is the € 3.5 million EU funded project, AT~SEA which commenced this month. The project involves partners from The Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, France, Norway, UK and Oceanfuel Ltd from Ireland. The project will explore high-volume cultivation on large textile substrates, with the aim of reducing production costs, thus making offshore production of biomass a high-potential source for renewable energy. It is generally accepted that Europe’s industries must become more efficient, more environmentally sustainable and more competitive. With the AT~SEA project we want to implement and realise this objective via a tangible case. Expertise from four sectors: textile; offshore; renewable energy and biotechnology, will

Declan Hanniffy checking some seeded ropes on the farm

Laminaria hyperborean growing in the intertidal in Ireland, a perfect feedstock for biofuel production

be combined to generate new knowledge (textile for offshore use; textile-seaweed interaction), which will be used to develop an innovative technological solution (textilebased offshore production of aquatic biomass) to respond to one of the grand challenges (sustainable and renewable energy supply). This project will focus

mainly on cultivating the native brown seaweed Laminariaceae in North Western European Atlantic waters. These brown algae are known to grow rapidly and produce a high biomass, and to have high carbohydrate content suitable for fermentation into ethanol or furans and could be a sustainable alternative to biofuels and plastics.

18 inshore ireland April/May 2012

Marine R&D

Dr Valerie Cummins; Dr. Brendan J. Murphy; Mark Poland; Minister Simon Coveney; Niall McAuliffe; Prof. Tony Lewis

‘Out of date, marine licensing apparatus’ behind poor progress in marine sector Gery Flynn and Gillian Mills

development of ambitious, long-term growth plans”, she stated.

major conference in March organised by IMERC (the Irish Maritime and Energy Resource Cluster) focused on maritime security and shipping, logistics and transport. Addressing delegates, Val Cummins, IMERC director said it was important to take a holistic view of maritime economics in Ireland and commended the marine minister, Simon Coveney TD, for the ‘much needed’ Integrated Marine Plan for Ireland. “Up until now, we have lacked political leadership and vision for maritime Ireland. It is great to have a Minister at the helm committed to the

Cumbersome and disjointed

Addressing deletes, Minister Coveney warned that Ireland could not afford to “rest on its laurels” if it’s to become a world leader in the production of offshore energy generation, and blamed an “out-of-date, cumbersome and disjointed maritime licensing apparatus” for holding back progress up to now. “It will be such a missed opportunity if Ireland doesn’t develop as the world leader in relation to offshore energy generation. We’re already threatened in that regard because of our tardiness in relation to foreshore licensing, and for not getting cables in place to link up to offshore testing facilities,” he declared.

Minister Coveney added however that despite these past difficulties, there was good reason for optimism, one being the development of the National Maritime College of Ireland. “The emergence of the NMCI is definitely something that will see us to the forefront of the international race for dominance in areas such as renewable ocean energy,” he said. Adding that despite its fairly quiet emergence – both regionally and even within Cork itself – he predicted the College’s time “has come at last as a place that is going to grow into a real campus for research and commercial activity, driving the maritime and marine agenda in Ireland in a hugely ambitious way.

Intellectual capital Predicting that the NMCI

campus would soon have test tanks in place of a scale and depth that will be the envy of marine researchers in countries with a lot more resources than Ireland, “the intellectual capital developing at the NMCI is a huge attraction,” he said. He added that the unique relationship developing between the college and the Irish Naval Service was crucial, and also praised the drive towards involving the private sector. “It’s refreshing to see a real willingness to work with the private sector, with universities and the CIT and hopefully now with commercial interests involved in the tidal or offshore wind energy projects. There’s something special happening here,” he declared. Minister Coveney also revealed that between now and May 15, the European

Commission wants the five key countries on the Atlantic coast of the EU to provide ideas and projects that they want to see developed around the so-called ‘Blue Economy’. “From Ireland’s point of view, that will be everything from Our Ocean Wealth document to broader issues such as monitoring the Atlantic in relation to global climate change trends; monitoring wave size, consistency and energy potential in different parts of the Atlantic,” he said. The Minister noted the level of funding available in terms of EU Structural Funds, which could be allocated to the Blue Economy. “I see a major opportunity here for Ireland to be the strategic leader at a European level in terms of the future Atlantic Strategy of the European Union,” he said.

inshore ireland April/May 2012 19

Marine R&D

Minister Simon Coveney; Sara McKeown & Michael McCarthy

Prof. Michael Mulqueen; Ciara Delaney; Anthony Gurnee; Brendan Ryan; Grainne Lynch; Minister Simon Coveney; Dr. Valerie Cummins; Dr Brendan J. Murphy Glenn Murphy

IMERC response to the Our Ocean Wealth public consultation

hile it is useful to pose the question concerning a sufficiently ambitious yet realistic target for our ocean economy by 2020, non-expert guestimates provided as part of this consultation process need to be regarded with extreme caution. A systematic macro-economic expert-led approach must be used to define the targets, which should also help to identify priority areas for public and private investment. The communication of these types of targets will be necessary to indicate that Ireland is open for business in the maritime space and to project the right message concerning trajectories of growth to potential investors. Setting an ambitious yet realistic target for 2020 will be important for focusing the national effort in the short-term on the development of the ocean economy of Ireland. However, given the severe public finance difficulties likely to prevail for the rest of this decade, it may be necessary to set additional targets for 2025 and 2030. The economic outlook indicates that overcoming the current weakness in domestic demand will be a slow process. Positive trends show a strong export performance, coupled with improvements in cost competitiveness. However, other factors must align, including restructuring of the public finances, a return to the market, and an up-turn in the global economic outlook. The development of a knowledge-based, high value-added ocean sector will be influenced by all of the above. The Ocean Wealth Process must deliver quick wins linked to short term, rapid growth of high potential areas, such as the job creation targets linked to the development of the offshore aquaculture sector, yielding up to 4,000 new jobs by 2020. It must also take a longer term perspective on the evolution of established sectors such as the shipping and maritime transport sector, as well as the maturing of emerging sectors, such as marine renewable energy. Ocean Energy alone could yield 17,000-52,000 jobs for Ireland by 2030 (SQW, 2010). It will be important to develop a fully comprehensive suite of progress indicators that can be used internally to gauge if Ireland is on track for evolving as a maritime economic state. Traditional economic indicators, such as GDP, need to be applied together with coastal sustainability indicators that can demonstrate the value added dimension of doing business in maritime Ireland i.e. efficient decision support systems, political stability, appropriate planning frameworks in place etc. Reference should be made to the vast volume of literature on the subject of coastal progress indicators, including the work done on the European Working Group on Indicators and Data for DG Environment in this regard. The private sector is the critical enabler to achieving growth potential in the maritime area. The role of this sector is largely neglected in the Ocean Wealth documentation. Even though the term â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;governanceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is referred to on numerous occasions, the governmental aspect of governance are discussed, with little or no reference to the roles of markets or civil society in shaping the way plans and decisions are made. Good governance provides the focus for government, the seedbed for business, and the supports for civil society, necessary to develop the Irish maritime economy. All three should be considered equally. The role of the private sector must be considered in the development of the Ocean Wealth vision in a more integrated way. The role of industry is multifaceted, from identifying market opportunities, to attracting investment, developing niches, creating jobs, promoting Ireland overseas, supporting communities, and influencing government. The contribution from the private sector can be looked at from the perspective

of multiple scales. For example Multinational Corporations setting up shop in Ireland have a well-established record of delivering transformative impacts in regional and national economies in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, ICT and medical technology. A concerted effort needs to be put in place by the IDA and associated partners to develop a cluster of MNC activity in the maritime sector. Initiatives such as IMERC are poised to attract MNC investment on the back of the infrastructure and ecosystem of innovation on offer. Initial success in this area could be a game changer for growing GDP targets by 2020. The indigenous sector equally has significant potential to influence, not least in the creation IP that can be marketed and sold both locally and globally. Levels of innovation in the indigenous maritime sectors of both Norway and Finland have helped to position those countries as world leaders in niches within shipbuilding and offshore hydrocarbons respectively. The same position should be emulated in Ireland, where a better balance needs to be achieved between dependence on foreign direct investment, and levels of exposure to the global markets. Attention needs to be applied to a process of identifying niche markets where Ireland can position itself to accrue long term benefits. Industry has to work closely with government to steer this market identification process, so that limited opportunities for government investment can be targeted for the maximum impact possible. Industry speakers at the IMERC Conference (Geostrategic Thinking for Maritime Ireland, March 9th 2012) identified market trends in Shipping, Logistics and Transport, as well as priority areas for further indigenous development. These included ship finance, ship owning, and project logistics. The recent structuring of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) presents an opportunity for greater engagement by industry in developing research capacity focused on new areas of opportunity. Industry has an important responsibility in this regard, not only in setting research topics, but in providing research match funding to enable the development of new innovations to be accelerated. Welldeveloped approaches to industry participation in research and development need to be rolled out across multiple programmes including EPA, MI and PRTLI funded marine initiatives. Industry associations such as the Federation of Irish Fishermen and the Marine Renewables Industry Association also have important roles to play. The role and potential of these industry associations should be considered in the formulation of the Integrated Marine Plan for Ireland. More than anything else, the government will have to signal to private investors that it is willing to prioritise support for job creation in the marine sector, by putting enabling infrastructure in place, from coastal access (piers, slips, jetties), to the marine grid. An economic valuation of the levels of public investment required across multiple marine sectors from now to 2020 is currently lacking. It is proposed that this is an essential piece of work that needs to be undertaken as a national priority. As well as direct investment for critical infrastructure, innovative approaches to economic incentivisation must be developed to order to tip the balance of trade to allow the home-base to grow. Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tonnage tax regime, combined with the low corporate tax rate, continues to enable new enterprise as well as attracting inward investment from international shipping companies. This model shows how the public sector can fundamentally contribute to job creation and growth, by creating the right conditions for the development of private industry. Surely, similar models can be pursued for high potential marine sectors including ocean energy and financial services for shipping?

inshore ireland April/May 2012

News »» from page 1

Broad ranging agenda

Over six days (May 13-18) at the Dublin Convention Centre, the expected1,000 delegates will cover sessions on topics from water treatment technologies; water resource management; waste-water and energy; the economics of water to planning and sustainable development. Running concurrently will be special sessions and workshops; Irish delegates are likely to gather for the ‘hot topics’ where the controversial issues of fracking and onsite wastewater treatment systems - septic tanks - will be fully aired. Speaking to Inshore Ireland Ray Earle, Congress organiser and chair is enthusiastic about the event. He says the focus will be firmly on how to build a sustainable future “with particular emphasis on a water, climate, energy and food nexus and will address the very real relationship between current economic and environmental crises that must be tackled in this generation.” Of the one thousand

delegates, a strong attendance from Ireland, Europe as well as the United States, Australia is expected.

Inter-relationship

As to why this congress is being described as ‘unique’ Earle points to the genuine effort being made to overcome the “major difficulties with terminology, classification and communications that have existed up to now around inter-relationship . “Heretofore, climate change conferences might only discuss the science, and whether it was believable, and perhaps the severity of particular weather events. On other occasions the topic might have been just singular, perhaps on water or energy or renewable targets. Other times you might have had water and energy together, but you rarely had water, energy, climate - and food, which we’re including. As for the ‘hot topic’ sessions, Earle expects these to be particularly popular amongst Irish delegates because of the growing focus on septic tanks, wetlands and fracking. “Recent claims of possibly two trillion cubic feet of

natural gas locked in shale beneath the surface of north Leitrim and adjoining counties has raised national concerns over hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking’, and the potential for pollution of our groundwaters, “ he says.

Soil suitability

Extensive debate also centres on the suitability of Irish soil types for onsite waste water treatment and the potential to contaminate drinking water supplies. Recent research points to “significant amounts of land being unsuitable,” he says. For Earle however, there will be no “shying away” from sensitive issues at the congress and he argues that the only sure way of finding solutions is through “joined-up thinking”. “We cannot go on the way we’re behaving because it’s just unsustainable and using up resources that in theory we should be leaving for future generations. Instead we should be trying to move to a balanced situation where energy is renewable and where water is recycled to be renewable.”

Problem solving

As to whether this congress

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is likely to spur legislators into taking the actions required, Earle remains optimistic. “By focusing on the links between water, climate and energy, an environment will be created that will enable progress to be made to provide solutions to these dilemmas we all face”. He believes the event should enable joined-up thinking amongst world leaders in relation to waterclimate-energy, leading to

an agreement for a draft resolution of ten ‘key actions’ – each with an associated list of ‘critical success factors.’ “This would build on already agreed protocols such as Kyoto, and set the agenda for further advancement in the quest for global policy coherence; legislative consolidation; social ethics and equity; market structures and economic instruments – alongside technology development,” he concluded.

Irish support for Icelandic EU accession could hinge on mackerel negotiations

imon Coveney, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has called on the EU to take further, stronger action against Iceland and the Faroe islands for their “unsustainable fishing of mackerel”. Tabling his comments at the EU Fisheries Council meeting in March, Minister Coveney explained to EU counterparts that the crisis hinged on four issues: jobs, economics, sustainability and fairness. “The EU cannot accept [this] unjustifiable and unsustainable fishing of mackerel stocks,” he said. The Minister received strong support from Commissioner Damanaki and Ministers from other impacted member states in his call to the EU to “fast track the adoption of effective trade sanctions against Iceland and the Faroe Islands” on grounds of “ongoing unsustainable fishing practices”. He added for the record that Ireland was a strong supporter of Icelandic accession to the European Union. “As another island in the north-east Atlantic, I see Icelandic and EU interests being best served with Iceland as a member of the EU. But he warned he would “find it difficult to move ahead in good faith” in opening up a fisheries chapter “while this issue remains unresolved”. The Minister also welcomed the approach agreed between member states on fish discards. “Ireland has taken a strong and constructive approach to dealing with the discards issue. We want to see the legacy of this reform of the Common Fisheries Policy being a very significant step in dealing with this problem. We have identified a series of approaches to drastically reduce and eliminate the discarding of fish.” Actions supported by the Commission under the new CFP include: • a fishery-by-fishery approach • development of tailored approaches for each fishery • increased role for developing scientific advice • creating a scientifically-based list of species with high survival rates that can be returned to the sea alive • increased funding for pilot projects on selective fishing gear • assistance for producer organisations to incentivise best practice • development of quota incentives to support early introduction of new pilot projects • agreement to do nothing that would add to the market for the human consumption of juvenile fish

20 inshore ireland April/May 2012

Marine R&D

Ireland’s marine technology sector shines at Oceanology International

Lisa Fitzpatrick, Marine Institute

reland’s SmartOcean Pavilion at the recent Oceanology International 2012 in London, successfully promoted a number of new Irish companies and positioned Ireland as a European and Global centre for marine Information and Communications Technology (ICT). This year’s exhibition was the largest to date with over 7,700 visitors from more than 70 countries visiting the event.. The Ireland Pavilion showcased our fast-growing marine technology sector through SmartOcean Ireland - a cluster of 50 Irish SMEs Irish-based multinationals; State agencies and research centres of excellence working together as a hub to develop ICT solutions for the global marine sector.

Wide-ranging technologies

SmartOcean Ireland exhibitors displayed various cross-sector products and services to markets including new growth areas such as marine renewable energy; environmental monitoring; water management as well as established markets such as oil and gas, aquaculture; maritime transport; tourism; coastal erosion and much more. For Cathx Ocean, which designs and manufactures deepwater lighting and imaging, and advanced subsea measurement systems, the event provided an opportunity to expand their customer base and market-test a new product. Cathx Ocean’s sales contact list from the show spanned 14 countries including the US, Japan, Singapore, and Korea. “It gave us access to the different projects that were going on within each of our target markets, across oceanographic research and development, offshore service companies, oil and gas companies and a whole range of commercial dive operations,” remarked Adrian Boyle, CEO of Cathx Ocean. “That is our target audience. What surprised us was the

very positive response across all of the sectors. This was the first time the product was on public display and was very much a test bed – and the feedback was much more positive than we expected. We’ll definitely do it again in two years and we’re looking at other international events between now and then,” he added. This was the 9th Oceanology attended by TechWorks Marine – a Dublin-based company that provides oceanographic equipment and services to the private and public sector in Ireland and internationally. This year’s event was better than 2010, according to Charlotte O’Kelly, CEO TechWorks Marine. “We must have made about 50 new contacts over the three days and I have already received an invitation to tender from one of them. We had prearranged meetings with companies with whom we have synergies and met with the equipment manufacturers we represent – as well as a number of our existing client base who attended the show. We also had a shopping list of new equipment we needed, and were able to meet with our suppliers for these.” Tfi (technology from ideas), which designs marine mooring and tethers, reported direct feedback on their product features and design by networking with potential customers. “Tfi is at an early stage with its mooring tether products. We’re testing prototypes and the product concept is evolving. Being part of the Irish Pavilion gave us a presence that allowed us to easily validate product concepts with an international audience,” explained CEO Noel Halloran. He added that, several marine operators also highlighted new opportunities for their polymer structures to overcome challenges in fendering performance. “We hadn’t considered this use, and the feedback will help us conceive other product concepts.. We’ll most certainly do business with companies we met at the show”.

Sensor platforms

Oceanology 2012 marked

Representatives from exhibitors of the Ireland Pavilion at Oceanology International 2012.

Adrian Boyle, CathX Ocean showing potential clients some of their range of underwater lighting products. the first official exhibition for SmartBay Ireland Ltd, recently established as an International Test and Demonstration Platform for the Marine/ICT sector. The platform facilitates a range of enterprise and research value-based activities – from the testing of sensors in the ocean to the development of innovative decision-based management tools. This is another step in the development of our cluster of industry, researchers and government agencies, working together to encourage research and create new marine focused enterprise. Oceanology 2012 offered the opportunity to broaden that cluster, allowing us to reach other countries that border the North Atlantic,” remarked Barbara Fogarty, Coordinator of Ireland’s National Marine Technology Programme.

Irish interests

Other exhibitors included: SonarSim Ltd, JFC Manufacturing, P&O Maritime and INFOMAR. SonarSim Ltd is a Limerick-

based technology start-up with a focus on high-resolution high-precision hydrographic surveying using integrated sonar/video/navigation systems with data from the INFOMAR national seabed mapping programme. The company has developed the world’s first survey-scale multibeam & sidescan sonar simulator to deliver real-time performance on standard PCs. JFC Manufacturing is a long-established mould and plastics company moving into the marine sector for mooring and navigational buoys. JFC is also actively engaged in bespoke development of buoys and floats for the aquaculture sector. P&O Maritime which manages the Marine Institute’s National Research Vessels used the event as a platform to promote its vessel operation and management services to State agencies on an international stage as well as to industry. INFOMAR – is the joint seabed mapping venture between the Geological Survey of Ireland and the

Marine Institute. The team promoted Ireland’s 220 million acre marine resource and showcased what is probably the largest civilian seabed mapping programme worldwide. “Ireland has come a long way in the last 10 years in the development of the marine technological expertise we have today,” remarked Dr Peter Heffernan, CEO of the Marine Institute. “Thanks to our unique geographical position as a gateway to the North Atlantic, to visionary Irish entrepreneurs with the courage to invest in this sector and to strategic thinking that recognised the value of our 220 million acre seabed resource, Ireland is well positioned to emerge as a credible player in the area of Marine ICT,” he added. The Ireland SmartOcean Pavilion was sponsored by the Irish Marine Institute and financial support for the cost of the event was provided via the Marine Research SubProgramme of the National Development Plan 2007-2013.

inshore ireland April/May 2012 21

Marine R&D

Endless boundaries: INFOMAR seabed data to be available as mobile phone app and to feed into online fishing activity game by December 2012 Xavier Monteys, GSI

he INFOMAR seabed mapping programme, comanaged by the Geological Survey of Ireland and the Marine Institute announced the applied research programme. Twenty-three short applied research projects were awarded at the end of 2011through a tight competition to a variety of third-level institutions and commercial companies. The projects fall across a range of marine disciplines such as energy, oceanography, marine environment, education and even software gaming technology. The project leaders gave an overview of the objectives and plans for the year ahead. Some of the projects will improve the geological maps of coastal areas such as Dublin Bay or Dunmanus Bay, which might turn out to be instrumental for future infrastructure planning or environmental monitoring in these regions. Offshore

renewable energy development in the Celtic Sea using recently acquired INFOMAR data was also presented, which is aimed at narrowing the bridge between the mapping project and some of the offshore energy activity. A series of internet managing, educational and delivery projects were also presented with a general aim to make the programme and the datasets closer to the end user, via the web or through mobile phone apps. Finally, a beta version of an online game recreating popular fishing activities was demonstrated to the audience with the real Irish flavour and well-known coastal areas. These applied research projects are aimed at pushing the boundaries of science to enable Irish-based marine technologies to do a better job in marine science education, job creation and to help disseminate the wide range of products produced by INFOMAR. The projects will conclude at the end of 2012 and shortly afterwards will be made available to the scientific community and the general public.

INFOMAR value-added exploitation programme 1

Geochemical constraints on the age, affinity and history of the Porcupine High

UCD

Geology/Energy

The Bedrock Geology of Dublin Bay

Trinity College Dublin

Geology/ Infrastructure

Organic characteristics of aerobic microbial communities in deep sea sediment from the South Pacific Gyre

DCU

Biology

Sea surface alklinity across the lrish shelf from underway temperature and salinity data collected during the INFOMAR project

NUI Galway

Oceanography

Integrated Coastal Mapping of Dublin Bay: Geomorphology based on geophysical data, Satellite inferred bathymetry and 3D integration with INFOMAR datasets

NUI Maynooth

Geology/Technology

Carbon Cycling in Dunmanus Bay pockmarks: Data generation and interpretation from the INFOMAR ground truthing program on the Porcupine Bank and Dunmanus Bay, Ireland (CE11_017)

DCU

Geology/Biology

Celtic Sea Sedimentary Proceses, Quaternary Stratigraphy and Offshore Renewable Energy Development (CeSQuORE)

UCC

Energy

Appraisal of Irish Sea Seabed Imaging for Tidal Energy Generation (ISSITEG)

UCC

Energy

Integration of multiple offshore and onshore datasets from NE Ireland and the Irish Sea: an integrated 3-D model of geological structure.

UCD

Geology

Modelling the beta diversity of the continental margin

NUI Galway

Biology

Web based geospatial encoded marine video and image demonstrator project

Geotech Technologies

Technology

Coastal Seabed Observatory Platform (COSOP)

Techworks

Technology

Development of an integrated environmental on-line mapping system for the marine environment, to support the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and to Highlight the Value of Infomar Data

National Biodiversity Data Centre, Ireland

Biology/Technology/ Education

Integration of INFOMAR data products and auxiliary data with handheld GPS devices and shipbourne navigation systems

Monterrey Software Solutions

Technology

A Study of the Effect on Seabed Sediments at Ocean Energy Sites of Storm Waves and Currents using a Coupled Wave and Hydrodynamic Numerical Model

Numerics Warehouse

Energy/ Oceanography

Scaling Hydrographic Education & Training through Interactive E-learning and Scenario-Based Operational Simulation Integrated with INSS/INFOMAR Datasets and Operational Procedures

SonarSim

Education/ Technology

COLDSTORE: Enhanced facilities for the extension of sediment core shelf life

NUI Maynooth

Technology/Geology

Foundation Risk & Geotechnical Uncertainty Mapping for future Offshore Wind Farm Developments

Gavin & Doherty Geosolutions

Energy

Delivery of a Real-time Survey Planner for Online Multibeam Quality Control

SonarSim

Technology

Development of online webGIS educational portal about Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Coastal and Marine Geology

UCC

Geology

Geological and geophysical description of the Arc Mounds, southwest Porcupine Bank

NUIG

Geology/Biology

A popular online marine resource management gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

RealSim Games

Education/ Technology

Smart Event Triggered Ocean Monitoring Platform, (lander/ mooring/databuoy)

Technology

Blog of one of the research projects

Online fishing activity game

22 inshore ireland April/May 2012

Marine R&D

Final plan of an integrated marine policy for Ireland expected in summer months Gery Flynn

inister Simon Coveney’s briefing on the Our Ocean Wealth initiative has been welcomed by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications, Natural Resources and Agriculture (JCCNRA). Chairman Andrew Doyle TD confirmed to Inshore Ireland that the minister was particularly satisfied the public consultation phase ‘had worked well’, and that he looked forward to assessing the responses prior to publishing a final plan in the summer. “Our committee heard an upbeat assessment from Minister Coveney on the opportunities to tap the potential of Ireland’s seas. We strongly support the sustainable exploitation of our marine resources,” deputy Doyle explained. He added: “Harnessing our ocean potential in a sustainable way has the potential to provide relatively ‘easy wins’ for Ireland in employment and commercial opportunities. And with significant coastal representation on our Committee, we will also be contributing to the consultation.” The consultation phase seeking public input to the Our Ocean Wealth initiative closed on March 31. In a separate but related meeting of the JCCNRA, Deputy Doyle revealed that his committee had had a formal meeting with Ms Mette Agerup, the Assistant Director of the Norwegian Ministry for Petroleum and Energy on that country’s experience with exploration beginning in 1965.

“Through the Norwegian Ambassador to Ireland, Mr Roald Naess, Ms Agerup kindly accepted the committee’s invitation to share with us the experience and expertise built up in this area in Norway over forty years. “It is internationally acknowledged that during that period, Norway built up a level of expertise and is a model of best practice, so we’re anxious to hear first-hand about the magic formula.” According to deputy Doyle the JCCNRA learned a lot from the meeting “especially that it has been the duty of successive Norwegian governments and the authorities to ensure that the exploration and production of oil and gas resources are to the benefit of the Norwegian people.” He added that members of the Minister’s team and the department “would do well to review the transcripts of this meeting. They contain much food for thought including a couple of important basic principles. “Ms Agerup said that Norway established a very simple law at the outset and has not switched from it. Agreements made are adhered to even when there may be misgivings about their implications,” he said. Deputy Doyle added that Ireland could learn “some very useful lessons” from the Norwegian approach to managing its oil resource, and concluded that the presentation had coincided with the welcome announcement of a viable oil field off the Cork coast. Norwegian Gas and Oil Exploration – for a transcript of the discussion go to: http://debates.oireachtas.ie/ AGJ/2012/03/20/00004.asp

Strong legacy of EU maritime training programme Gery Flynn

arLeaNet (MARitime LEArning Network) – the EU programme designed to forge co-operation through a network of maritime training centres in France, Spain, Portugal and Ireland, is scheduled to end later this year but its legacy - the exchange of good practices, knowhow, training development – will not be lost. “EU projects of this nature always have an end as they’re typically only two to three years in duration; however the good work done via MarLeaNet doesn’t stop there,” Gráinne Lynch of the National Maritime College Ireland - the Irish participant in the network - told Inshore Ireland. “A mechanism is already being set up whereby the six partners will continue to interact and grow the resources over time,” she confirmed.

Input to growth potential

MAPPING ATLANTIC AREA SEABED HABITATS FOR BETTER MARINE MANAGEMENT The MESH Atlantic Project aims to provide a harmonised seabed habitat map of the coastal and shelf areas of the Northeast Atlantic in order to aid the development of sustainable management plans at both regional and European levels. The project involves a team of eleven partners from institutions in the Atlantic Area countries (France, Ireland, Portugal and Spain). A short half-day briefing for interested parties on the progress and results to date of the MESH Atlantic Project will be held at the Marine Institute, Rinville, Oranmore, Co. Galway on Thursday (A.M.) 10 th May, 2012. Themes will include; MESH Atlantic Progress; MESH Atlantic Habitat Mapping Survey Results; and MESH Atlantic Outputs for Spatial Planning. Participation is free, subject to registration and venue capacity. To register, please send an e-mail with your details to: Linda.Grealish@marine.ie Registration will close at 1500Hrs on Wednesday, 02 nd May. A final agenda will be circulated to all those registered, in advance of the meeting. For more information on the project, please visit www.meshatlantic.eu

Ms Lynch, who is responsible for research development at the NMCI, revealed too that the NMCI has made a “lengthy submission to the Our Ocean Wealth consultation –in particular on the relevance of the higher education sector towards achieving growth potential”.

She added that the Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) - including NMCI “have an important contribution to make” to achieving growth potential. “NMCI specifically is focused on educating and training those involved in maritime operations. Any growth in Irish marine activity will mean a corresponding need for those employed in the marine sector to have appropriate education and training. “As the institution in which the vast majority of Irish maritime operational expertise resides, the NMCI must be appropriately consulted and be involved in the planning process for the upsurge in maritime operations training and education that will occur.” Ms Lynch added that the aim now was to establish a website to promote courses run by maritime training and education institutes in Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal. “There will be a shared resource of real-time courses that are pertinent to training mariners. All of this information will be in English, and it will have a shared standard look and feel and quality,” she concluded. Marleanet is managed at the NMCI by Mr Dermot O’Reilly. He can be contacted for further information on 021 497 0600. Inshore Ireland (8.3) which publishes in June will feature a more in depth profile of the Mareleanet programme.

Alain Pomes, Director, European Centre for Maritime Training, Quimper, France (left) with Michael Delaney, Acting Head of the National Maritime College of Ireland and Dermot O’Reilly, Lecturer and Manager of the MarLeaNet project, NMCI

inshore ireland April/May 2012 23

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The marine & freshwater environment publication Established in 2005 by marine journalists Gillian Mills and Gery Flynn, Inshore Ireland provides impartial news and analysis on the marine and freshwater environments. Published bimonthly, Inshore Ireland reports from Ireland’s 7000km coastline, 1000km2 of lakes and roughly 1,000km of navigable inland waterways In other words: If it’s water, we write about it!

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n Seascapes in the coming weeks will be looking forward to the ISAF Youth World Sailing Championships in Dublin Bay in July; the opening of the long-awaited National Maritime Museum of Ireland in June and a proposal for a Dock Museum. Can you identify any of the people in these photographs of the Liffey Ferry and the docks in Ringsend? I’d really like to hear from you if you can. (Marcus.CONNAUGHTON@rte.ie) With sixteen nations and over three hundred competitors, Seascapes will be in Bantry Bay for the Atlantic Challenge Bantry Bay Gig World Championships (July 21-29), and will also be tracking the progress of Team Abu Dhabi and Groupama in the Volvo Ocean Race and bringing listeners up to the minute reports ahead of the grand finale in Galway on July 6-8. Seascapes – RTE 1 @ 10.30pm every Friday, or download the podcast on www.rte.ie/radio1/seascapes.

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24 inshore ireland April/May 2012

Coffee Break 1

Across

Down

6 Trouble (7)

1 Freedom from doubt (10)

7 Woodwind instruments (5) 9

9 Hairdo (4) 10 In an insane manner (10)

11 Warriors (8)

13 Fable (6) 15

15 Academic head (4)

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2 Relating to the Alps (6) 3 A river between China and Russia (4) 4 Enemies (8) 5 Not stereo (4) 6 Picture (5) 8 Glanced at (7) 12 Burn with a liquid (5) 14 With gratitude (10) 16 Sincere (7)

20 Disagreed (8)

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25 Speak (4)

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WE BRING CLARITY TO THE WORLD BELOW

Inshore Ireland marine fish and shellfish print.

INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS TO SOLVE YOUR UNDER SEA CHALLENGES: • ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING • INFRASTRUCTURE INSPECTION • UNDERWATER SECURITY • SUBSEA CONSTRUCTION • SEABED MAPPING WWW.KONGSBERG.COM

Museum quality A2 (420mm x 600mm) archival Giclée print reproduction (watermarqued and signed) of Vincent Hyland’s hand-painted illustration.

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We’d like you to ‘like’ us and spread the word with your friends on Facebook. Simply go our Facebook pages: www.facebook.com/Derrynane and www.facebook.com/InshoreIreland before May 25, ‘like’ the pages and insert a snappy message and we’ll randomly select a winner whom we’ll contact for a postal address.

Good luck! Multibeam echo sounder water column data collected with EM 302 from NOAA Ship, Okeanos Explorer, July 2009. Deep sea plumes observed at depths of ~1200–1900 m. Data processed using IVS3D Fledermaus.

CONGRATULATIONS!

to Clare Walsh, Galway and Sean Hill, Dublin, both winners of a copy of “Clippers: The Ships that Shaped the World”

inshore ireland April/May 2012 25

Coffee Break 1

1 The brig Williams, commanded by Capt Williams who sighted the South Shetlands in 1819, 2 Pre 1851 model of a L’Astrolabe-class corvette in La Museé de la Marine, Paris, 3 The Dundee whaling fleet in Antarctic, 4 Aurora, rigged as a barque in St John’s harbour, Newfoundland, with an unidentified sealer, 5 The Russian polar research & logistics vessel Akademik Federov, which served Russian bases in Antarctica from 1987 to 2007 & is currently active in the Arctic.

Ordeal by Ice – Ships of the Antarctic

e’ve all heard tales of the Irish abroad, and mention of the far-flung places that they have visited – but the ears certainly pluck up another notch when we think of the numbers of Irish who dedicated vast portions of their lives exploring, researching, and traversing through the polar regions of the planet! The harrowing adventures of Sir Ernest Shakleton and Tom Crean are widely famed. The lesser-known Edward Bransfield – a Corkman who, as a matter of long-standing dispute as captain of the Williams, first sighted the Antarctic. Or, the Ulsterman, Captain Bill Johnston who spent many years uncovering a great deal of what we now know of the southern Polar Regions. These are some of the great characters of the sea who sailed upon and are linked to the hundreds of vessels cited in Rorke Bryan’s absorbing study. This is a superb work. From the sub-zero climes it brings a wealth of fascination about the reasons why people originally went to the poles, and many of the reasons why they still endure such hardships today. We learn so much about the development of specific polar exploration and working vessels from Rorke’s writing. The range and almost exotic variety of vessels identified – from pinks; shallops; fluyts; sealers and whalers to privateers; brigantines; naval bombs and ice-breakers,it is extensive and illustrated in fine detail. For viewers of the recent award winning BBC series Frozen Planet, or subscribers to the monthly National Geographic, this work brings out the origins of the great exploits undertaken on behalf of the Royal Geographic Society, of Universities, Academies, and the many Institutions of developing nations throughout the 19th and 20th centuries in the Antarctic. This area has evolved from a hunting ground to a modern space for research, scientific study, and

even tourism. The primary purpose of Ordeal by Ice is a study of the vessels, however. How they developed; how they were fitted out; what structures best endured the advancing ages of ice exploration. Indeed, many had to be kitted out for whole winters on ice (by design) or even two winters suffering extreme conditions (less according to plan). Some were even designed to become trapped in ice to act as floating research stations. We gain insight into the levels of provisioning to which captains and shipping companies had to go in preparation of their voyages. One such example was upon the Gauss: ‘Apart from the coal bunkers, there were two 3,000 litre water tanks, a stokehold 1,500 litre water tank, and space for 450 gas cylinders (for a balloon), 1,000kg of explosives and 30,000 mandays’ worth of provisions…’ The scale of these preparations would be mindboggling for the modern sailor who is setting out on a weeklong cruise, but ask any Tall Ship operator who is going to sea for a month or more and they will happily concur with the figures. Rorke creates a picture of the great surge of interest in the Antarctic region over the past few centuries. He outlines the trade for seal and whale and the manner of ships used to engage these practices. He discusses the heroics of the most famous explorers, and some of the pitfalls and dangers associated with arctic exploration and research, all of which is supported by strong academic research and stunning images. We hear of the unfortunate circumstances that befell many vessel trapped and crushed in ice-floes and in mis-timed missions – notably the crushing and sinking of Shakleton’s Endurance. Nonetheless, we also hear of the great vessels that survived the most terrible conditions of the Antarctic seas – from Amundsen’s Fram, or Mawson’s Aurora, and so many others. The list stretches into the modern nuclearpowered ice-breakers working the Arctic waters today, James Clark Ross or the Aurora

Australis, for example. This work is written by an adventurer for adventurers. Bryan himself was attracted to the region from his native Dublin as a youth by the undertakings of Scott and others. He reminds the reader constantly of the importance and value of a suitably forged vessel. And we are also advised, given the conditions to endure, of the great insurance level of always having a second vessel on standby when tackling such seas as those in the Southern Ocean. Cian Gallagher, Dublin

COMPETITON Author: Rorke Bryan Title: Ordeal by Ice, Ships of the Antarctic Hardback 540pp full colour, photos, paintings, drawings and charts ISBN: 978-1-84889-040-4 Publisher: The Collins Press Price: €39.99

The publishers have generously provided two copies as a prize. Q: What was the name of Shakelton’s vessel lost at the Antarctic? Answers by May 25 to: mills@inshore-ireland.com or on a postcard to 3 Hillview Cottages, Pottery Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.

26 inshore ireland April/May 2012

Coastline News

Shannon currach crew win in the Mediterranean Martin Kay, Ilen National Centre for wooden boat building

Ireland to host major environmental landmarks in 2012

he men from Coonagh on the north side of the Shannon at Limerick pulled their way successfully to the finishing line in the 4th Annual Mediterranean Currach Regatta in Barcelona on March 18, watched by around 3,000 spectators who enjoyed idyllic weather conditions. The Regatta is held at the Reial Club Maritim de Barcelona and takes place among the piers and quaysides of Barcelona’s beautiful harbour. This was the second year the Coonagh men participated – and they won last year, too. The Regatta had both amateur and professional sections. The amateurs comprised 12 local sides from Barcelona sponsored by restaurants and groups with Irish connections and the professionals comprised 8 crews from Ireland, Catalonia, Norway, Germany and Barcelona. Three heats were followed by a semi-final and a final; the course itself was triangular and designed for sprint racing, approximately 600 metres long. “The secret lay in getting a good start and in cornering well. The others were all racing in one direction while we were already round the corner and going in the other,” explained Michael Grimes, the Coonagh stroke: The currachs were made locally in Barcelona by Dublin man, Mark Reddan. These are slim boats, designed for racing and the Coonagh men were very happy with them. The Coonagh men are also specialists of the indigenous Shannon boat, the Gandelow, six of which will be raced on the river at Limerick on May 19 in a celebration of the City’s links with the Shannon.

n Taisce – The National Trust for Ireland – will host the General Assembly of FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education) and the 25th anniversary international celebrations of the Blue Flag Awards in Dublin in June 2012. An Taisce is delighted to be hosting the FEE International General Assembly in Dublin from June 7 – 10. The Trust is the Irish member of FEE which has over 60 countries as members worldwide. Having been the Irish member of FEE since 1992, An Taisce was chosen to host this prestigious international event in this the 25th anniversary year of the International Blue Flag Programme. Ireland is considered best practice in many of the FEE programmes most notably Green-Schools known internationally as Eco-Schools and the Blue Flag programme. The International Blue Flag for Beaches and Marinas celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and An Taisce is delighted to announce that these celebrations will be held in Ireland. Ireland has over 5,000km of spectacular coastline, comprising invaluable environmental, recreational, cultural and economic resources. Eco-label of excellence There were 82 Blue Flag beaches in Ireland in 2011 and 3,558 Blue Flag destinations worldwide in over 40 countries. The Blue Flag is an International Eco-Label of Excellence which is co-ordinated in Ireland by An Taisce. The Blue Flag Award and the Green Coast Award (of which there are 58 in Ireland) are complementary programmes. The Green Coast Award recognises beaches that may not have the necessary resort-style infrastructure to achieve Blue Flag status or are not currently designated as bathing areas in Ireland by the EU Bathing Water Directive. They must, of course, have excellent water quality and sound environmental management. Green Coast Award beaches are more representative of the vast majority of the Irish coastline. Award beaches are of considerable importance for both domestic and international tourism with both the Blue Flag and the Green Coast Award bringing international recognition to Ireland’s beaches and marinas. They address water quality and environmental management and have a significant economic value through: • promotion of domestic and international tourism • considerable marketing opportunity in both the Blue Flag and Green Coast Award endorsements on an international stage • encouraging improvements to water quality and coastal ecosystems • providing a framework to work within and to achieve compliance with legislative obligations • promoting community stewardship through Coastcare which is an integral part of An Taisce’s Clean Coasts Programme. The Blue Flag programme is funded by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. For further information on either the FEE General Assembly or the Blue Flag Programme please contact; Annabel FitzGerald, Coastal Programmes Manager, An Taisce Tel: 01 4002210; Email: afitzgerald@eeu.antaisce.org

Michael Grimes (stroke), Robert Kenny and Thomas Davis who take line honours at Barcelona

Gandelows

ILEN has launched a new racing version of the local Shannon Estuary boat, the Gandelow, which has been used by communities up and down the estuary for several hundred years but always with slight differences in dimensions and design. This new version is the first of a class of exactly similar boats that will stage their first race at Limerick on May19 Plans will soon be announced for the first Gandelow race on 19 May. Interested crews should contact info@ilen.ie.

Atlantic Wooden Boats

The recently established Atlantic Wooden Boat Builders & Operators Group is beginning to make contact with those who earlier expressed interest in participating in the industry’s involvement in the EU Commission’s Maritime Forum. Led from Ireland, by Dr Martin Kay of the ILEN School of Wooden Boat Building (www.ilen.ie), and with participation from Spain, Lino Lema of the Galician Maritime Council, the group can already identify growing interest in several countries. “These are still very early days but I’m confident our group will become a useful part of the dialogue leading to the next Maritime Policy period. We have to put our sectors into that forum because no-one else will speak for wooden boats and the continuing relevance of sail power if we don’t,” Martin Kay told Inshore Ireland. Martin Kay will be travelling to Brussels at the end of April for a briefing by DG MARE on how the Maritime Forum web site can be developed. On completion he plans to travel to Paris and Nantes for discussions on French participation.

inshore ireland April/May 2012 27

Outside Ireland

Transferable fishing concessions:

plastic dinghies, ITQs and wild speculation Adapted by Brian O’Riordan, ICSF Belgium Office Secretary, from “Fishy Business” by Ole Aabenhus, published in the March 2012 special edition of NOTAT in collaboration with Africa Contact, Denmark.

f the European Commission (EC) proposals on the CFP reform are accepted, as of 2014 Member States (MS) will be obliged to introduce Transferable Fishing Concessions (TFCs). In its briefing paper on TFCs, the EC says that strict principles will have to be followed. These include ensuring that ‘marine resources are and must remain a public good’, and that ‘TFCs cannot confer property rights over marine resources, but only user rights to exploit them for a limited time’. Further, that ‘selling, leasing or swapping of TFCs can only happen under strict conditions as only owners of registered and active vessels with the purpose to use them on a licensed and active vessel, can buy TFCs.’ The briefing reassures us that ‘experience in MS where a TFC system is used shows that risks can be avoided through design’, and that in designing the system ‘MS and stakeholders must therefore take care that the TFC system leaves no room for speculations or situations that are detrimental to regions dependent on fisheries and related activities.’ Wild speculation According to Prof Seth Macinko of Rhode Island University, this is like wishing for Christmas in July. Market forces once unleashed are not controllable, and their perverse effects are not predictable. This goes equally for sub-prime mortgage markets as it does for markets for fishing rights. The European Commission favours the ITQ (individual transferable quota) model developed by Danish authorities. The Danish government and others have suggested that the introduction of ITQs would make the coastal fishery ‘competitive’; support thriving fishing communities; improve access for young fishermen and reduce discards. Experience to date shows the opposite to be true. According to Prof Thomas Højrup from the University of Copenhagen, ITQS were introduced in Denmark to solve the economic problems of large trawlers. But their ‘success’ has resulted in an irreversible process that has increased the

concentration of quotas on a few large trawlers and purse seiners. Race for ITQs The Danish ITQ entered into force on January 1, 2007, but was made into law more than a year earlier. Since then quota prices have shot up by up to 1,000 per cent in some cases, reports Professor Thomas Højrup. His research concludes that ITQs replace the ‘race for fish’ with a ‘race for ITQs’ and that the system is disastrous for the entry of young fishermen and undermines most of the fishing communities. It increases the incentive to high grading discards and replaces eco-friendly catch methods with sea-floor disturbing methods (heavy bottom trawling). It makes fisheries deeply dependent on the banks, transforms fishing rights into financial assets, and replaces owner-operated vessels and their traditional share system with ‘quota barons’ (leasing quotas to fishermen) with crews operating under a wage labour system. Case in point The ‘success’ of the ITQ system is epitomised by the case of a small, under 5 metre, fibreglass fishing dinghy HM45, which in just five months increased in value from €5,000 to more than €4m. It has no engine and no wheelhouse to protect the fisherman against the wind and sea. It’s certainly not the typical fishing vessel you would think of as part of one of the most modern fishing fleets in the world. However, last time HM45 was sold, the price was 32,370,000 Danish kroner (DKR) or roughly €4,353,235. Under the Danish system, quota shares and fishing rights have to be held on a vessel, and HM45 serves this purpose. The HM45 has probably never been in water, but is a perfect example of how to invest, speculate and move around with fishing rights. The HM45 was bought as new for 40.000 DKR or €5,300 in September 2007 by a fisheries company called August A/S (August Ltd). August A/S sold the vessel in January 22, 2008, to a consortium of three people, one of whom was Tamme Bolt, the managing owner of August A/S. The price was now nine times higher at 370.000 DRK (€49,300). Three weeks later, on February 13, 2008, the HM45 was bought back into August Ltd. The price had now reached 32,370,000 DKR, or more than 800 times its value just five months earlier. So what game is being played here? August Ltd won’t say. The fisheries law attempts to restrict

concentration by only allowing the quotas of four vessels to be transferred to on vessel. But that does not stop an investor owning more quota and vessels. And the easiest and cheapest way to store quota is on a small dinghy like the HM45 and keep it in your garden or garage (no mooring fees). The quota can then be leased to an operational vessel, within the same or to a different company. August Ltd owns five boats of exactly the same type and size as HM45 – the Poca 475. Three of them are called RIP, RAP and RUP – which is Danish for Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck. But actual fisheries take place from boats of a difference size: August Ltd owns six boats of 16 metres and above, both trawlers

and seiners. In theory RIP, RAP, RUP and their two sisters could each be assigned the quota of four other vessels, representing a considerable investment, source of income, and potential windfall profit for the owners. We don’t know what proportion of the Danish ITQs are held by these small vessels, but in 2011, August Ltd owned more than 7 per cent of total Danish quota for plaice in the North Sea, plus almost 10 per cent of plaice in the Skagerrak between Denmark and Norway. It remains to be seen if this will be tolerated by the authorities in the future, as new maximum levels for quota ownership are coming in (7.5 per cent for North Sea plaice; 6.5 per cent for plaice

in the Skagerrak). Come what may, August Ltd stands to make a tidy sum out of their speculative investments in plastic dinghies and ITQ Useful links NOTAT Magazine http:// www.notat.dk/assets/ NOTAT-om-fiskeri--engelsk/1245engelsk-final.pdf EC TFC Communication http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/ reform/docs/tfc_en.pdf Need for Common Goods for Coastal Communities http:// www.havbaade.dk/thenecessity. pdf Danish Experiences of ITQs http://www.havbaade.dk/Fishfor-the-future.pdf

Traditional vessels at Thorupstrand, Denmark. Photo Mogens Schou, Minister’s adviser for fisheries and aquaculture, Copenhagen, Denmark.

The breakers yard in Grenå harbour, Denmark, is the end station where the wooden boats from coastal communities all over the Scandinavian countries are destroyed en masse. Photo: Prof Thomas Højrup

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inshore ireland April/May 2012

News FISHERY HARBOUR CENTRES ACT 1968 (as amended) REVISED RATES AND CHARGES AT FISHERY HARBOUR CENTRES Notice is hereby given that Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine proposes to make an Order under Section 4 of the Fishery Harbour Centres Act 1968 (as amended) revising the rates and charges to be paid to the Minister by persons using the facilities (including the harbour) and services at Fishery Harbour Centres.

The majority of Roundstone’s inshore fleet target lobster and shrimp.

Photo G Mills

Marine department update on status of inshore fisheries management

nshore fisheries management: a tale of lost opportunity (II Oct/Nov 2010) focused on the status of inshore fisheries in Ireland which comprises most of the registered vessels in the Irish fleet. In 2005, a Shellfish Management Framework was introduced, designed to provide an integrated co-management structure to deliver responsible and effective management. Six years on and no regulatory system has been put in place. Many stocks remain fully exploited and catch rates have declined to a level that is adversely affecting the economic viability of the fleet. Against this backdrop Inshore Ireland invited the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine to address these concerns. Now six months later Inshore Ireland has returned to DAFM to establish if any changes have occurred in the intervening months:

Q: What is the status of the Shellfish Management Framework? Q: What has been put in place to deal with inshore fisheries issues? It is almost four years since the lobster Species Advisory Group produced a management plan which went to public consultation. It was initially abandoned but eventually went through a second consultation phase and was finally submitted to the Department. Since then I am not aware of any outcome.

Q: Has the Lobster Management Plan been formally abandoned? DAFM responds: As stated in the response to Inshore Ireland’s questions published in the October/November 2011 issue, the Minister’s policy for all sea-fisheries is to promote sustainable fishing, good environmental practice and compliance with law. In the case of inshore fisheries, in light of the judgement of the European Court of Justice against Ireland concerning non-compliance with the EU Habitats and Birds Directives, the overriding priority continues to be to bring all inshore fisheries (and aquaculture) in Natura 2000 sites into full compliance with the EU Birds & Habitats Directives. The Habitats Directive requires that any project or plan be subject to appropriate assessment before any consent or licensing decision is made. At the time of the Lobster Plan proposal, it became clear that the proposed Plan would have required such an assessment before any management arrangements were put in place. . The Habitats Directive requires that an appropriate assessment consider the potential impact of the proposed activity on the conservation objectives for each Natura 2000 site affected. Given the national nature of the lobster fishery, almost all of the approximately 90 Natura sites around our coast could be affected. In addition, the Directive requires that the potential impacts on the habitat of a proposed activity be considered in combination with the potential impacts of all other activities or proposed activities in each Natura site, including other fisheries, aquaculture and non-fishing activities. At the time of the Lobster Plan proposal there was insufficient data on the benthic habitats of each of our Natura sites, on the spatial extent and level of lobster fishing effort in each site and on the other activities within our Natura sites to enable the required Habitats Directive appropriate assessment of the Lobster Plan to be conducted for our whole coastline. Equally, given the design of the Lobster regions in the Plan, a phased implementation of the Plan was not possible. The resource intensive Natura 2000 compliance project referred to by the Department in the previous feature on inshore fisheries will ultimately lead to appropriate assessment of all of our Natura sites. That multi annual, multi-agency project is continuing to address appropriate assessment of each of our Natura sites in turn. A substantial body of scientific data has been generated over the course of 2009 and 2010 and is near completion. The project is now focussed on roll-out of appropriate assessments. Three comprehensive appropriate assessments under the Habitats Directive were completed in 2011, in respect of Castlemaine Harbour County Kerry, Dundalk Bay Co. Louth and Roaring Water Bay Co Cork. Work is at an advanced stage in respect of Lough Swilly Co Donegal and Clew Bay Co Mayo, among others and this process will continue throughout 2012.

The text of the proposed Order is available on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine website at www.agriculture.gov.ie/fisheries/fisheryharbours/. Copies of the proposed Order are also available for public inspection at the Harbour Master’s Office at each of the six Fishery Harbour Centres at Killybegs, Co. Donegal, Rossaveel, Co. Galway, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Castletownbere, Co. Cork, Dunmore East, Co. Waterford and Howth, Co. Dublin. Any person objecting to the proposed Order should do so, stating the specific grounds of the objection, by writing to Rates & Charges Submissions, Sea Fisheries Administration Division, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, National Seafood Centre, Clonakilty, Co. Cork or by e-mailing ratesandcharges@agriculture.gov.ie within 21 days from the date of this notice. 30th March 2012 email: info@agriculture.gov.ie www.agriculture.gov.ie

inshore ireland April/May 2012

News

Fishermen’s organisation predicts sector could generate 100,000 extra jobs by 2032

n its submission to the government’s Our Ocean Wealth public consultation process, the Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) contends a target of 100,000 additional ‘sustainable’ jobs in the sector by is achievable by 2032, ‘provided the necessary supports are put in place’. This would generate a total value of €20bn (5% GDP) with the fisheries sector contributing approximately 7bn of this turnover, commented Eibhlín O’Sullivan, chair of the FIF. “There is tremendous potential in the Marine Sector to provide a positive contribution both in terms of turnover and employment generation particularly in coastal peripheral areas. However, it is vital that Ireland positions itself to ensure that it can achieve the maximum return from these valuable national resources,” she adds In particular, the FIF singles out current difficulties being foreshore licensing, planning permission and aquaculture licensing. “Government needs to take action to remove the obstacles in all three of these areas to ensure the message goes out that Ireland is not only “open for business” but welcomes it, ” Ms O’Sullivan contends. From a commercial fisheries perspective, Ms O’Sullivan says is it “essential” that adequate funding of scientific research is available for State agencies such as the Marine Institute and BIM. “It is also vital for the marine sector in general that Ireland has a well-funded and properly resourced Marine Survey Office.”

Budding chefs visit Kilmore Quay

uro-toques ‘Young Chef of the Year’, Kamil Dubanik from Knockranny House Hotel, Co Mayo along with the four finalists: Aisling Gallagher (Ballynahinch Castle, Galway); Kyle Greer (No 27 Talbot Street, Belfast); Micheal Harley (Rathmullan House, Co Donegal) and David Magaeen (Restaurant Victoria, Belfast) participated in a food tourism trip this organised by the competition sponsors, Failte Ireland and BIM. The finalists visited Kilmore Quay, Co Wexford for a practical on-site introduction to the complex world of the seafood industry. The day included a visit to Hook Head Shellfish in Bannow Bay to see how Irish oysters are grown and harvested. It was then on to Kilmore Quay to meet local fishermen, Paddy Barry and Sean Furlong, participants in BIM’s lobster v-notching scheme which is an important conservation programme to ensure that lobster populations in the area are protected. The group also had an insight into seafood processing with visits to Sofrimar and local Saltees Fish and finished with a seafood lunch at the Crazy Crab café and bistro. The Euro-toques Young Chef competition emphasises training and development, with the role of the mentor being central to the process.

As sponsors, the involvement of BIM and Failte Ireland acknowledges the importance of chefs in building Ireland’s national and international

food reputation, the role that ‘local food’ plays in this and their commitment to education and development in this sector.

Ireland and US cooperate to develop ocean energy technologies

reland and the United States have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on offshore renewable energy research cooperation. The MOU was signed on behalf of Pat Rabbitte, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources by Peter Heffernan, CEO Marine Institute during the Irish visit to Washington DC in March led by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny. Dr Henry Kelly, Assistance Secretary in the Department of Energy signed on behalf of the US. “Wave energy technology is still very much at the research, development and deployment stages, and the Memorandum will result in increased co-operation between Ireland and the US,” remarked Minister Rabbitte. “Both countries have an interest in encouraging and improving technology development in this sector and the Memorandum will build on an excellent working relationship fostered by previous joint marine renewable events held in Galway, Washington and Farmleigh over the past few years,” he added. Collaboration under this Memorandum will involve research cooperation in the field of wave and tidal energy, involving marine and hydrokinetic energy technologies. “The co-operation is planned to be strategic, concentrating mainly on technologies that are not yet commercially viable but which might offer significant renewable energy potential. “Mutual co-operation will lead to increased investment opportunities in the sector, initially as projects develop through the research and demonstration phases and also through increased academic cooperation.” Areas of co-operation under the MoU: • marine and hydrokinetic resource assessment methodology • exchange of personnel for short-term visits and assignments • test planning and evaluation of marine and hydrokinetic energy technology demonstration projects • exchange of engineering and environmental test data on marine and hydrokinetic energy technologies • Exchange of information on marine and hydrokinetic energy device modeling • wider dissemination of technical information across the sector

Reports of extension to commercial salmon season in certain rivers is ‘untrue’

Kamil Dubanik, Knockranny House Hotel, Co Mayo (pictured front second from right) and his fellow four finalists, Aisling Gallagher, Ballynahinch Castle, Galway; Kyle Greer, No. 27 Talbot Street, Belfast; Micheal Harley, Rathmullan House, Co Donegal and David Magaeen, Restaurant Victoria, Belfast, enjoy learning all about locally caught seafood in Kilmore Quay, Co Wexford

Michael Flaherty (3rd left) of Saltees Fish dislays a selection of locally caught seafood to the group

ergus O’Dowd, Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has confirmed there is no proposal to extend the salmon draft netting (estuary nets) season. Emphasising that “conservation and management” of salmon and sea trout is “key to protecting our valuable natural resources”, he said that rumours that the commercial season will be extended in certain rivers “are untrue”. “I can confirm that for the 2012 season, the commercial fishing season remains as it was in all areas, with the River Suir still on a reduced season for snap fishing. I am aware that confusion can arise due to the necessary extent of regulations in place.” According to Ciaran Byrne CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland, the legislative code is regularly updated “to ensure that our fisheries continue to be protected” on the basis of information from IFI’s Standing Scientific Committee and IFI Management advice. “Only rivers with exploitable surpluses are open during the spring season and no fishery is open for commercial exploitation during this time. Fisheries that are classified catch and release or closed for salmon are now protected under Bye-law 897 which prohibits the use of worms or any fish hooks other than single barbless hooks.” He added that IFI’s priorities were to maximise the return to Ireland, to protect sustainable jobs in isolated rural communities and to promote “our wonderful angling resources.” IFI enforces the fisheries legislation and have offices nationwide where advice can be sought. Information is also available on their website www.fisheriesireland.ie through Facebook and Twitter.

inshore ireland April/May 2012

Comment

‘Water, water everywhere’…but will there be a drop to drink tomorrow?

Inshore Ireland is published by IIP Ltd

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he main concerns associated with the proposed petroleum exploration off Dalkey Island are the threat of pollution and how this will be addressed – both by the authorities and the operators. Furthermore, if in the event of the worst case a spillage of petroleum fluids were to occur, how would the clean up and remediation be successfully executed. Unfortunately it is very clear that the public have not been informed of the legislative measures that exist or of their rights in relation to the same. Even worse, it is also clear from the feature: A case of NIMBY-ism of justifiable concern? (Inshore Ireland Feb/March 2012) Q&A section that the departments of Environment, Community and Local Government and Tourism, Transport and Sport are unaware of those same legislative measures in place in relation to the potential for an incident, such as above, to occur. In my letter to the editor of Inshore Ireland of the same issue, I highlighted the Environmental Liabilities Directive. When the Maastricht Treaty was passed in 1992, it stated that Community policy on the environment ‘shall be based on the precautionary

principle and on the principles that preventive action should be taken, that environmental damage should as a priority be rectified at source and that the polluter should pay’. While this is a simple concept, it took until 2004 before the necessary legislative measures were finalised with the Directive on environmental liability regarding prevention and remedying of environmental damage. The fundamental principle of this Directive is that an operator whose activity has caused the environmental damage or the imminent threat of such damage will be held financially liable, in order to induce operators to adopt measures and develop practices to minimise the risks of environmental damage, so that their exposure to financial liabilities is reduced. An operator can be anything from a sole trader, such as a farmer, to a full multinational. In German alone it is estimated that some four million companies are affected by this legislation. The Directive also impacts on the citizen in that it contains provisions in relation to the rights of those affected by the environmental damage or NonGovernmental Organisations (NGOs), to submit their observations to the competent authority (CA) and their request for action under the terms of the Directive. Where it is shown in a plausible

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If Ireland were to do likewise it would be a very good start.

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manner that environmental damage exists, the CA is required to consider any such observations and requests for action. Then, as soon as possible, the CA is required to accede to or refuse the request for action and shall provide the reasons for it. In this regard the citizen has the right of access to a court or other independent and impartial public body competent to review the procedural and substantive legality of the decisions, acts or failure to act of the CA. Where there is an imminent threat of environmental damage,

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the CA is empowered to require the operator (the potential polluter) to take the necessary preventive measures, or will take such measures itself and recover the costs incurred at a later date. Under the terms of the Directive, environmental damage is defined as: • direct or indirect damage to the aquatic environment covered by Community water management legislation • direct or indirect damage to species and natural habitats protected at Community level by the 1979 Birds Directive or by

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espite only three months into 2012, there are reasons for some optimism for anyone making a living – or trying to make a living – from the maritime and freshwater aquatic sectors. And if the plethora of conferences, seminars, exhibitions, gatherings and meetings on the subject of ‘water’ planned or passed nationwide is an indicator, then the groundwork of information-dissemination and networking is having a tangible impact. And while this observation itself might not be much of a barometer, it should be enough to encourage even the most cynical in these stringent economic times that for the marine in particular, there is cause for optimism. One of most significant events of the year and the one that

attend in numbers to learn not just about fracking but about all the key issues affecting water, climate, energy and food, delivered by world experts in their various disciplines. Another smaller but significant gathering nevertheless, which went largely un-noticed by most media, was the formal meeting of the Oirechtas Joint Committee on Communications Natural Resources and Agriculture with Ms Mette Agerup – the Assistant Director of Norway’s Ministry for Petroleum and Energy to learn from that country’s experience with oil exploration since 1965 (reported in this issue). The lesson from Norway is really quite simple: a natural resource belongs to the people, and it should be exploited in an environmentally sustainable way.

government’s determination to introduce domestic water charges and to put a legislative framework on the highly emotive issue of onsite wastewater treatment units, or septic tanks. But, there is yet another issue that has the potential to cause even more local grievance than either of these and that is hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking’. Although a sleeping giant at the moment , but not for much longer. Fracking has the potential to wrench communities apart in Leitrim and adjoining counties, for example. And when that local debate grows louder and eventually spills over nationwide as to whether to employ fracking to exploit what could be two trillion cubic feet of natural gas deep in the shale beds of that region, it’s likely to become very bitter indeed. It must be hoped therefore that the national media will give the 6-day Congress the coverage it deserves, and that our legislators

is likely to attract the highest number of international delegates is the International Water Association Water, Energy and Climate in mid May at the Dublin Convention Centre. By any standards this is a major one: over 1,000 delegates from more than 60 countries will debate the issues that impact all facets of water, climate, energy and food – against the ever present backdrop of climate change. This will be no ‘talking shop’. The IWA is the global leader in advocacy for policy coherence on water and energy. And therefore, whatever declarations, resolutions and recommendations emerge from events like this worldwide they are likely to influence global policy and legislation. The Congress can be viewed from two levels: global certainly, but also the local. Part of the packed agenda will have a particular resonance in Ireland in light of this

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the 1992 Habitats Directive’ • direct or indirect contamination of the land which creates a significant risk to human health. Regarding the measures required to be taken if environmental damage were to occur, these include mitigating or interim measures to restore, rehabilitate or replace damaged natural resources and/or impaired services, or to provide an equivalent alternative to those resources. »» page 6

Editor

Features Editor

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Gillian Mills

Gery Flynn

Durgan Media

mills@inshore-ireland.com

flynn@inshore-ireland.com

01 235 4804

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Gillian Mills Gery Flynn

info@durganmedia.ie

074 91 94477

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 April/May 2012

YOURVIEW »» from page 5

Simply put, this legislation and the relevant CA in Ireland, the EPA were not mentioned in the Q&A section by either Departments.Yet it is highly relevant to the proposed Dalkey project. Ireland’s coastal waters, including Dublin and Killiney Bays, are covered by Community water management legislation1 (Water Framework Directive), while there are specific parts of Dublin Bay that fall under both the ‘Birds’ and ‘Habitats’ directives. In addition, petroleum drilling is a dangerous activity (defined in Annex III of the Directive on Environmental Liabilities) for which strict liability rules apply, i.e. the operator is fully liable for the environmental damage listed above. Note: This is different to the maritime transportation of petroleum fluids, for which over four million tonnes per annum enter Dublin Bay each year, as ship owners only have liability under existing conventions to a specified financial sum. The State is liable for the additional costs. In practice, if an incident were to occur, Providence Resources would carry the full financial costs; the State’s oil spill contingency plans would likely to be mobilised, as they are already in place, and the costs transferred to Providence. The Environmental Liabilities Directive is clear in that the CA can assume full control of the situation at any time, both in relation to preventative and remedial measures. Therefore, the principles contained in Inshore Ireland (Feb/March) described by Providence in their Resources Oil Spill Contingency Plan are in fact correct, although under the legislation above, the CA is the EPA and not the Coastguard. Finally, it is not only a shame that while appropriate EU legislation is in place,(which neither the Department officials nor the citizen are aware of ) there is also a fundamental legal duty on the authorities to actively and systematically disseminate environmental information. One can only conclude that in this case, the authority responsible for its implementation, the EPA, cannot be bothered. Sadly this casual attitude is depriving both the citizen of his/ her right to participate in the process and the developer the assurance that the public in the environment he is operating, will be correctly informed of the standards that are in place regarding the prevention and remedying of environmental damage.

Pat Swords Glenageary, Co Dublin

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

Waste not, want not:

Should Dublin City Council be allowed to plunder the River Shannon? Gerry Siney, Shannon Protection Alliance

n anticipation of growing water requirements of the greater Dublin Area (GDA), Dublin City Council (DCC) is proposing to source its future supply from the River Shannon for piping to Dublin for domestic, commercial, and industrial consumption. The River Shannon Protection Alliance (RSPA) www.shannonprotectionalliance.ie with branches in Athlone, Tipperary (Dromineer), and Limerick is the lead organisation opposing this needless and high risk scheme. The DCC plan proposes to abstract water at a rate of upwards of 500 million litres per day (MLD). This of course is but the thin edge of the wedge, and the realist will be in no doubt that this level of extraction will increase exponentially year-on-year. It will be a case of a bit more next year and the year after, and the year after that again. In the words of environmental scientist, Jack O’Sullivan, “International experience shows that large-scale abstraction from river systems worldwide has generally been followed by ecologically and socially destructive and irreversible consequences.”

to 15% would yield savings in excess of 100MLD per day. Some cities in Europe have leakage down to 5% and 6%, and cities in Japan have achieved a rate of 3%. If these proposals are allowed to proceed, yes DCC will be able to continue to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) for Dublin and its runaway expansion of satellite towns and commuter belts. The RSPA does not wish to place limits on the promotion of the capital’s legitimate interests; however under Shannon abstraction proposals, the regions will pay a high and unsustainable cost economically and socially, and the Shannon and its tributaries will suffer ecologically and environmentally. Economically, the regions along the length of the river - from the Shannon Pot to the Shannon Estuary (18 local authorities), and indeed the hinterland communities – depend on a healthy water course for their very livelihoods and standard of living.

Risks of extraction

Historically, people and organisations have invested time, effort and financial resources developing tourism, hospitality facilities, shipping,

social, recreational, and educational enterprises, and any significant drop in the levels and flow of the river could put these businesses and industries at risk of nonviability. No-one has a right to take this away from those who worked hard to put it in place – merely at the stroke of a pen. The ecosystem of the Shannon is fragile one, supporting countless aquatic and non-aquatic forms of life, and contains a significant number of vulnerable and important Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for wildlife, and these designated areas and their unique flora and fauna would be at risk from excessive abstraction of water. These considerations have been given scant regard in DCC’s proposal.

Profligate wastage

The Greater Dublin Area (GDA) is not at risk of running short of water. There is no shortage now, and there needn’t be in the future. There is on the other hand a problem of profligate wastage, lack of conservation and demand reduction measures, and a lack of emphasis on recycling and use of grey

water usage measures. These alone would be enough to result in an immediate savings in excess of 100-150 MLD on a permanent basis. If a new source of supply were really needed, DCC should go back to the drawing board and re-examine (properly this time) the very ample availability of untapped water which exists closer to home. Potentially large groundwater resources in Counties Fingal, Meath and Kildare are estimated to sustainably yield over 100 MLD of high quality water. Desalination (on Dublin’s doorstep) should also be revisited. New technology such as Reverse Osmosis is making this process more and more economically affordable. A combination of these practical options if seriously implemented would provide the GDA with a surplus of water for many years to come. Placing pipes into the Shannon is the ‘soft option’ for the DCC, which allow it pump and leak and waste away in a continuance of grossly out-of-date water use practices. DCC’s proposal in its current form represents Victorian Era technology for a 21st Century problem.

Leakage, not shortage

The current rate of leakage of the Dublin supply system is 30%, which means of course that one- third of Shannon water would be wasted, against a backdrop of no real programme in place to fix these leaks. We are told there is no money available, but oddly, €500,000 can be found to construct a pipeline. Even if the proposal were to gain approval, DCC would seem content to waste some 160 million litres of supply and consumer side water daily. The plan proposes at some undefined date in the future to reduce leakage to 20% – hence the 160 MLD leakage in perpetuity. Yet a reduction

18 local authorities from the Shannon Pot to the Shannon Estuary and hinterland communities – depend on a healthy water course for their very livelihoods and standard of living. Photo G Mills

inshore ireland April/May 2012

Report

With imagination, could Ireland simulate New Zealand’s marine leisure success story? David Branigan reports from Auckland

hen it comes to planning, the broadlytermed ‘marine-leisure’ sector is often bundled into generic and aspirational categories: ‘nice to do’ and ‘good for tourism’ but really, golf is where it’s at when it comes to high-spenders from overseas. After all, Ireland doesn’t exactly have a huge tradition of leisure boating aside from the usual yachting enthusiasts. But is this country missing out on a valuable source of activity – both social and economic – where we have an abundance of sheltered areas and relatively navigable coastline? Of particular note to communities affected by declining activity in traditional fishing, could a steady supply of boatbased activity prove the difference between viable seasonal business and collapse? If the experience of New Zealand – a similar island nation with roughly the same size population base and an agricultural backbone is anything to judge by – then Ireland is definitely missing out. Tangible economic benefits The recent brief stop-over of the Volvo Ocean Race in Auckland highlighted major advances in the Kiwi marine industry at various levels with significant economic benefits. Over the coming decade, the marine industry there expects export growth in the order of eight per cent or €600m. The NZ Marine Industry Association estimates that the current value of the sector to the national economy is around €1bn, with

10,000 people involved in building and services. The New Zealand economy has not been unaffected by the economic woes, with export boat sales down 29 per cent on their peak in 2008 and several firms reporting redundancies.Yet, the ten-year outlook typifies the strategic approach adopted by the New Zealanders, which finds its genesis in the accomplishments of their most famous sailor, the late Sir Peter Blake – winner of the America’s Cup and the Whitbread Round theWorld Race (fore-runner to the Volvo Ocean Race that finishes in Galway in early July after a 39,000 mile course). The trickle-down effect from major racing wins have kickstarted a variety of spin-off industries in areas such as domestic boat production; equipment and most-recently the global super-yacht market. Most avid sailors, whether amateur or professional, can testify to the impact that Kiwi sailors have had on the sport – both in competition and related trades as part of the ‘OE – Overseas Experience’, a rite of passage based on emigration. “Our sailors have acted as silent representatives around the world,” says Peter Busfield, Executive Director of NZ Marine. “They’re familiar with the best that New Zealand can produce. We get a lot of business from the international sailors that are referring business back home.” Industry training demand Demand for that business has led to the development of an industry training organisation that offers 30 different courses varying from construction methods to engineering. More than 1,000 young apprentices have qualified in recent years. “We analysed where we were getting this additional business from and it was actually from

events and through those networks,” Busfield explained. This was done in the 1990s and developed from there, leading to 2000 when Auckland was the venue for a succession of America’s Cup defences which attracted the super yacht sector that has since led to the vision of challenging the Italian and Dutch dominance of this sector. Angling influence But the leisure industry isn’t dominated by sailing although this was where the earlier high-profile derived from. Out of four million people in New Zealand, about one million are avid anglers, and research indicates most fish from a boat. Domestic boat sales, excluding ships and workboats, were worth almost €150m last year according to draft figures, of which sailing boats alone accounting for about €34m. In just 20 years, New Zealand marine now claims to be the largest manufacturing sector in the country after agricultural

and horticulture. The question remains, with so much in common, can Ireland deliver on its own potential? True, the New Zealand climate benefits from being typically five degrees warmer in winter and almost ten degrees hotter in summer. Plus, there is a longstanding boating culture that some people trace back to the emigrant ships of colonial times. But Ireland has yet to scrape the surface of domestic boating participation. Boat per capita ratio Ireland lags far behind in terms of boat ownership per capita ratios. Sweden whose climate is certainly more severe than Ireland’s stands at 1:7 while nearneighbours Britain stands at 1:100 – closer to Ireland’s at 1:158, according to a recent industry submission on the potential of the marine leisure sector. In Auckland, the ratio is 1:4. Historically, boat-ownership has often been regarded as a colonial

or elitist activity by those in national policy level, a view that seems to miss the point, at least from an economic stand-point. No chance of the Kiwis allowing narrow-thinking to side-track their ambitions. Instead, while sailing is just one element of the boating sector in New Zealand, Aucklanders often refer to ‘sailing’ as a generic term for activity afloat while ‘yachting’ more accurately describes the legacy end of the sport. The potential in Ireland is no different and a long-list of various related activities are already on offer around our coast: sailing; power-boating; wind surfing; kite surfing; surfing, sea swimming; coastal walking; diving, angling, whale and dolphin watching; ecotrips; ferry-boat trips to name just some of the major activities. It appears that the core issue remaining is that of outlook. As a nation, will Ireland stand with its back to the sea or turn and embrace ALL the possibilities it has to offer – that is the question.

Coca-Cola Clean Coasts Week 2012

The theme of this year’s Clean Coasts Week is “Love Your Coast” and it will be taking place between 11th and 18th of May. The week aims to empower communities to participate in protecting and celebrating their local coastal environment and forms part of An Taisce’s Clean Coasts Programme. The Clean Coasts Programme is funded by the Department of the Environment, Community & Local Government, Coca-Cola and Fáilte Ireland. Some of the headline eventS happening during the week inClude 11th-13th may

The Big Beach Clean

13th may

Lifesaving as a Sport in partnership with Irish Water Safety

16th may

Launch of An Taisce’s Clean Coasts Photography Competition

17th may

Screening of Farraigí na hEireann in partnership with Sea Fever Productions & TG4

18th may

National Marram Grass Planting Day

For further information please see www.cleancoastsweek.ie or find us on Facebook & Twitter (Clean Coasts Ireland)

Ireland has much in common with New Zealand, but can it deliver on its own potential? Photo: David Branigan/Oceansport

If you would like to participate in Coca-Cola Clean Coasts Week please contact: Annabel FitzGerald, Coastal programmes Manager, An Taisce Email: afitzgerald@eeu.antaisce.org Tel: 014002210

inshore ireland April/May 2012

Seafood Desk

Seafood from Ireland Visit us in Hall 9, Stand 4159 & 4259 at ESE, 24th-26th April

Premier Irish seafood to showcase on world stage

Growing the success of Irish food & drink

www.bordbia.ie

Marine Biodiversity Seminar: Protecting marine life for future generations & Launch of the Marine Institute’s Ground fish Survey Atlas

World Biodiversity Day: Tuesday, 22 May 2012, Morning European Union House, 18 Dawson St, Dublin 2 This half-day event, jointly organised by the Marine Group of the Environmental Pillar and the Marine Institute will focus on our marine life, sustainable use of coastal and marine resources and user management. Talks will focus on the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (the Beaufort Project), Fisheries in NATURA 2000 sites and the designation and conservation of Marine Protected Areas. The Ground fish Survey Atlas provides information on Biodiversity Indicators such as changes and trends in ground fish species assemblages and population distributions.

To register please contact: Justin Byrne, Irish Environmental Network, email: Justin@ien.ie (Tel: 01 878 0116).

ineteen Irish seafood exporters will showcase on the Ireland Pavilion organised by Bord Bia at the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels, April 24-26. ESE is the world’s largest seafood trade event and celebrates its 20th edition in 2012. The exposition will comprise 1,600 exhibitors, and brings together upwards of 25,000 of the top buyers and sellers from around the globe. Following an exceptionally strong performance for seafood in 2011, Irish seafood exporters along with Bord Bia will showcase a selection of quality Irish seafood. ESE provides Irish seafood exporters an opportunity to identify new customers, meet existing clients, launch new products and broaden their export reach into new markets. According to the export board, the increase in Irish exhibitors on 2011 demonstrates the strength of the seafood industry for Ireland: ‘Irish Exhibitors at ESE will represent the full spectrum of species available, including shellfish, whitefish, pelagics and finfish in a range of formats including live, chilled, canned, frozen and smoked. The value of Irish seafood exports last year is estimated at €420m, representing an increase of 13% on previous year figures. Exports account for over 50% of total annual output from the sector.’ An estimated 63% of Irish seafood exports are sold into EU markets, to France, Spain, Italy, UK and Germany, respectively. 2011 also saw strong growth in the value of exports to international markets led by Asia, Russia and Africa. More than a quarter of Irish seafood exports are now destined for markets outside of Europe. New Irish products to be launched at ESE include Irish organic salmon from the Gallagher Bros in Donegal. Also attending is Errigal Seafoods, who this year celebrates 50 years in the seafood business. Bord Bia will also welcome Irish Fish Canners onto the stand for the first time. IFC is Ireland’s only fish canning business and will be launching its new product: Atlantic Brisling Sardines and showcasing its new range of herring and mackerel products. The export board will unveil its new DVD on Irish brown crab. Ireland is the second largest producer of brown crab in Europe and is a leader in cooked brown crab. The DVD will demonstrate catching and processing with a focus on sustainability and product quality. The Irish seafood exporters’ directory features roughly 50 companies will also be distributed. This is available in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German. A range of species leaflets highlighting the USPs of Irish salmon and brown crab will also be available to buyers that visit the stand.

Ireland Pavilion Hall 9, 4259 »» Atlanfish Ltd. (www.atlanfish.com) »» CKI/Clanawley Kilmore International (with Errigal) (www.cki.ie) »» Connemara Seafoods (www.connemaraseafoods.com) »» Emerald Mussels Ltd (www.verwijs.com) »» Errigal Fish Co. Ltd. (with CKI) (www.errigalfish.com) »» Gallagher Bros (Fish Merchants) Ltd. (www.gallagherbros.ie) »» Glenmar Shellfish Ltd. (www.irishprawns.com ) »» Irish Fish Canners (www.irishfishcanners.ie) »» Irish Seafood Producers Group (www.ispg.ie)

»» Kenmare Select (www.kenmare-select.com) »» Killybegs Seafoods Ltd. (www.killybegsseafoods.com) »» Kush Seafarms Ltd (www.kush.ie ) »» Marine Harvest – The Organic Salmon Co (www.theorganicsalmoncompany.com) »» Murphy’s Irish Seafood (Fastnet) (www.fastnetseafoods.ie) »» Norfish Ltd. (www.norfishltd.com) »» Rockabill (www.rockabill.ie) »» Shellfish de la Mer (www.shellfishireland.com) »» Sofrimar Ltd. (www.sofrimar.ie) »» Sean Ward (Fish Exports) Ltd. (www.wardfish.com)

Agriculture and seafood minister to target Chinese market

imon Coveney, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is to lead a trade mission to China, organised by Bord Bia from April 15-20. China has a population of 1.3 billion and imports $70 billion worth of agri-products annually. It feeds over one-fifth of the world’s population with only one-fifteenth of the world’s arable land, representing a ‘significant opportunity for Irish companies to develop business, especially in light of the strong growth targets set out in Food Harvest 2020,’ according to the Irish food board. ‘China faces the great challenge of feeding its growing population with declining land, water, and other food production resources, and increasing opportunity cost of labour and domestic food production costs. Ireland is ideally placed to avail of the opportunity created by the gap between China’s production capacity and its domestic requirements.’ Irish food and drink exports to Asia were estimated at €350m in 2011, an increase of 33% on the previous year. The main components of the trade are: dairy ingredients (including infant formula); pigmeat; fish and alcohol beverages. China is the largest market, accounting for around €185m of the total. Further details on the trade mission from denise.murphy@bordbia.ie

inshore ireland April/May 2012

Freshwater Focus

Seatrout revival? Brendan Connolly

eatrout are perhaps the most mysterious fish found in Irish waters. They don’t stay in river and lakes like freshwater fish; they are not a marine species, nor do they all go to sea and return like salmon or eels. Seatrout are actually brown trout, but brown trout as a species can behave in many different ways, including feeding at sea as seatrout. Salmon migrate to sea as smolts weighing between 30-100g. But with seatrout not all the offspring of seatrout parents smoltify, some staying in freshwater as ordinary brown trout. The trigger that causes one brown to smoltify and go to sea, while others don’t smoltify and remain is not known. Adult seatrout may spawn every year but can also skip a year. Seatrout feed very close inshore, even following prey such as sandeels, sprat, and shrimp in and out of estuaries. There are also slobtrout, which are not as silver in colour as seatrout, and generally live further up estuaries closer to freshwater. Erne River Against this background, it is interesting to see the affect the ban on commercial salmon netting of 2007 is having on seatrout rivers. One river that is closed to salmon fishing is the Erne River. The Erne estuary is a famous seatrout fishery, and

the line. After some hectic while the draft netting was still minutes, the fish tired and in operation, larger seatrout came towards the surface; it were caught along with made one more dive and was salmon. This has not been the then netted. case for the last five seasons. A It was a silver seatrout of number of large seatrout have about 1.5lb in good condition been caught on the estuary and showing no signs of since then, and judging having spawned, so it might anecdotally it seems that these have skipped a year. larger seatrout, which have to Fishing for sandeels be put back as they are over The rods were rebaited and 40 cm, are on the increase. the trolling continued. With The March 1 opening of the little action for some time, the seatrout season on the Erne anglers decided to anchor in Estuary was therefore keenly the calm water just behind anticipated. Two anglers Local ghillie James Cummins with a fine Erne Estuary seatrout launched their boat at the slipway on Ballyshannon’s Mall Quay and motored down-river towards the sea. Azure waters The tide was low, leaving the sand flats exposed on either side. Approaching the sea, the rods baited with a sandeel were reeled out and slowly trolled. Almost immediately one rod felt a knock and a fish was hooked. The line cut through the surface, plunging down into the azure waters as the seatrout dived towards the bottom. The fish then changed direction, rushing towards the sandy shore and erupting from the surface, scattering white foam in an arc into the air. As the seatrout shook its head, the angler feared he might lose the fish, but the line stayed tight. The seatrout accelerated into the deeper middle of the channel while the angler losened the slip on the reel to allow the line to run out and avoid a sudden jerk breaking

the sand bar separating it from Donegal Bay, and fish the sandeels legered on the bottom. After a short while a small tug was felt on one rod. A few seconds the tugging continued, and a heavy force was felt fighting against the rod, giving the odd jerk. This was not a seatrout. Slowly the line was reeled in and after a little while a large flounder came into view, exerting a surprising amount of pressure on the line. Flounders from this estuary have a nicer flavour than those from the beaches either side of the Erne, which are a little tasteless. Two more flounders were caught, all between 1-1.5lb. At this stage the tide had turned and waves were coming over the bar. A rush of water was now flowing into the estuary, putting a strain on the anchor rope. The anchor was lifted and the sandeels were trolled upstream with the rising tide.

Three fine flounder caught on sandeel from the Erne Estuary

A well-fed Erne seatrout Suddenly one of the rods arched over and this time it was a seatrout! This fish gave a very good fight, alternatively jumping clear of the water and then diving deep down. Eventually netted, this fish was released

as it had clearly spawned and was therefore a kelt, weighing roughly 2lb. The incoming tide was now flowing fast and the anglers motored home, happy with three large flounder and a fine seatrout.

John Buckley wins the Annamoe media fly fishing competition for second year running

media fly fishing competition in March organised and hosted by Annamoe

Trout Fishery is now in its eighth year and is a firm diary favourite for Ireland’s top angling media.

16 anglers from broadcast and print media participated on the scenic fly fishing lake. Competitors included Fergal

Keane, RTE; Brian Cooke, Irish Anglers Digest; Mick Flanagan, Sunday World and Ed Carty from the Press Association of Ireland. A mild and overcast day combined with light winds created good fishing conditions. The fishery was split into four zones; each angler fished an hour per zone giving the anglers an opportunity to fish all parts of the lake. The morning session proved very productive. Catch and release applied, the winning score was based on the cumulative amount of trout caught. Peter O’Reilly, game fishing author was the first to strike gold with a great fighting rainbow, followed by many more. John Buckley Total Fly Fishing was also quick off

the mark with many fish being caught with Dave McBride, Southside Angling, not far behind. Following a delicious lunch provided by Brian Nally, competitors returned to the fishery. John’s fighting form continued as he caught and released 21 fish in total, landing him the first prize ahead. A total of 85 hard fighting rainbow trout were caught, recorded and released. Suzanne Campion, Director of Business Development at Inland Fisheries Ireland presented the prizes. John Buckley was the winner for the second year running and received a Waterford Crystal trophy sponsored by Failte Ireland. Second place went to Dave McBride with Peter O’Reilly third.