Inshore ireland 9 6 dec 2013 jan 2014 by Inshore Ireland Publishing

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

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CIL and the aquaculture industry PAGE 14&15

Where is Ireland’s marine leisure infrastructure? page 6

December 2013/January 2014 Vol 9 Issue 6

ONLINE EDITION

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

Publisher apologises to Ireland’s Marine Institute for contentious sea-lice article Gery Flynn

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

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

‘Whereas they assert that sea lice cause 1% of mortality in Atlantic salmon, the correct estimate is actually a one-third loss of overall adult recruitment,’ he writes. ‘We acknowledge that few smolts survive to return in any wild salmon population and that recent declines in the survival of Irish Atlantic salmon cannot be solely explained by sea lice…… our purpose is to highlight that parasites can and, in this case, do have a large effect on fisheries recruitment… with important implications for the management and conservation of wild salmon stocks.’

Article reclassification

Now however, just four months after it first appeared in the Journal of Fish Diseases

as a ‘Short Communication’, the Krkošek article has been re-published by the same journal - but this time it has been re-classified, and effectively downgraded to the status of a ‘Comment’. Such a re-classification is highly significant in the scientific world due to the fact that ‘Comments’ are not subjected to the so-called peer review process where strict protocols are observed. For the results of a scientific investigation to be published in a credible scientific journal, it must first pass a rigorous obstacle course of assessment by a panel of experts employed to check for accuracy. The paper is then accepted

for publication, rejected outright, or returned to the author for further clarification or amendment. Significantly, the Journal of Fish Diseases notes that ‘Comments are not subject to the same level of peer review as Original Articles and Review Papers.’ The re-classified Krkošek article has a ‘Note from the Publisher’ stating that ‘due to a procedural error Dr Jackson [the senior scientist at the Marine Institute whose team Krkošek refers to] was not given the opportunity to reply to this Comment before it was published.’

»» page 7

Minister Coveney warns of “exceptionally tough negotiations” at December EU Fisheries Council. Whitefish ports such a Union Hall, Co Cork, could be seriously impacted. Photo Gillian Mills

inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014

News

Silting compromises safety at Dunmore East Harbour Pauric Gallagher

unmore East is one of the six designated fishery harbours in Ireland but its current poor state due to silting and lack of governmental commitment to rectify the problem by dredging has left its fishermen with a

number of safety issues and poses a threat to their livelihoods. Earlier this month, the Clogherhead trawler Endurance joined a long list of vessels that have been grounded there over the last year. Endurance entered the harbour after a trip to the Smalls and went aground and was left sitting high and dry until high tide.

The harbour in now so shallow that some of the bigger fishing vessels such as the herring fleet currently working from the port can only enter or leave at high tide. Those moored in the harbour run the risk of being damaged as the tide falls. One major piece of infrastructure, the synchrolift has so much mud underneath it can now only lift smaller

boats in the local fleet when once it could lift vessels up to 260 for dry-docking. Silting near the lifeboat berth has serious implications as the crew are having trouble getting their vessel on the water at low tide. “I have been speaking to harbour engineers and Department of Marine officials and they say all of

the necessary paper work and licences required for dredging of the harbour have been completed. “We wait in hope of an announcement from the Minister of Agriculture, Food & Marine regarding funding for the dredging of the harbour,” Dunmore East Cllr Pat Fitzgerald told Inshore Ireland.

Proposed 2014 fishing opportunities “at odds” with the reformed Common Fisheries Policy Gillian Mills

Marine Institute Foras na Mara

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

www.marine.ie

ust days ahead of the annual fishing negotiations to finalise 2014 opportunities for EU member states, industry representatives are warning that the proposals if implemented will have “significant adverse consequences from both the stock status and socio economic point of view. “The proposed cuts will result in a loss of income to Irish fishermen of €22m and an overall loss to the economy of approximately €70m,” warned Francis O’Donnell, chairman of the Federation of Irish Fishermen. He added that 1,200 jobs were also in jeopardy, affecting families and small businesses in peripheral coastal communities. “Even if the reductions are ameliorated to some extent [at the meeting], Ireland will still need to implement a major whitefish fleet restructuring scheme without delay in 2014,” O’Donnell added. “Most of the demersal whitefish fleet are struggling to remain profitable and do not have a future if erosion continues year after year, which in many cases is not based on robust scientific assessments,” he said. “There are several instances where the lack of [adequate] assessments has led to both massive reductions and increases year-on-year, e.g. hake, blue whiting, haddock and mackerel.” Inconsistences O’Donnell believes the proposed reductions in the mixed whitefish fisheries run totally contrary to the new CFP which provides for a discards ban for pelagic stocks from January 1, 2015 and a year later for whitefish stocks. “There is a considerable abundance of mature stock for various species which cannot be avoided using current selective gear types. Those stocks will be lost to the Irish economy and the ecosystem as a whole, if the proposals are implemented.” Eibhlin O’Sullivan, CEO of the Irish South & West Fish Producers Organisation has called on Minister Coveney and his European counterparts to adopt a conservative approach to the TAC and Quota Regulations “to ensure the survival of very valuable Irish species - our fishermen.” “We all saw Minister Coveney’s response to the fodder crisis. Fishermen, who will experience a significant loss of income if the proposals are implemented, will receive no such assistance or support.” She added that while proposals are based on scientific advice, “we have indicated there are issues with some of [this advice] particularly given the difference in the perception of the stocks between the scientists and industry. “We actively work [with] scientists where possible to improve the accuracy of the scientific advice; however if the proposals as drafted are implemented there will be very few fishermen remaining in the Irish Industry to assist the scientists.”

inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014

page title

2013 in review fish farming, with comments from two protagonists from both sides of the debate: BIM’s Donal Maguire and Tony Lowes, of the ennvironmental lobby group, Friends of the Irish Environment, who opposes the idea. Noel Carr, Secretary of FISSTA, the Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers, also presented the recreational angler’s view, and we devoted a full page to commentary from the Isle of Skye and Bantry Bay - arguments counterbalanced by the findings of scientists from the Marine Institute. Our June issue delved deep into a new Common Fisheries Policy. The importance of this was explored further in a doublepage interview with Fisheries Minister Simon Coveney who heralded agreement as a very positive reform for Ireland’s fishing industry. We quote Minister Coveney saying “This [agreement] is about maintaining and building fish stocks to ensure that we see an increase in the fish biomass

which in turn would lead to bigger quotas for fishermen”. In the same issue the topic of spatial planning is explored by Francis O’Donnell, of the Federation of Irish Fishermen, who examines the concept of maritime spatial planning. Referring to the fishing industry specifically he argues “we must accept that the marine space does not belong to us, and that we need to share it”. With the ink hardly dry on Minister Coveney’s new policy for the fishing industry our August issue turned its attention to BIM’s latest strategy document - ‘Capturing Ireland’s Share of the Global Seafood Opportunity’ - which we describe as an ambitious five-year plan designed to deliver 1,200 jobs and a billion Euro in seafood sales by building scale and enhancing competitiveness in the seafood sector. An interview with BIM CEO Jason Whooley seeks to clarify the key points from the strategy. The everyday dangers faced by those who make their living

on or near the water is also analysed inside that edition. Our interview with John Leech, Chair of the Working Group on describes the attitude to safety of Irish fishermen in particular as being “not positive enough”. And we end the year more or less where we began, in the midst of another row over likely impact of salmon farming. By October the salmon farming ‘debate’ had heated up even more. We report that the Ombudsman’s Office was examining the official departmental handling of the planning process, with FIE accusing two government departments of mishandling the process. This issue also notes the appointment of Mark Mellet to the key role of Deputy Chief of Staff - a first for a naval officer, heralding that government was taking the maritime sector seriously at last.

comment

ooking back at the many topics covered by Inshore Ireland throughout 2013 confirms that sharing the marine space between stakeholders interested and involved in commercial fisheries, aquaculture, shipping, ecosystem conservation, hydrocarbon extraction, renewable energy and aquatic tourism and leisure is on the rise. Evidence of this appears in our January issue (the front page lead story and four internal pages) on the red-hot topic of salmon farming. We focussed on a bitter disagreement among scientists as to whether fin fish farming was sustainable, and locating cages near certain river estuaries would inevitably lead to the extinction of wild salmon populations due to the spread of sea lice Far from dying down, this debate continued throughout the year. In April we published the arguments for and against fin

Gery Flynn

Minister Coveney must decide by sustainability and maths Dear Editor

he longer the minister considers the evidence, the more facts will become available in the form of scientific and commercial reports. With more quality research, comes a brighter light that is shone into the dark corners of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIS) for Galway Bay’s Inis Oirr 15,000 tons fish farm. With more light will come less volume in this debate and more investigations will be triggered such as the reopening of the European Commission probe into salmon and sea lice closed in September of 2012. It is over a year since hundreds of EIS objections or submissions landed on Minister Coveney’s desk. In our case, we limited our very strong objection to thirty-five pages which adequately demolished the 1,277 pages of EIS that were mainly cut and pasted from old research documents. After staging over twenty public awareness events including marches in Carrigaline, Galway and Castlebar, our year has been well spent with the cooperation of a like-minded coalition of colleagues arming ourselves with

the facts to enable us to become more vociferous and determined. The highly acclaimed body, Slowfood International, always agreed with us that intensive fish farms such as Galway Bay’s proposal was not environmentally sound practice. Indeed, in a more recent statement, Piero Sardo, President of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, confirmed: Open net pen aquaculture is not a solution to the problem of overfishing: It damages natural ecosystems on a local and a global level, including wild stocks, habitats and water quality. Feeding carnivorous salmon in farms means other wild species must also be harvested, resulting in a larger carbon footprint since the fish feed must be fished, processed and transported. Slow Food acknowledges the value of traditional wild salmon and would like to see political action to help preserve this threatened species. Rather than putting further pressure on stocks with intensive farm operations, effective conservation programs should be implemented before it is too late. If you must farm salmon, then at least reduce the local impact by using closed pens removed from the marine open environment.’ It is also interesting to note John Volpe, PhD, University of Victoria in British Columbia stated:

Inshore Ireland is published by IIPL Ltd

“The independent scientific community speaks with a single voice; open net pen salmon farms are not only a net loss of marine resources and human food but threaten our collective marine environment with potentially irreversible damage. Governments that continue to support this industry in spite of overwhelming contrary ecological, social and economic evidence do so at their - and our – peril”. This very strong statement relayed around the world to international bodies and Governments all around the Atlantic clarifies further: “That Amoebic Gill Disease (AGD), is one of numerous farm pathogens potently catastrophic to already threatened wild salmon is once again infecting open cage installations along the west coast. The threat is widespread and clearly not under control; from Bantry Bay in Cork to Mulroy Bay in Donegal, as well as the B.I.M.\’s flagship open cages at Clare Island Co Mayo; this is typical of the information that the public has not been made aware of to date. In regard to the Minister’s imminent decision, Slow Food International reiterates its opposition to intensive open pen fish farms, correcting any misconception resulting from the mention of Slow Food in the

Environmental Impact Statement published by B.I.M.” Hopefully, this powerful new information and views will be taken on board by Government and lead to the minister binning the ten mega farm plan immediately. This will mean a re-drafting of the farmed salmon part of the FOOD 2020 plan so that some future minister or Taoiseach can stand over it with pride. But the urgent decision now should be to remove all farmed salmon produce from the Origin Green label Ireland to avoid any further export market risk and

to protect the integrity of the sustainability charter. This would consolidate our multi-billion food exports for which the Irish Farmers Association expect to keep them on the land, despite their lack of appreciation for the marine sector. Such a brave decision would be perceived as the difference between a good minister and a great minister. A great minister would give his marine environment the best Christmas present yet by doing nothing to harm it. Yours sincerely, Noel Carr, Rúaní, FISSTA

Billy Smyth, Caroline Lewis and Brian Curran wear masks to highlight the pollution that may threaten Galway Bay if the fish farm goes ahead

Editor

Features Editor

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Gillian Mills

Gery Flynn

Durgan Media

mills@inshore-ireland.com

flynn@inshore-ireland.com

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091 844822

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 December 2013/January 2014

NeWS

No consultation on SAC leaves inshore fishermen frustrated By Pauric Gallagher

he lack of consultation with West Cork inshore fishermen on a proposed draft management plan to manage activities within the Roaringwater Bay area

could seriously affect up to 100 families, and the entire local community. Roaringwater Bay is a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and during 2011 and 2012 the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation (IS&WFPO) and its members

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actively engaged with BIM and the Marine Institute in relation to its designation and assisted by providing data to draft a Fisheries Natura Plan for the area. This collaborative process was halted during 2012 following an intervention from National Parks and

Wildlife Service (NPWS) and there has been no direct interaction with either fishermen or representative organisations since. Without any consultation with the stakeholders, a draft management plan has now been put out for consultation - closing date for submissions is December 20 – see below. Local fishermen are bitterly disappointed that despite their complete cooperation in the earlier consultation process, the plan has progressed without their input and shows a blatant disregard for their opinion. A trial to ascertain the impact of shrimp pots on the marine habit had been agreed with the Marine Institute and BIM. Fishermen had been assured there would be no proposed closed area for shrimp potting until the agreed trial had taken place. It appears however that despite the fact no trial has taken place, the process has moved along and that an area to be closed for scallop dredging is now also being closed for shrimp fishing.

“Fishermen in the Roaringwater Bay area have a long tradition of fishing within the SAC area and over time have adopted responsible practices to ensure the conservation of the area and their own livelihood. “We find the lack of direct consultation both shocking and disappointing given the collaborative way that fishermen have worked with the Department to date. We have therefore requested the Department to halt this process until such time as the necessary consultation with fishermen has occurred,” remarked Eibhlin O’Sullivan, chief executive of the IS&WFPO. Francis O’Donnell, FIF chairman said what was happening was simply “Not good enough. Stakeholder consultation is supposed to mean consulting with the fishermen and their organisations but to date this has not happened.” http://www.fishingnet.ie/ sea-fisheriesinnaturaareas/ currentconsultation/ roaringwaterbay/ riskassessment/#d.en.72662

2014 publishing dates 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6

Feb 22 Apr 26 June 28 Aug 30 Oct 25 Dec 20

Don’t forget to keep an eye on the Inshore Ireland website www.inshore-ireland.com for regular news updates

inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014

BIM

Making more of Irish Seafood

To add value to your business: BIM Office Dun Laoghaire Email INFO@bim.ie Tel 01 2144100

www.bim.ie

BIM Seafood Development Centre Clogheen Road, Clonakilty Co. Cork. Email SDC@bim.ie Tel 01 2144280

inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014

YOURVIEW

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.

Where is Ireland’s marine leisure infrastructure? Norman Kean

reland has some of the finest sailing waters in the world, yet its marine leisure industry is hugely underdeveloped. But trying to invest in it is usually a bureaucratic nightmare. Planning guidelines are vague; planning decisions are made in a knowledge vacuum, and foreshore licensing can take years and cost fortunes. The Government report: Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth shows a sign of good intention, but so often in maritime matters, the devil is in the detail and the agencies of the State just don’t seem to get it.

By ‘marine leisure infrastructure’ I mean visitors’ moorings; pontoons; piers; harbours; slipways and – at the top end of the scale – marinas of (say) 50 berths and more. Here are some key points about marinas in particular: »» they’re not necessarily profitable. A marina smaller than 200 berths has a struggle to remain viable as a stand-alone business »» they provide the nucleus for a lot of economic activity. The annual Reeds Marina Guide carries adverts for 43 different types of businesses - everything from pubs to haulage contractors. »» Marinas create jobs - they are (at worst) environmentally neutral. They don’t cause pollution;

they don’t disrupt wildlife and they aren’t noisy or dirty. And despite the previous point, they seldom look busy with people

Peace of mind

Marinas are convenient, safe and secure places to keep a boat; but for sailors they aren’t tourist attractions in themselves. Few people will sail miles out of their way, or tackle a challenging headland, simply to visit a marina. Day-to-day visiting boat numbers depend on these factors, more or less in order: »» volume of passing yacht traffic »» location close (but not too close) to other large communities of leisure craft »» ease and convenience of access from seaward »» local attractions and amenities within walking distance »» marina facilities Kinsale (for example) ticks all the boxes - and does indeed receive many hundreds of visiting boats each year. But a marina in Westport (for example) would see very few; however it could be amply justified by actual and potential local demand - and there is another market. Overseas visitors to Ireland are welcomed with open arms. But there are only three ways for them

to cruise in Irish waters: »» sailing their own boats to Ireland. From Great Britain, that can be a challenge for many. From France, it’s at least a 48-hour ocean passage. From anywhere else, it’s a lot further. Not everyone’s cup of tea »» chartering a boat here is quite difficult, since the available boats are few, largely because of Ireland’s inappropriate and draconian regulations »» Basing own boats in Ireland. This is the most promising opportunity of all, and one where a coordinated overseas marketing programme could yield good and lasting results

Coastline diversity

The east and south coasts ― benign in summer, nearest to Britain and France and with closely-spaced harbours, offer the scope for a string of marinas ― not only for permanent berth holders but ports-of-call for boats on voyages long and short. The west and north coasts, exposed to the swell and with sparser populations and challenging headlands, offer tremendous wilderness sailing. There is no need for a ‘necklace”’ of closely-spaced marinas on the whole coast, to facilitate sailing all the way round Ireland. Not

It would be hard to imagine Kinsale without its marinas. They almost define the place, and attract thousands.

many people have the time or the inclination, and for those more intrepid sailors, an overnight marina berth is not a necessity in any case. There are many beautiful places around Ireland which, let’s face it, should simply be left alone. But some locations are obviously ideal for marina development. Maritime journalist W.M.Nixon has made an eloquent case for Dunmore East as a key landfall port for yachts. I might mention Schull, Bantry and Westport, but there are many more, and there needs to be a considered and consistent national strategy for this. Let’s identify those places where marinas would be necessary, justified and beneficial. Let’s do it in a way that is well-informed, objective and transparent. Let’s involve people who know what they’re talking about. Let’s have the planning process reflect the realities of geography, weather and the marina business. And let’s have no more decisions made by parish-pump conspiracy and endorsed by expensive, but inexpert, international consultancies. And let me offer a definition of marine leisure. It is essentially an active outdoor pursuit. Its participants interact with the sea. They are not merely spectators. They are at least prepared to get wet, and many of them specifically intend to. The cruise liner business and the Wild Atlantic Way are worthy projects with huge potential, but – dear Failte Ireland – do not confuse them with marine leisure tourism. For the typical cruise liner passenger, the sea is merely the means of moving his hotel from place to place. Norman Kean is a marine consultant, author and editor

Schull - was ever a marina more needed? Planning permission has been granted, but many challenges remain.

inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014

News »» from page 1

The publishers, Wiley, also apologise to Dr Jackson and his team for ‘this oversight, adding that a response from the Marine Institute “will be published alongside this Comment in the next available issue of Journal of Fish Diseases’. As this issue of Inshore Ireland was going to press, a Marine Institute spokeswoman confirmed that a response to the Journal of Fish Diseases was being prepared, but declined to reveal its contents.

Agency reaction

Responding to queries from Inshore Ireland, BIM’s

Director of Aquaculture Development Services Donal Maguire said it was “highly significant that a respected publisher like Wiley had seen fit to move so decisively on the Krkošek article.” He confirmed that the Journal has had to downgrade the Krkošek article, and has also had to apologise to the Marine Institute. And he believes the reopening of the pilot complaint by the Commission is “a bit surprising and is going to be very short-lived. “I think the Commission has somewhat jumped the gun here perhaps under pressure from certain environmental

quarters. The Marine Institute have very robustly defended and verified their science. They were right when they published it, and we in BIM believe that they are still right. So, we’re very confident this whole thing will have no impact at all on the project.” And while he agreed that this latest development might well cause confusion in the public mind as to the reason behind the reopening of the investigation, he said it was important to separate these two issues: “The BIM application for a licence in Galway Bay is not and has not been the subject of any EU investigation, that’s

the first thing to clear up. “Secondly, the re-opening of the pilot complaint by the Commission is a bit surprising. I think they have acted very swiftly because they’ve cited in their letter to the government that the reason they’re reopening it is because they felt there was new scientific evidence published in the Journal of Fish Diseases”. Maguire would not speculate as to how long the planning procedure might yet take. “That’s entirely a matter for the licensing authority and the regulator. We simply have to wait, and it can go one of two ways. “Either the Minister will

make a decision to grant or not to grant; or to grant a modified licence - or he may decide that more information is required, in which case we’ll have to supply it. “So, we await the word from the licensing authority. It’s a big application, it’s complicated, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the department wants further information before the minister is prepared to make a decision. This is normal for a project of this type.” Inshore Ireland also invited IFI to comment on recent developments on the Krkošek article; a spokesperson for the agency responded ‘No comment.’

Inshore Ireland (Nov) article ‘Allegations of misleading and false information surround salmon farming debate’ misses the point Alec O’Donovan of Save Bantry Bay takes issue with the lead story in Inshore Ireland 9.5 (Oct-Nov)

ony Lowes [Friends of the Irish Environment] stated that during an EU PILOT investigation, pressure was exerted on a junior government department (Communications Energy and Natural Resources) to change its views to the liking of a senior government department (Agriculture, Food and the Marine). When opening a PILOT case, one department may be assigned to lead, liaising with others where necessary. However, as the Department of Foreign Affairs notes, ‘It is not the role of the contact point to vet the responses from Departments as Departments are responsible for and have best knowledge of their own policy areas’. The idea that one department would browbeat another into agreeing with its own views was not envisaged when the PILOT system was developed. However, this is exactly what happened. On 7 September 2010, Europe requested the views of Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI). The DAFM was asked to gather these, which they did. However, they didn’t like the response. In a bid to alter it, they repeatedly wrote to the DCENR, who oversee IFI, stating they were wrong. But DCENR would not compromise their science. After many months of toing

and froing, on 26 June 2011, DAFM emails DCENR: ‘Transmission of your Department’s observations to the Commission would not only be misleading but would also cause confusion in the public mind regarding sea lice controls and possibly undermine the State’s regulatory system. For these reasons I would ask you to withdraw the formal observations of your Department and support the observations supplied to the Commission by DAFM’. Frustrated and clearly fed up, DCENR wrote back on 15 Nov 2011 stating: ‘IFI have now responded to your stated opinion…..and categorically and emphatically disagree with the analysis made… This is their valued and considered expert advice, accepted by this Department… There appears to be no useful purpose in continuing this debate in correspondence as there clearly is a fundamental differing of views on the salient issues…’ The very same day, DAFM told Europe ‘a final response from DCENR is awaited’ and would be forwarded as soon as it became available. They had actually held it for months. The Freedom of Information request revealed that IFI’s response was actually based upon the already published SUMBAWS which had received high acclaim, as well as a paper submitted to the Canadian Journal of Fish Aquatic Science. The DAFM knew presenting SUMBAWS to Europe may be problematic. On 30 March 2011, they wrote to DCENR: ‘The reference to a scientific paper presenting the results of the SUMBAWS project could materially affect Ireland’s ability to defend its position in relation to the Pilot.’ Next, DAFM began a campaign to discredit IFI’s

paper awaiting publication: All reviewers welcomed the work, with one noting: ‘This is one of the largest and most ambitious trials of its kind, certainly the largest in the case of Ireland, and provides most compelling evidence to date for a significant protective effect in smolts treated with emamectin benzoate’. Referees did have comments, but none concerned the overall conclusion that sea lice were having a significant impact on adult salmon returns. Not long after, the amended IFI paper was published and well received. It concluded that protected smolts ‘were 1.8 times more likely to return... These results suggest that sea liceinduced mortality… may influence individual survivorship and population conservation status of wild salmon in these river systems’. However, none of that information ever reached Europe. DAFM’s evidence focussed on the Marine Institute’s (MI) research, which suggested sea lice only cause a 1% loss during outward migration of salmon smolts. Based on this, Europe closed the case. Today, the MI study has been seriously critiqued

by an international team of experts in the Journal of Fish Disease. They noted the previous findings could only be accepted if readers were willing to accept ‘three fundamental methodological errors’. The reanalysis of MI data found sea lice were causing a much higher loss of 34%. – a result remarkably similar to IFI’s research, which equates to a 39% loss. This

critique formed a key part of the evidence the European Commission considered when deciding to reopen the case. The truth is DAFM did not fulfil its duty and relay the information requested. Instead they sought to alter expert opinions and suppressed key data. Now the PILOT is reopened, with questions hanging over Ireland’s integrity.

Left to right: Billy Flynn and Alec O’Donovan of Save Bantry Bay; Paul Lawton, Chairman of FISSTA, the Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers

Bantry Bay - another scene of conflict for the aquaculture sector.

Photo Gillian Mills

inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014

2013 Review

A Year in Review - three pen pictures of 2013

n this End of Year Review we invited some key experts from the aquatic sector to sketch an outline of what for them were the highs and lows of the year. We are fortunate to have three very different perspectives from three quite different sectors: the researcher; the regulator and the commercial sea fisher. For those looking for the broad view none of these can be read in isolation. Without top-class objective research there can be no roadmap to a sustainable fishing sector, and without fair but determined regulation based on that research a sustainable fishing sector just cannot exist. It’s encouraging to realise that those now engaged in the various sectors that make up Ireland’s aquatic community see the obvious merit in engaging in public dialogue through the media.

Dr Peter Heffernan Marine Institute

ne of the greatest highlights of the year has been the continued ability to deliver what I call ‘the day job’ and maintaining excellent standards in our scientific services to government. Despite five very challenging years of cuts in both our funding base and staffing levels, there has been a tremendous performance in maintaining high standards in our

Dr. Susan Steele, Chair, SFPA

t’s the end of the year, a time to reflect, to give thanks, and to examine what was 2013 for the SFPA and the Irish seafood industry. Successful introduction of Vessel Monitoring Systems and in some instances the Electronic Logbook, to the 12-15m vessels took place. Thank you to the skippers, boat owners and crews for working with us. Inshore patrols around the coast

frontline services. That is entirely down to the excellent quality of the people working in the Institute and their phenomenal dedication and interest in public service. We’re now empowered again to recruit personnel, by agreement with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, where the posts can be one hundred per cent funded from externallysourced funding. That has allowed us back in the game of winning international research opportunities, and it’s a great time to do that. We’re very optimistic about the prospects of creating real job opportunities with a target of about ten a year through 2014 to 2020. Ireland, supported by the Marine Institute, has had a very positive influence in ensuring record levels of supports for marine research and innovation in Horizon 2020, the €80 billion European programme for research innovation and investment between 2014 and 2020. There are tremendous synergies between our national plan - Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth - and the EU’s Horizon 2020 Programme. That reflects the fact that there’s a national integrated horizontal planning mechanism in operation

that is maturing very well through the Marine Coordination Group (MCG). The Marine Institute supports that very strongly, and through the MCG, Ireland proactively contributed to the agenda for the Atlantic Strategy which has resulted in an EU Action Plan for the Atlantic. Horizon 2020 is strongly aligned to support that action plan. The Government recently announced a target to win €1.25 billion in Horizon 2020 funding in the seven year period ahead, and that presents great opportunities for marine research and innovation. During 2013, the Institute supported key Government objectives of the Irish EU Presidency including the EU Action Plan for the Atlantic; the agreement on Horizon 2020 and its supports for Blue Growth; and also the Transatlantic Agreement between EU, Canada and the USA., i.e., The Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance’s ‘Galway Statement’ was signed here at the Marine Institute in May for the EU by Commissioners Maire Geoghegan Quinn and Maria Damanaki, witnessed by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister Simon Coveney. That really established a leadership position for the Marine Institute in influencing ocean science research policy.

There was also a historically strong marine focus in the priorities identified in the national research prioritisation exercise. We greatly welcome the SFI Awards in Ocean Energy just last year on the MaREI project as well as the current call for a Centre of Excellence in earth and ocean observations, and we await developments there next year. I also welcome the SFI award to the SmartBay initiative, previously supported by a number of government agencies including the Marine Institute, HEA, SEAI and the EPA which will establish a flagship test and demonstration site for ocean energy devices, information and communications technologies, and sensor technologies in Galway Bay with a broadband cabled connection planned for 2014/15. This will give Ireland a science leadership position in an exciting emerging area, aligned with the Transatlantic Alliance’s focus on ocean observation and forecasting capabilities It is now clear that marine interests are now firmly part of the architecture of our national science plans and priorities, a goal that we in the Marine Institute have consistently worked towards for many years.

in conjunction with the IFI showed high levels of compliance within the inshore industry; however there were some areas where v-notched and undersize lobsters were being held and unlicensed fishermen in operation. As well as being illegal this is damaging stocks for the entire industry. Cases were successfully prosecuted and further files are being prepared. Particular recognition is due to the Dundalk cockle industry and the razor shell fishery for working to ensure compliance. Protecting the livelihood of legitimate fishermen is a very important part of the role of the SFPA. During 2013, the authority contributed to the Joint Oireachtas Committee consideration of this particular sector, and continued its support of the ongoing efforts to ensure that low-impact fisheries can take place in designated environmentally protected areas. In May, Ireland secured full market access of salmon exports into China and new markets also opened in Brazil with the support from the SFPA. Each consignment that departs the country has to have a health certificate, and often a catch certificate, signed by the SFPA.

Numbers of health certificates rose this year to over 2200. The SFPA is delighted to be able to support the export industry and to play our part in Ireland’s journey towards government targets set-out in Food Harvest 2020. Some problems arose in the export of Irish seafood during 2013 with over 100 people reported as becoming ill through consumption of Irish mussels sold in the UK. This resulted in a full recall, and in another case mussels which had apparently been fraudulently harvested were sold from Ireland to continental market. The SFPA commends groups that work with the SFPA for the good of the industry. One such group is the Celtic Sea Herring Management Group which were involved in the design and implementation of a control plan. Working with the Naval Service, a recent and significant detention in Irish waters was the detention of one of the world’s largest fishing vessels for alleged high grading. High grading or the practice of discarding fish that are legal to bring ashore is an activity that the SFPA will be focusing on in 2014. A major change on the horizon for fishing industry will be the landing

obligation arising from the CFP reform, which in an Irish context will firstly affect the pelagic fleet. The SFPA also works with the INS on a risk-based system targeting vessels whose fishing patterns suggest they are breaking quota. 2013 was not a good year regarding whitefish infringements with more case files prepared for the DPP than in any previous year. 2013 was also a year when quota for law abiding fishermen was used up by those attempting to land extra fish. The SFPA wants to protect a level playing field for all fishermen. In early 2014, a new system comes into force for all fishermen in Irish waters in the form of a points system for licence holders of vessels with serious infringements. 2013 has been a busy year for the fishing industry and for the SFPA. We want to work with the industry to develop an internationally recognised high reputation for the seafood industry and to protect legitimate fishers, aquaculture producers, and seafood by ensuring compliance within a fair, level playing field. We look forward to working with the industry in 2014 and wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year.

inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014

20130 Review

The demise of the Irish whitefish sector was a strategic mistake

Francis O’Donnell Federation of Irish Fishermen

hey say one should never look at the past to determine the future. But, things that have happened in the past may repeat themselves in some guise or other. Strategic thinking by its very nature attempts to predict a number of scenarios and design strategies to deal with them. This is what Ireland failed to do leading up to the setting of relative stability keys between 1976 and 1983. We have seen the demise of the Irish whitefish industry ever since.

Towns like Killybegs, Greencastle, Burtonport, and Rosaveal to mention just a few are but shadows of their former selves. Ireland’s ability to secure higher percentages of the Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for key species in EU waters is nearly impossible as we are bound legally to the percentage share outs given to Member States during the reference years for track record mentioned above. Public representatives continue to remind us of that fact, and advise us of the futility of banging the drum sounding for more quota. Other Member states such as France and Spain at that time focused on setting track record and were rewarded for doing so. One billion is taken from our European Economic Zone (EEZ) every year in fishing opportunities. Ireland’s share of that is just 18%. The Commission’s proposals in terms of fishing opportunities for the whitefish sector in North Western Waters for 2014 are stark. Massive cuts in several key species up to and above 80% are being proposed. Ireland needs a major whitefish decommissioning scheme right now; come

January 2014 things will have intensified. The industry is looking at the new EMFF to provide the funds to make this happen. Decommissioning part of the fleet may be the answer in the short term; however, the decommissioning of a vessel or part of a fleet means the decommissioning of a way of life, a community and the ability to exploit our natural resources as an island nation. Removing fleet capacity will come with conditions resulting in long-term costs. Such decommissioned capacity may be lost forever, which is in my opinion a strategic mistake. If stocks rebuild we may not be in a position to reactivate that capacity due to EU rules and take our share from our waters. We have made many mistakes in the past regarding our fishing opportunities. Maybe we should try to move on as we are being told to do. One thing we should do is protect our rights to exploit our fisheries and make sure that decommissioned capacity can be reactivated. We need to avoid making further strategic mistakes. The past has haunted us ever since.

Seacapes

RTE Radio 1 @ 10.30pm Presented and produced by Marcus Connaughton.

eascapes begins 2014 (January 3) with an exclusive interview with Atlantic Affair author John Waller charting the sailing career of his father Otway Waller – inventor of ‘running sails’. Otway Waller was a contemporary of Riddle of the Sands author Erskine Childers. We also feature the transatlantic yachtsman Conor O’Brien and hear about his voyage aboard Imogen in 1930. Imogen is still being sailed out of Hauraki in New Zealand. On Friday 10th Seascapes talks to Mick McCarthy , co-author with Patricia Ahern of In Search of the Missing, about the work of water search dogs, their training and how they assist with locating missing persons. We also hear from writer and broadcaster Hugh Oram on January 17 about the first summit canal. The Newry to Lough Neagh canal at twenty eight kilometres long was completed on 28th March 1742 – we hear about its development and its history. On Friday 24th we look back at your maritime highlights of the past year and we look forward to a wide range of diverse maritime events both on and off the water throughout the year including planned visits by Seascapes to Arklow, Clifden and Derry

RNLI photos by Nigel Millard Photography

10 inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014

Fisheries

Ireland hosts networking event for EU’s Fisheries Local Action Groups

ord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) hosted Ireland’s first networking meeting of the EU’s Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) network on Thursday 14 November 2013. Representatives from across the EU gathered in Dublin to share the experiences of the FLAG network which this year features 250 FLAGS operating across 21 EU member-states. FLAGs aim to empower coastal communities to use the valuable resources they have at their disposal to develop and implement

a strategy to increase revenue and employment opportunities for their local areas. The role of the FLAG is to encourage local community stakeholders to develop strategies for their coastal community and to encourage the development of synergies between stakeholders including the State and coastal communities. Each FLAG comprises a mix of representatives from State organisations, fishing and marine groups Eamon Dixon North West FLAG member, from Cumann

Iascairi Chos Costa Iorrais said the meeting was very informative and that it was good to hear what was happening in other countries and what’s going on at EU level. FLAGS are established under Axis 4 of the European Fisheries Fund. Ireland has six FLAGS whose strategies will act as a roadmap for the Sustainable Development of Fishery Dependent Areas 2013 to 2015. This first networking event was hosted by BIM who acts as secretariat to the Irish FLAG network

FLAG North: Back row L to R: Adrian Antonescu, DG Mare, Brussels; Owen Doyle, North FLAG Co-ordinator; Andrew Ward; Conor McCourt; Mick McGinley Front row, L to R: Norah Parke, KFO; Charlie O’Donnell; John O’Brien and Michael Keatinge, Fisheries Development and Training Manager

North West FLAG: Back row, L to R: Declan Nee, BIM North West Flag Co-ordinator; Eamon Dixon, Cumann Iascairi Chos Costa Iorrais; Susan Grieve, FARNET Front row, L to R: Mary Gavin Hughes, Clew Bay Angling; Michael Keatinge, Fisheries Development and Training Manager, BIM and Michael Kelly, Sligo

Fisheries Minister Michelle O’Neill (right) with Superindendent Maurice Lake from the Fishermen’s Mission and Dr Lynn Gilmore from Seafish NI at the launch of the funding for Personal Flotation Devices

South West FLAG: Back row, L to R: Finian O’Sullivan, Seamus O’Grady, Artie Clifford, Keith Kelleher Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Adrian Antonescu DG MARE, Brussels. Front row, L to R: Vera O’Donovan, South West FLAG Co-ordinator, Frank Fleming, Kevin Flannery, John Tattan, Huan Tan, BIM and John Walsh

Northern Ireland’s fisheries minister announces investment in life saving devices for fisherman

isheries Minister Michelle O’Neill has announced that funding has been secured from the European Fisheries Fund to provide a further 345 Personal Floatation Devices (PFDs) for Northern Ireland fishermen. Investment to date in the project is almost £80,000.

The PFDs are lightweight, easy to wear and provide protection without impeding movement. Earlier this year funding was also secured for 710 PFDs which were distributed to local fishermen through a series of organised safety events in Ardglass, Kilkeel, Portavogie and Cushendall.

“I’m delighted with the success of this project. Indeed since I launched our initial investment earlier in the year they have already gone on to save the life of a local fisherman whose boat sank off the County Down coast. “This is good news for the fishing community and

although there has been a strong uptake from fishermen there are still some who have not come forward to be supplied with a Personal Floatation Device. “It is critical that all fishermen do not miss this opportunity. Over the coming months the Fishermen’s Mission, with the support

of my department, will be organising distribution and training events for fishermen to avail of these lifesaving devices.”

The Minister added that officials were working to ensure further funding would be available to provide PFDs for the aquaculture industry.”

inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014 11

freshwater focus

Rudd and roach among upland trout Brendan Connolly

ur acid upland lakes have a unique ambience and atmosphere. They are perched among heathercovered hills, remote from roads and houses in areas of blanket bog. The trek across the hills can be arduous, but is worth the effort when you crest the brow of a hill and gain your first glance of a lake serenely hiding away from the outside world. For an angler, a lake that is fished infrequently is always appealing. Nutrient-poor they are typically inhabited by small slow-growing brown trout. Some such small lakes can be found in the uplands of south Donegal. Although not far from one another, these lakes can differ in their fish populations. And although close to one another they are often not connected, as the out-flowing streams tend to run down the hillsides directly into larger rivers to the sea. One guess is that these lakes all began with small brown trout populations; however over the years people may have introduced other species such as perch and pike into some and not others.

Yoga for anglers

One such lake has a good stock of small-tomedium-sized brown trout and some small perch. But, within the last two

Golden rudd and silver roach

years, rudd has appeared and increasing numbers have been caught there. One angler decided to investigate these reports, and armed with a pint of white and pink maggots and coarse fishing equipment, he headed for its quiet shores hidden behind the hills. He first catapulted some handfuls of maggots five to ten metres and then took out a ledgering rod and a roach pole. The water near the shore was no more than 3-4 feet deep but rudd frequent shallow waters as they feed near the surface with their upturned mouth. He cast the ledgering rod with two maggots attached on a number 14 hook fished on the bottom. The float on the roach pole held the hook and maggots about a foot off the bottom. The angler sat back on his seat and breathed deeply, soaking in the tranquil atmosphere. Surrounded by buff-coloured hills and not a house in sight, this surely must be yoga for anglers.

Not only rudd but also roach

Suddenly the float twitched. The angler was instantly fully awake. Hands on the pole he waited for the float to disappear below the surface. The float then moved sideways by a foot or more and stayed still. Gently raising the tip of the pole, he lifted the float slightly out of the water and let it down again in order to move the maggots to attract the fish,

National groundwater protection map identifies hotspots

but nothing more happened. Lifting the float out, the angler discovered the maggots were gone. This was a good sign as it indicated that the fish were definitely feeding. Re-baiting with a white and a pink maggot, he lowered the float in the same spot as before, and in a few seconds the float twitched and then shot down out of sight. The angler struck firmly, and the tip of the pole arched down towards the water surface. Sliding in the sections of the pole, the angler guided the fish into the landing net. It was a fine golden rudd. Re-baited, he repositioned the float, and once again it was pulled from view, and another rudd was put into the keep net; another two or three more rudd followed. And another fish, but this time it was more silver and grey and not the golden colours of the rudd. Neither was the mouth upturned like the rudd; instead the upper lip protruded over the lower lip and was downturned. Examining the fish closely, the angler discovered this was a roach. The angler continued catching rudd and the occasional roach. The ledgered rod produced one fish - a small brown trout, just to remind him that this lake is really brown trout territory, and that the rudd and roach were very recent arrivals. It remains to be seen how the rudd and roach population will fare in this nutrient-poor upland lake, a typical brown trout habitat.

comprehensive groundwater mapping project has produced a national ‘vulnerability’ map to help protect vital water supplies. The map identifies areas most at risk from pollution or contamination and conversely those areas safest to develop wells and water supplies. These and other findings from the Geological Survey of Ireland’s (GSI) multiannual programme were announced at Geoscience 2013 conference. Speaking at Dublin Castle, Fergus O’Dowd, Minister for Natural Resources, commended the “world-class” science and the many inter-agency partnerships that underpinned the projects. “I’m delighted at the new mapping and datasets available, particularly with how they will assist planning and development of our natural resources - information that could have significant positive impacts for the regional economy.” The first digital map focuses on ground and drink water supplies for use by local authorities, the EPA, consultants and individuals “to better understand and manage land use and development that have the potential to impact on groundwater,” Minister O’Dowd added. Five geologists were employed to record information along more than 40,000 km of road, covering in excess of 50,000km2 to complete the project. Geoscience Initiative projects can be viewed at www.gsi.ie

Coarse fishing in trout waters

New National Groundwater Vulnerability Map from Geological Survey of Ireland.

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

www.bim.ie

12 inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014

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April/May 2012 Vol 8 Issue 2

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

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Gery Flynn and Gillian Mills

recommendation

Gillian Mills

he Board of Directors of the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation (IS&WFPO) has questioned the concluding remark by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) investigation report into the sinking of MFV Tit Bonhomme on January 15, 2012 which states, inter alia, that ‘the single overriding causal factor is considered to be insufficient rest for the crew and that regulations on hours of work and rest appear not to be have been complied with. ‘This resulted in fatigue and inadequate watchkeeping arrangements on board the vessel and it steamed into and stranded on Adam’s Island during the hours of darkness in poor weather conditions and this resulted in the five of the six persons on board losing their lives.’ The ISWFPO however challenges this comment: ‘The MCIB themselves acknowledge in the report: “In the circumstances, it is difficult to ascertain accurately the crew rest period arrangements during the trip”.’ It adds that based on the information provided in the report of 5 tows over a 39hour period and a catch of approximately 42 boxes, ‘Using the experience of those present at the Board Meeting, it would appear that the crew would have had a minimum of the statutory rest periods required under the European Community (Workers on board seagoing fishing vessels) Organisation of Working Time) Regulations, 2003 (S.I. 709 of 2003).

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. 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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The Board does agree however that the recommendation to install Bridge Navigation Watchkeeping Alarm Systems on board fishing vessels should be implemented: ‘The Irish fishing industry has recommended this action be taken for a number of years.’ (see sidebar) “As part of the Marine Survey Office Code of Compliance, which every vessel must adhere to, every skipper is aware of his

Assessing the 2011 quotAs for irelAnd’s fishing industry

COMPETITION TO WIN FISHING PERMITS ON DROWSE FISHERY PAGE 11

2010 Irish Fish Specimen Awards Corrib update ......................... page 3 Your View ............................ page 5-6 Biotoxiin monitoring.............. page 9

page 6-7

page 10-11

Aquaculture News ........... page 14-15 QUB Interview Pages....... page 16-17 Marine R&D ..................... page 18-20

Aquaculture sector slams licensing delay John Hearne

he long-running aquaculture licensing delay saga has been slammed by the sector as “too stupid to make any sense and impossible to explain.” Richie Flynn of IFA Aquaculture told Inshore Ireland that 80% of IFA members are currently deemed ineligible for capital grant aid to carry out modernisation or environmental work due to the delay, a debacle further compounded by bureaucracy in the sector. “We all know that creating new jobs and protect existing ones is the top priority. And there is a real demand out there for quality Irish fish and shellfish…But since 1996, I have dealt with fourteen different ministers responsible for fisheries and asked every one of them to sort out aquaculture licensing. At countless meetings, voluntary IFA aquaculture members asked for better and more transparent regulation. But the plethora of individuals, Ian Martin lands the first salmon of 2011 on a one inch Flame Thrower tube fly. The fish weighed 11.5lbs and was caught in the Blackwater pool » Page 2

on the River Drowse which flows in Donegal Bay Photo credit Shane Gallagher

DON’T MISS YOUR NEXT COPY OF

Strength in Unity for all Aquaculture Producers

August/September 2010 Vol 6 Issue 4

– a conference is told

Gery Flynn reland is uniquely positioned to target opportunities within the trillion dollar global marine sector with its technical expertise, a major international industryorientated workshop on information and communications technology has been told. The 2nd SmartOcean Conference Driving New Business Opportunities at the Interface of ICT and the Sea – hosted by the Marine Institute explored the new commercial and innovation opportunities emerging from Ireland’s hi-tech marine products and service sector. Over two days delegates analysed market-led opportunities for the development and deployment of distributed sensing, communication and information technologies in global markets including offshore energy, marine environment, transport and security.

The workshop is seen as an important step forward from the SmartBay initiative which the Marine Institute has been piloting since 2008. New techNologIes Dr Peter Heffernan, CEO of the Marine Institute told SmartOcean delegates that in order for the sustainable economic development of the marine environment to take place, next generation information and communications technologies (ICT) were needed now: “As a source of food, transport and energy, the Marine is our greatest natural resource and, as a country with a strong expertise in ICT, Ireland has significant potential to be a world leader in the provision of ICT-enabled decision support tools to the global marine sector.” He reminded delegates that to date, more than 50 companies operating here were already providing ICT solutions to the global marine sector. »

continued on page 2

ritics of the pilot scheme in Castlemaine Harbour say that it conflicts with government’s own scientific advice and have dubbed it a ‘vote getting exercise’ in a marginal rural constituency. They fear that it will lead to the re-establishment of a mixed stock fishery in the area. The government closed mixed stock fisheries in 2007 to bring Ireland in line with advice from the International Council for the Exploitation of the Seas (ICES) and the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO). According to Inland Fisheries Ireland, harvest fisheries are now only allowed on stocks that are shown to have

a surplus of fish over the conservation limit. Fisheries in estuaries are only permitted provided the stocks from individual rivers entering the estuaries are meeting conservation limits. Last May however, Conor Lenihan, Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources (DCENR), announced that under section 18 of the Fisheries Act 1980, a pilot fishery ‘would be permitted in a particular area of Castlemaine Harbour to determine how a salmon fishery might be operated on salmon stocks in the harbour, maximising the opportunities for commercial fishing while ensuring that stocks are not over-exploited.’ The fishery commenced on June 10 and will run until the last week of August. According to information supplied to Inshore Ireland by Inland Fisheries Ireland, 154 salmon were caught from the

by Gery Flynn features editor

GENETIC ANALYSIS In a statement to Inshore Ireland, the DCENR says the pilot fishery will identify the proportion of salmon in catches from the Laune, Maine and other rivers entering Castlemaine. As part of the exercise, additional genetic analysis on the salmon populations on the Behy and Emlagh rivers will be undertaken to confirm if both stocks are discrete from stocks in other rivers. In all, the pilot carries a catch limit of 800 salmon. In 2008, the Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, introduced a by-law to prohibit the taking of all salmon by all means from Castlemaine Harbour. At the time, he stated: “I am mindful of the advice of the Standing Scientific

Former AIB manager, Killybegs sets up marine nance consultancy

page 22

News..................................... page 2-4 Comment ................................ page 5 Your View ............................... page 6

Aquaculture News ........... page 16-17 Island Living ..................... page 18-19 Seafood Desk ................... page 20-21

Brussels bureaucracy thwarts joined up thinking on fisheries and environment

beginning of the pilot to July 16.

€2.50/£2.00

page 2-3

Interview with IFI Chief....... page 8-9 Water 2010 ...................... page 16-17 Marine R&D ..................... page 20-22

Salmon fishery pilot may be in breach of EU Habitats Directive John Hearne

page 2

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Sean Connick TD and Dr Richard Fitzgerald, NUI Galway, examine cod broodstock specifically designed for the Irish environment. Full story (Photo: Aengus McMahon). page 3.

page 2

reland’s shing industry is being disadvantaged because of a lack of an integrated policy at EU level, Michael Keatinge, BIM’s Fisheries Development Manager and Deputy CEO explains. Responding to questions from Inshore Ireland, Keatinge criticised what he sees as a “Brussels bureaucracy seemingly incapable of understanding the wider implications of poorlyintegrated policies relating to sheries and environment. According to him, this situation is complex and reects DG FISH’s dominance in the way policy has been skewed towards biological issues like stocks and quotas at the expense of equally important issues like tackling falling prices and marketing strategies. “I worry that the social and

economic components of the CFP are being ignored; for example there is a failure to intervene appropriately on the marketing side. I am also very deeply concerned about the price going back to the primary producer. I wonder sometimes just how shermen are expected to make a prot at all,” he declares.

DGs most involved in it - FISH and ENVIRONMENT - are just not working in harmony with each other. “Natura 2000 is an extremely good idea, it is correct and we

need it, but I despair when I see the way Brussels has failed to show leadership. At times it appears that DG FISH and DG ENVIRONMENT have not communicated sufciently

with one another about such a key policy. “You have DG ENVIRONMENT leading an initiative that DG FISH doesn’t really appear to

engage. Consequently we have spent much of the last decade spending more time meeting the targets set by Brussels in terms of how many SACs and »

page 15

POOR INTEGRATION He believes that “with falling prices there is huge pressure on shermen to sh more in order to simply pay their bills – to generate a decent day’s pay for a hard day’s work. This is not the way to generate sustainable sh stocks. Nor indeed is open-ended use of public money to decommission boats. It just shows there is lack of integration of policy strands.” Emphasising that his comments are not a veiled attack on Natura 2000 – the centre-piece of EU nature and biodiversity policy which he strongly supports – he nevertheless feels that the two

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s this, the final issue of 2013 went to press, the Inshore Ireland team is in celebratory mood - delighted and maybe somewhat surprised to realise we have reached a major publishing milestone: ten years of reporting from Ireland’s aquatic environment To establish and develop a new publication is never easy, but doing

INTERVIEW WITH JASON WHOOLEY, BIM, ON THE AGENCY’S FIVE YEAR STRATEGY PAGES - 16-17

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August/September 2013 Vol 9 Issue 4

Fishing industry warns five-year seafood strategy could be a pipe-dream Gillian Mills

he Irish seafisheries board has launched an ambitious fiveyear strategy to deliver 1,200 jobs and €1bn in seafood sales by building scale and enhancing competitiveness in the seafood sector. Capturing Ireland’s Share of The Global Seafood Opportunity is “grounded in Ireland’s ideal position” to take advantage of the projected increase in seafood demand of an additional 42 million tonnes per annum, by 2030. With constraints on wild fish catches to meet this demand, “informed market analysis” predicts a 50% increase by 2020 in the current annual production of two million tonnes of farmed salmon,” remarked BIM chairman, Kieran Calnan. “Sustainable fish farming, when regulated and managed correctly, provides valuable employment, investment and revenue, amounting to a 78% increase in production volume by 2020,” he added.

component of which alone will see the agency deliver 8,000 training places by 2017.” (see interview pgs 16&17)

iNduStry coNcErNS

The agency is targeting an increase of over 45,000 tonnes of additional raw material over the next five years which it says should assist industry reach its projected seafood export figure of €650m. Commenting to Inshore

Ireland, Francis O’Donnell, chief executive of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation said development of the industry was “of paramount importance, but pointed to a “fundamental reality”. “The 2014 TAC and quotas forecast published by ICES last June makes disturbing reading. We’re looking at cuts in Area VI of whiting (100%); monk (20%); pollack (85%) and saithe 15%.” He added that in Area

VII the picture was more depressing. “In Area B-K, cod and haddock are set to be slashed by 33% and 75% respectively; pollack in VII by 69%; and plaice 59%; cod and whiting by 100% and haddock 52% in area VIIa. “Our fishing opportunities are set to be cut by half in the whitefish fleet for 2014. We’re facing wipe out. Scaling up to meet the needs in emerging economies is a pipe-dream if

fishing opportunities continue to fall at the alarming rate suggested by ICES for 2014,” he warned. “It’s time people stopped kidding themselves here. We will have to cut our fleet by 50% to stay economically viable, and the only way to achieve that is through a decommissioning scheme. “A smaller fleet equals less muscle when securing contracts in wild fish markets,” he said.

so in the midst of the economic turmoil and pessimism that has prevailed since almost the beginning in 2005 hasn’t been easy! . Without the active support and encouragement of our loyal and growing band of readers and advertisers we offer our sincere and heartfelt thanks, and we look forward to working with you throughout 2014.

Given the challenge of rebuilding the economy, Simon Coveney, Minster for Agriculture, Food and the Marine welcomes the fact that the agency’s strategy is geared to generating value growth “from an important indigenous industry which will create much needed jobs in our coastal regions.” Jason Whooley, BIM chief executive said the strategy targeted the sector’s capacity to become a more “heavyweight education provider and career option for Ireland’s younger generation. “As a result, BIM will enter into a series of partnerships with third-level education institutions, the training

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Vast areas of Athlone town and surroundings under water during the recent floods. Was this due to poor planning, fractured infrastructure and a slow response from the authorities? The next issue of Inshore Ireland (March 25) will Photo: William Quain, Athlone City Photography be analysing what went wrong and who might be to blame.

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The UK flagged gaff schooner Johanna Lucretia follows the Columbian Navy’s STV ARC Gloria down the line Photo: G Mills

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Freshwater Focus

Ireland’s potential as world seafood leader threatened by delays over Habitats Directive News..................................... page 2-4 Comment ................................ page 5 Your View ............................... page 6

Aerial and ground mapping - Tellus Border Project........page 13 News...................................... page 2-4 Your View ................................ page 6 Fisheries Update ............... page 10-11

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Allegations of misleading and false information surround salmon farm debate Gery Flynn

wo formal complaints to the Office of the Ombudsman which could stall the planning process for a large salmon farm in Galway Bay have been slammed by the project’s promoter BIM as a “deliberate attempt designed to confuse the general public”. The office confirmed to Inshore Ireland that it was dealing with two separate complaints by the Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) against two government departments. The complaints concern the parts played by both departments during a recent EU Commission investigation into sea lice and salmon farms. “Complaints by the FIE in relation to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) are still open and ongoing,” a spokeswoman for the office told Inshore Ireland.

the DAFM the sole agency in charge of responding to the investigation.’ According to the FIE statement: ‘Assigning control of the response to the DAFM was like putting the fox in charge of the chicken house.’ This is the latest episode in what has become an increasingly fractious planning process for the BIM-proposed salmon farm and has exposed inter-departmental fault lines with scientists at DAFM and the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

(DCENR) disagreeing openly on the level of sea lice impact from farmed salmon on wild salmon populations.

WAR OF WORDS

In a press release (17/09), FIE claims that after Simon Coveney became Minister for Agriculture in June 2011, the DAFM and the DCENR engaged in a war of words via email over the results of a then unpublished manuscript whose authors included scientists from Inland Fisheries Ireland (under DCENR) and the Marine

Institute (under DAFM). Based on the Referee’s report of the manuscript, DAFM had serious doubts about the conclusions and did not want it to be published. The FIE quotes DAFM demanding of DCENR that ‘Transmission of your Department’s observations to the Commission would not only be misleading but would also cause confusion in the public mind regarding sea lice controls and possibly undermine the State’s regulatory system. For these reasons I would

ask you to withdraw the formal observations of your Department and to support the observations supplied to the Commission by DAFM.’

SELECTED INFORMATION

Inshore Ireland can reveal however that this is misleading, and represents only part of an internal email between two senior officers from both departments. »

page 14

SUPPRESSED INFORMATION

Irish North of Disko expedition 2013. Sailing through ice, Uummannaq, Greenland (see page 3).

Photo Daragh Muldowney

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carried out at the required regular intervals » that the vessel was carrying more crew that it was certified to carry This casualty highlights the importance of alerting the Irish Coast guard ASAP when an event occurs which could endanger the vessel. ‘In this case the IRCG should have been advised that the vessel was experiencing lube oil problems and was returning to port.’

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his distributing lifejackets to the crew following the grounding of the vessel.” The MCIB report also concludes: » that the alarm was raised using a personal mobile phone…‘while there were dedicated hand-held VHF radios in the wheelhouse…; » that at least two of the crew had not undertaken required mandatory basic safety training » legally required safety musters and drills were not

News from the coast and inland waterways

20-year retrospective of ireland’s environmental law score sheet

February 2011 Vol 7 Issue 1

obligations in relation to crew rest periods,” remarked Eibhlin O’Sullivan, CEO of the IS&WFPO. “Michael Hayes, RIP … was a highly qualified skipper as is evidenced by the MCIB Report which states he was the holder of a Second Hand Special Certificate of Competency No. 582 together with additional qualifications, and evidenced considerable leadership and bravery during the incident as demonstrated by the survivor’s account of

David and Harry Whitaker from the Royal Cork Yacht Club competing in the 420 class at ISA Youth National Championships 2013 at Lough Derg Yacht Club. Photo David Branigan/Oceansport

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Fatigue is challenged as a reason behind the sinking of MFV Tit Bonhomme and loss of five fishermen

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Explore Derrynane with Vincent Hyland

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FIE has accused the DAFM of ‘suppressing and denying the existence’ of a report from Inland Fisheries Ireland which had been specifically requested by EU investigators. The FIE says the report in question ‘was highly critical of the defence of salmon farming and sea lice that the Department was making to the Commission’. Its second complaint, against the DFA, is that it ‘failed to assign the responsibility for responding to the Commission to include Inland Fisheries Ireland, and instead made

This is the first time in the history of the State the Defence Forces has appointed a Rear Admiral. Rear Admiral Mark Mellett (DSM) takes up the appointment of Deputy Chief of Staff Support. (see page 3)

Wishing you all a Peaceful and Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. Best wishes Gillian Mills & Gery Flynn

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14 inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014

Aquaculture news 1

Working with the aquaculture industry

f every aquaculture site in Killary Harbour was to be individually marked there would be a requirement for over 250 aids to navigation. A coordinated scheme, agreed by the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL) in conjunction with BIM and the Marine Survey Office (MSO) requires only 13 buoys to sufficiently mark the aquaculture area for passing vessels. This reduces costs on aquaculture operators in Killary while at the same time ensuring safety of navigation.

Technological advances have considerably progressed the marking of aquaculture sites over the last 20 years with developments in light technology being the most significant.

Since the 1970s, modern aquaculture has grown to become a major industry in Ireland. The prevalence of aquaculture around the coast poses unique navigational issues to vessels in the water. In the early days of the industry, many sites were established with simple poles or without any reference to recognised navigational aids. The use of inflatable spherical buoys and plastic drums were inadequate as aids to navigation, as they were low in the water and often inconspicuous during twilight hours. The nature of the structures at aquaculture sites can pose a significant risk to any vessel. Finfish cages and trestles are low lying and rigid structures and are particularly difficult to see in challenging conditions. As the bulk of these structures are below the waterline, significant damage can result from vessel collision. Damage to the site can also occur causing the loss of stock or costly repairs. It is imperative to mark these sites correctly to avoid any risk of collision.

Background

The Commissioners of Irish Lights are the statutory body with responsibility for permitting the establishment of all marine aids to navigation and aquaculture sites form a significant portion of this remit. The correct marking and charting of these hazards are essential to safe navigation. Mussel long line farms,

oyster trestles and finfish cages all pose a risk to the mariner. At present there are 1,241 aquaculture sites with statutory sanction around the coast. CIL also co-operates with many other bodies in the marine industry. The unique Co-ordinated Local Aquaculture Management Systems (CLAMS) process is a nationwide initiative to manage the development of aquaculture in bays and inshore waters at local level. As part of this BIM initiative, a group-marking scheme has stemmed from this co-ordinated approach being deployed to provide greater efficiency in the marking of aquaculture site around the coast. CIL works closely with BIM to provide marking solutions within areas with multiple sites reducing the number of aids to navigation required. Technological advances have considerably progressed the marking of aquaculture sites over the last 20 years with developments in light technology being the most significant. Light emitting diode (LED) technology; improvements in solar panel efficiency and battery life span have resulted in aids to navigation becoming more affordable and reliable. Self-contained units can now be purchased â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;off the shelf â&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The characters of the light can be set by the user rather than each unit being bespoke. This means spare units can be kept on site allowing for faulty units

to be replaced rather than attempting repair in the field. Advances in buoy technology have also had a positive benefit to the aquaculture industry. Modern plastic units have proved to be reliable and cost effective where the previous solutions were metal painted units. Plastic rotation moulded units can be foam filled to retain their buoyancy if damaged. The outer material is produced in the required colour to negate the necessity of painting. New processes in the production of beacons have resulted in increased reliability and reduced cost of deployment.

IALA Recommendations

All aquaculture sites considered to represent a danger to navigation are marked in accordance with the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) Maritime Buoyage System. This can comprise special marks, lateral or cardinal, or a combination thereof. Electronic aids to navigation such as Racons or Automated Identification Systems (AIS) may also be considered. A farm (or group of farms) should be marked depending on their size, extent and location. In some cases it may be sufficient to mark only part of the perimeter or the centre. Where an aquaculture site is along the shore, a Special Mark denotes its position. This is a yellow X with a yellow light if

deemed necessary. Cardinal marks have two cones on the top of them to indicate whether a vessel is to pass to the North, South, East or West, depending on the configuration of the cones and/or the character of the light. Lateral marks are either red or green with a corresponding light if necessary, to designate whether they are Port (red) or Starboard (green).

The future of aquaculture marking

The Commissioners of Irish Lights are working with the relevant government bodies around the island of Ireland to provide supervision and statutory sanction for the aquaculture industry. All new offshore aquaculture sites require detailed navigation risk assessments to determine their impact on safety of navigation and, if developed, will require significant aids to navigation marking. Annual aquaculture production is forecast to increase from around 60,000 tonnes in 2001 to 160,000 tonnes in 2017. This expansion will be a challenge for the relevant bodies to ensure that safe navigation is correctly and consistently addressed. The Commissioners of Irish Lights will be at the forefront in ensuring the correct marking of these aquaculture sites for the safety of the mariner, the environment and the aquaculture industry.

inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014 15

aquaculture news 2

Finfish farm in Mulroy Bay, Co Donegal 2 A Special Mark, taken in waters in Co Down 3 LED Marker 4 Cardinal Mark 5 Buoy Marker 6 A risk to navigation 7 Mussels being harvested in Broad Water, Co Donegal 1

16 inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014

Aquaculture News

Seaweeds: the key to sustainable salmon farming? found to contain 62 % more beneficial omega-3 fatty acids than salmon on a similar diet that did not include seaweed. Moreover, omega-3 levels in the seaweed fed salmon were close to those in wild salmon. These results show that seaweed is an interesting feed additive when it comes to improving quality of farmed salmon.

Toine Wilke, Research Scientist at Ocean Harvest Technology

ith a growing worldwide demand for fish, the numbers of salmon farms are now increasing rapidly. There is significant concern about the impact of salmon farming on the environment and fish quality. While the fish industry is trying hard to resolve these issues, the solution may come from a forgotten resource: Seaweed. Seaweeds have long been used as fertilizers, foods and medicines in Asian cultures. The western world is only now starting to realise the great potential of macroalgae. These marine plants can be harvested easily, grow quickly, and contain large quantities of vitamins, minerals and other healthy compounds. Moreover, seaweeds possess the ability to grow on waste products from fish farms. These characteristics may be a great benefit to fish farming. In this article, three of the main

problems in the salmon industry are discussed, together with the potential role that seaweed may play in solving them. Fish quality Salmon is one of the greatest sources of omega-3 fatty acids in our western diet. These nutrients are important in heart and mental health. However, the levels of omega-3 in farmed salmon are declining, due to the fact that the fish industry is reducing the inclusion levels of fish oils in the diets of the fish. These omega-3 rich oils are replaced by vegetable oils, which are more sustainable and widely available, but extremely low on omega-3. As a result, the quality of the fish is reduced. To solve this problem, the fish industry is now looking for ways to alter the metabolism of salmon, in order to enable the fish to synthesize beneficial omega-3 fatty acids from other fatty acids present in vegetable oils. Up until now, results have not been completely satisfactory. However, recent findings from the Ocean Harvest Technology research facility indicate that seaweed may offer a solution. In a recent study, salmon that were fed an industrial standard diet containing 12 % seaweed, were

Fish health Disease is a common problem in almost every fish farm in the world and results in considerable costs for the fish farmer. The biggest plague in the salmon industry is infestations of sea lice. These parasites induce stress in the fish, which decreases immune responses, which in turn makes fish susceptible to other diseases, as well as reducing growth and performance. To get rid of sea lice, the salmon industry is now using vaccines, medicines and chemical treatments. However, none of these artificial cures is permanently successful. A sustainable solution may come from dietary inclusion of seaweeds. Studies have shown that seaweed intake improves immunity in various animals in a natural way. Interestingly, recent trials show reductions in sea lice of 40 – 70 % when seaweed is added to salmon feeds. Future trials are on the way to optimize the diet in order to get even better results. Environmental issues Salmon farms can cause damage to the environment, especially when they are situated in water that does not constantly flow. Fish faeces can have detrimental effects for local marine species

Kelp is a seaweed that can easily be cultivated. It is also a great source of minerals, vitamins and bioactive compounds that can be beneficial when included in salmon feeds.

and water quality. Researchers from Norway and Canada have now found a way to reduce the impact of salmon farms on the environment. By growing seaweed in the proximity of cages where the fish are held, the fish waste is absorbed and used as nutrient by the seaweed which actually makes the plant grow faster. In that way, the water is cleaned with the help of Mother Nature, and the seaweed can be harvested for commercial purposes. The future of salmon farming? Interestingly, all of the applications of seaweed in the salmon industry can be integrated in a cycle:

• seaweeds that are grown around salmon farms, can be harvested and turned into fish feeds. • these feeds are fed to the salmon, which in turn produce faeces. • the fish waste acts as a fertilizer for the seaweed farm, completing the cycle (see figure 1). Researchers all over the world are now working together to improve the individual steps of this cycle. A lot of progress still has to be made, for example on the harvesting techniques for the seaweed. However, when everything is in place, seaweed could facilitate a sustainable salmon industry in the near future

Figure 1. The sustainable seaweed-salmon cycle. 1) Seaweed can be turned into a fish feed. 2) When fed to salmon, this will produce waste. 3) This waste acts as a fertilizer for the salmon. Through this process, the water is cleared from harmful substances and impact on the environment is minimized.

Research scientists on a salmon farm

inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014 17

SEafood Business

Clinically trialed Kelp Care has multiple benefits (review written by Dr Lucy Waldron PhD RNutr RA & S O’Sullivan, BSc Zoology, MSc Marine Biology)

he benefits of incorporating seaweed into the human diet have been well documented and now the benefits are coming to the fore from inclusion to the animal mammalian diet. From a nutritional point of view, kelp seaweed provides a good source of minerals, omega fatty acids, soluble fibre and vitamins (Kandale et al., 2011). Recent analyses published by Pereira et al. (2012) showed that seaweed (Chlorophyta ulvaria) contained high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially n3 omega fatty acids, and α-linoleic acid (an essential nutrient for skin and coat health in dog food). In general, consumption of seaweed is associated with anti-viral, anti-tumour and anti-cancer effects (Gupta and Abu, 2011) as well as preventing digestive disorders, urinary tract and respiratory disease (Kandale et al., 2011). Dogs typically suffer from similar dental, immune, arthritis and inflammatory problems as in other mammals, and so the use of kelp in their diets would be beneficial in resolving such cases, especially where the

problem is subclinical or poor to respond to conventional veterinary treatments. An initial investigation on a variety of pet dogs has been conducted, using animals with a history of such problems, to identify whether a seaweed supplement could assist in resolving them. The commercial petfood product, KelpCare™ was used in the trial. This product is readily eaten by dogs and can be used as a long-term supplement, without the problems associated with long-term veterinary drug use. Kelp Care™ seaweed ingredients are grown in controlled Atlantic environments and monitored constantly ensuring the seaweed never comes into contact with any external factors. The kelp is grown at a specific level in the water column and absorbs the nutrient rich waters around it combining sub-tidal kelp species and also Irish seaweed farms located off the south west coast of Ireland. Seahorse Atlantic has its own unique production process which yields a high quality unique premium seaweed blend to form Kelp Care™.

Kelp Care™ benefits

The 60 day clinical trial showed improvement in the following canine problems: »» Flaky skin, eczema, dermatitis and other skin problems »» Urinary tract health »» Immunity

In human studies, feeding seaweed has shown several important immune benefits. Trials by Negishi et al. (2013) investigating immunomodulatory properties in elderly humans (>60 years old), showed that feeding 300 mg/d of isolated seaweed polysaccharides increased response to the influenza vaccine. There was also a strong trend (P=0.08) in the numbers of natural killer cells nine weeks after supplementation was initiated. Research in agricultural animals reported that immune function increased when feed was supplemented with seaweed (Allen et al., 2002). In the same report, a 1% seaweed extract fed to pigs resulted in 2.95 kg higher weekly weight gain and increased resistance to PRRS disease – which is associated with low antioxidant intake and suppressed immune response. This was attributed to the antioxidant component of the seaweed, for example the levels of active polyphenols such as 1, 3, 5 trihydroxybenzene. In the feeding study with Kelp Care™ in dogs, 65% had a reduction in white blood cells after 60 days of consumption. Higher levels of white blood cells can be an indicator of subclinical infections or autoimmune diseases triggered by the diet, e.g. soyabean meal intolerances, and are often manifested as skin problems. The data showed that

the immune system was modulated to more normal levels in dogs fed the KelpCare™. It can be postulated that these animals had been experiencing an over activity of the immune system previously, which was resolved by the Kelpcare™.

Inflammation

Seaweed supplements have been linked to a decrease in inflammatory disease such as rheumatism and arthritis (Kenicer et al., 2000). This is attributed to the antiinflammatory properties of photochemicals in seaweed as well as antioxidant nutrients. In a veterinary survey of benefits, dogs that were fed KelpCare™ for 60 days were assessed for joint problems, including those symptoms typically related to osteoarthritis and rheumatism. The results showed improvement in joint health, with more mobility being reported as

the main improvement.

Gut health

A review published by Sheffield Hallam University in the UK (Brownlee et al., 2012) showed that seaweed can have antibiotic properties against common pathogens such as Bacillus, Staphlococcus and Listeria spp, as well as the common gastric pathogen Salmonella typhimurium. Many dogs are affected by digestive disorders from time to time due to their habit of scavenging – and these are often triggered by intake of contaminated materials containing these common pathogens. Further scientific and clinical studies will focus on other potential benefits of the use of Kelp Care™ within the diet of mammals. For more information, please visit our new website which will be launched during December.

Young fishmonger of the year awards

ames Kirwan, East Coast Seafood, Naas, Co Kildare has scooped the top prize in the BIM Young Fishmonger of the Year awards, selected from a shortlist of five finalists. ‘Each finalist exhibited a dynamic and innovative approach to seafood retailing, coupled with an outstanding knowledge of seafood,’ according to the seafood development agency. “This initiative is part of BIM’s ongoing commitment to attracting and supporting young people in the seafood sector,” said Jason Whooley, BIM chief executive.

He added that throughout all stages of the competition, the judges noted how impressed they were at the overall knowledge, skills and commitment demonstrated by all the finalists. Guest speaker at the awards ceremony, Senator Fergal Quinn, congratulated the finalists for their “passion for the business’. As overall winner, James will be offered a study trip to France, placement in a top seafood restaurant kitchen and free attendance at BIM’s retail development workshops, along with a specially designed trophy and a business package to

assist with developing his outlet. The judges focused on technical skills, product knowledge, business planning and overall customer service. Applicants underwent three stages of scoring, including two unannounced shop visits to assess technical and customer skills. Each finalist had to perform a range of technical skills within 30 minutes and was required to discuss their plans, opportunities and challenges for their business and outline how they would use the business development package.

Jason Whooley, BIM chief executive, Senator Fergal Quinn with James Kirwan

The other finalists were: »» John Feeney, Galway Bay Seafoods, Galway »» Graham Rogerson, George’s Fish Shop, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin »» George Stephens Jnr, Stephens Fish Market, Mullingar, Co Westmeath »» Arnaud Lepricey, Wrights of Howth, Dublin 13

18 inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014

Marine R&D

Public perceptions of the Irish marine environment

Stephen Hynes, Danny Norton, Rebecca Corless Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit (SEMRU), NUIG

n November 2012 a nationally representative survey of 812 individuals aged 18 years and over was conducted by the Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit, NUI Galway. Information was collected on their attitudes towards different aspects of the marine environment. This was obtained by presenting a number of statements and asking the respondents to indicate the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with them. In this article we review the responses to some of the key questions asked. Overall status Respondents were first asked the extent to which they thought the overall environmental state of both coastal and the deep oceans around Ireland was poor or good using a five point Likert scale. Sixty-eight percent believed the general environmental state of the Irish coastal and ocean was good or very good while 15% believed waters were very poor or poor and 17% believed it was neither poor nor good. This is interesting in the context of the variety of marine-related water management schemes put in place over the last 20 years such as the Water Framework Directive, the BathingWaters Directive and more recently, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

These measures, coupled with Ireland’s geographical location on the edge of the Atlantic, which supplies Ireland with its fresh maritime climate, may explain the Irish general population’s positive perception of the state of the country’s marine environment. Threats Respondents were also asked to indicate how much of a threat different issues posed for Ireland’s marine environment. The factors deemed to be the most of a threat were industry pollution (87%) followed by litter (86%). Interestingly, oil and gas extraction and ocean acidification was a close third with 81%, and 80% rating them as posing a threat or severe threat to Ireland’s marine environment. The perceived threat of nonnative (invasive) species by the Irish general public is relatively high at 60%. While invasive species have been shown to have major impacts on marine ecosystem services, invasive species in Irish marine waters has not been a major problem to date. The perceived threat of oil and gas is surprisingly high considering the extensive nature of such activity in Irish waters, but may reflect exposure to the long running media coverage of the conflict between a local community groups and the Shell oil company over construction of a natural gas pipeline and refinery at a site in Co Mayo. Less than 50% of all citizens considered farming or aquaculture as posing a threat or severe threat to Ireland’s marine environment, and roughly 52% felt that fishing posed any significant threat. This is an interesting finding given that the Environmental

The majority of the Irish public believe that the general environmental state of the Irish coastal and ocean is good or very good. Photo Tomasz Szumski Protection Agency has identified the discharge of nutrients and other contaminants (much of which is likely to come from farming), marine litter, commercial fishing, aquaculture and the effects of climate change as key pressures on Ireland’s marine waters. It is also surprising that fishing, farming and aquaculture do not rank higher, given the significant media coverage of the impact on the marine environment by these sectors relative to many of the other categories that are perceived to be of a higher threat. Management efficiency Another interesting question asked respondents how competent they felt different groups were when it came to managing and protecting Ireland’s ocean environment. Only 25% and 27 % felt that local government or national government respectively were competent or highly competent (score of 4 or 5). Indeed even private industry was seen as being more competent than these institutions regarding marine management. It would appear that the many marine and coastal-related

policies and Directives the EU has drafted have made some impact in terms of the perceived competency of this institution with 40% of respondents believing that this level of government is competent or highly competent when it comes to the management of the marine environment. The one group in which the public would appear to have some faith are scientists with 69% of respondents believing they are competent or highly competent. Location Finally respondents were asked if they considered where they lived as being in a coastal area. Forty-one percent believed where they live as being coastal. More interestingly, the average distance to the coast for respondents was 9.4km but ranged from 0 to 80km. A simple binary logit model was also used to estimate the probability that someone considers where they live is in a coastal zone as a function of their reported distance to the coast. The results indicate that a person has a 0.5 probability of considering themselves living in the coastal zone if they are

within 15km of the coast. This is significantly below the inland boundary distance for a coastal region in Ireland as defined by Eurostat. In summary, the results of the survey demonstrate a reasonable level of knowledge of the main threats facing Ireland’s marine environment and of the importance of non-market as well as market ecosystem services provided by the seas around the Irish coast. They also suggest that the Irish public are sceptical of the ability of government and private industry to manage the Irish marine economy but instead place a large amount of trust in the competency of scientists. The perception of whether or not they consider where they live as being a coastal area would also suggest that the Irish public hold a much more narrow view of what constitutes a coastal area than that held by statistical agencies such as Eurostat. A full analysis of all the questions asked can be obtained on the SEMRU publications webpage at http://www.nuigalway.ie/ semru/publications.html.

Seven-hundred students visit the RV Celtic Explorer Cushla Dromgool-Regan

O Ann Hume, Jenna Byrnes & Leanne Neary with Ciara MacDonald (holding fish) from Scoil Mhuire, Oranmore, Galway

ver seven hundred class students from Galway, Roscommon and Mayo visited the RV Celtic Explorer in Galway in December, having entered the Exploring the

XTRA-Ordinary Writing Competition about Ireland’s research vessel and marine resource. The joint winners of the competition were: Ciara MacDonald, Scoil Mhuire Oranmore and Lauren McGinely, Scoil Colmcille, Co Donegal. Ciara wrote a poem called A Fish Is What I’m Destined To Be and demonstrated

a unique approach to her awareness of Ireland’s marine life. She explained what it would be like to be a fish, starfish and dolphin, and in fact maybe her destiny is to be on the Celtic Explorer. Lauren wrote a poem called The Celtic Explorer and showed a great understanding of the work marine scientists undertake on board the research vessel.

inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014 19

Marine R&D

Marine food projects win €4.5m FIRM Research Funding Lisa Fitzpatrick and Dermot Hurst

ight marine foods and marine biotechnology related projects will receive €4.5m from the Food Institutional Research Measure (FIRM) 2013. Dr Peter Heffernan, CEO, Marine Institute welcomed the announcement by Simon Coveney, Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine of the successful projects to be funded by the Food Institutional Research Measure (FIRM). “I congratulate the successful applicants. These projects are led by expert principal investigators who are internationally ranked in their field. Their creative scientific ability, coupled with outstanding reputations, has been instrumental in building the type of collaboration required to engage in highlevel research. “It brings new research expertise to the marine sector, creates focused research teams and generates new research talent. With successes such as these, and following recent successes for marine foods and marine biotechnology researchers in highly competitive SFI and EU research calls, Ireland is well positioned to play a significant role in Horizon 2020 research projects,” remarked Dr Heffernan.

Quality and shelf-life The projects address a range of research challenges facing the marine foods sector including enhancing the quality of ready-toeat crabs and lobster products and applying novel processing technologies to extend the shelf-life of fish. Significant among the projects is the focus on marine bio-resources as the basis for food-health products. This includes projects that seek to exploit Ireland’s seaweed resource; targeting its use as a source of pre-biotic ingredients for compounds that improve brain health and exploiting the anti-inflammatory effects of seaweed compounds on bowel disease. These projects rely on bioactive compounds extracted from seaweeds; a related project will investigate how to optimise the chemical composition of some species of seaweed to enhance the yield of bioactives. The funding will generate knowledge that will be accessible to Irish firms seeking to generate greater value from marine bioresources in developing food and health-related products. This support for enterprisedriven research activity is a direct contribution to the goals of Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth which aims to build a thriving maritime economy based on healthy marine ecosystems.

Heart healthy seaweed, Palmaria palmata “The competition captured the imagination of many students, revealing their understanding of the important influence the ocean has on our lives. Learning about our ocean at a young age fosters engagement with the sea which is a key goal of Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth - An Integrated Marine Plan for Ireland. “The sense of wonder and curiosity about the sea was clear from the many wonderful entries we received and I hope the students enjoyed their time onboard the Celtic Explorer in Galway,” remarked Dr

Peter Heffernan, CEO of the Marine Institute. Welcoming the students and teachers on board, Aodhan Fitzgerald, from RV Operations at the Marine Institute, congratulated the students on their knowledge about the marine: “We’re delighted to be able to show the work of our marine scientists at first-hand. As the research vessel is at sea for more than 300 days per year, it is a welcome opportunity to facilitate the open days for so many of the students who entered the competition”. While on board, the

Product development Ireland’s seafood and fisheries sectors have highgrowth potential and are critically important to the Irish economy. The seafood sector currently employs 11,000 people with annual sales of €700 million. The challenge of Food Harvest 2020 is to increase revenue to €1 billion and employment to 14,000 by 2020. The potential for marine biotechnology research to contribute to the development of new seafood products and functional ingredients is recognised in Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth – An Integrated Marine Plan for Ireland. The importance of food and health research, and sustainable food production and processing research, in enabling economic growth and job creation was highlighted in Ireland’s research prioritisation exercise. Since 2007 the Marine Institute has supported marine research projects to the value of €42.6m under the Sea Change Programme, funded by the National Development Plan 2007-2013. These funds contributed to building research capabilities and have attracted new research expertise to work on marine foods related research. Projects such as the joint Marine Institute - FIRM funded NutraMara - the national marine functional foods research programme are delivering high quality, industry relevant outputs. NutraMara has created a solid research platform and has generated new research capacity being used to develop functional food ingredients from marine bio-resources. The strength of NutraMara is reflected in the new FIRM awards, with five of the projects being led by NutraMara Principal Investigators. students saw demonstrations of how Ireland’s 220 million acre seabed territory and inshore waters are mapped. They also learned techniques of how to identify and age fish in the wet-lab, and were given a tour of the bridge area where Captain Denis Rowan and Officer of the Watch John O’Regan explained ship operations. Students also got to see the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Holland 1, which recently captured underwater footage and samples of a novel deep sea habitat in the Whittard Canyon.

Marine Institute presents 2013 Stock Book to Minister Coveney

r Peter Heffernan, CEO Marine Institute has presented the 2013 Stock Book to the Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine, Simon Coveney ahead of the annual fisheries negotiations in December. The function of the Stock Book is to inform management decisions on fishing opportunities for the Irish fishing fleet in 2014. It contains impartial scientific advice developed by the Marine Institute while working with other international scientists. This advice is developed using the latest available research, assessments and advice on the fisheries resource. The Stock Book forms an important component of the sustainability assessment presented annually to the Dáil. This year, advice was given for 59 stocks and results show that 34% of the stocks were fished at sustainable levels while 24% were fished above these levels and 42% were fished at unknown levels. The EU Commission has stated that the situation continues to improve with 39% of stocks overfished in 2013 compared to 94% in 2003. “The Stock Book publication is key to our fisheries negotiations with the EU. It is critical I have the latest scientific information and that my decisions are based on sound science that supports sustainable fishing. “We are now preparing for the introduction of a discards ban which will apply to stocks such as herring and mackerel from 2015 and to whitefish fisheries from 2016. We need to have regard for changes needed in fisheries management in the lead up to the discard ban. The detailed information in the Stock Book will help us in our preparatory work,” remarked Minister Coveney. The seas around Ireland are among the most productive fishing areas in EU waters. In 2013 more than 1,040,117 tonnes of fish with an estimated landed value of €1.161 billion were available to the fleets fishing in the areas. Since 1993, the Marine Institute has published the Stock Book. The majority of the scientific advice is formulated by the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and is released in June each year. This is to facilitate consultation with the fishing industry and managers on available fishing opportunities for the coming year. “The information contained in the Stock Book represents a huge effort by the Marine Institute to produce the best possible science for the Minister. It is of vital importance to Ireland during the December Fisheries Council meeting,” remarked Dr Heffernan. The Stock Book is also of interest to a wider audience ( fishing industry; marine scientists; managers; environmental NGOs; third-level institutes; financial institutions and those with an interest in the status and management of marine fisheries resources in the waters around Ireland. The Stock Book is also available electronically on the Marine Institute’s web site at www.marine.ie.

20 inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014

Marine R&D

Halpin Centre for Research & Innovation at the National Maritime College of Ireland

NMCI campus

Compiled by Cormac McGarry

Model of IMERC’s Beaufort Laboratory

Halpin Centre plays a key role in IMERC

Martin Wall IMERC Communications & Innovation Network Manager

MERC (Irish Maritime & Energy Resource Cluster) is a research driven cluster. It emerged from a bottom-up approach as a partnership between the public sector, the business community and higher education institutes. It came into being when regional stakeholders realised the synergies that could be created through sharing their knowledge and experiences. Together University College Cork; Cork Institute of Technology and the Irish Naval Service have a wealth of maritime expertise but each institution had been operating within its

own framework. They realised that together with small and medium enterprises as well as foreign direct investment, all the skills and expertise were already in the region - it was just a case of working together and building on their strengths. Consequently, IMERC came into being. In IMERC the research expertise of the institutions through centres such as the Halpin Centre for Research & Innovation (part of the Cork Institute of Technology) and Beaufort Research in UCC act as enablers. They provide quality infrastructure, facilities and top-class research to the cluster. Companies on the IMERC Campus are empowered to draw upon these resources. The Halpin Centre makes a particularly strategic contribution to IMERC’s success by providing critical mass in the areas of maritime safety and security; maritime education and training and shipping transport and logistics. Cormac Gebruers is the manager of the Halpin Centre, which is set to increase its numbers to 25 staff and researchers by the end of 2014. “I consider the association with IMERC to be a critical

enabler. It facilitates Halpin tapping into a broader range of knowledge; it helps to expand the centre’s reach in terms of our partner network and has significantly enhanced our ability to create effective partnerships with industry. “This will benefit us not only in terms of the quality of research that we produce but also in our ability to draw down European and other types of funding that will increase the impact factor of the centre”. IMERC-based companies benefit from the research centre’s presence on the IMERC Campus. Rob McConnell of Murray and

Associates - a US company with an Irish subsidiary based in IMERC, considers that “working on the Auxnavalia Plus project with the Halpin Centre was a very fruitful experience for Murray and Associates. We learned so much about our industry and its future in Europe. We received great guidance and direction and it is clear that the Halpin Centre can be instrumental in rebooting the Irish marine economy.” Halpin has been very successful in competing for and collaborating in European projects since being established last year. The Centre has won 13 EU-funded projects to date under Framework 7, INTERREG and other programmes. The Centre has recently secured its first international collaborations outside Europe with research groups and companies in the Marine

Institute Cluster in St. John’s Newfoundland, Canada. In the coming years it will become increasingly prominent in the research arena. On top of this, Halpin is looking to step up its involvement with startups, SMEs and Irish-based companies during 2014. In 2015 the Centre plans to internationalise its activities even further through a research and innovation consultancy. This move towards becoming a global player will feed into IMERC’s own vision to ‘promote Ireland as a world-renowned research and development location that unlocks Ireland’s maritime and energy potential.’ The real strength of the cluster lies in the fact that the success of each partner strengthens the whole organisation. Halpin can achieve a lot in the coming years and we look forward to seeing this growth.

Dr Jason Van Der Velde of MEDICO Cork speaking at the Telemedicine Workshop

inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014 21

Marine R&D

Atlantic Power Cluster foresees significant jobs opportunities in marine renewable energy

hrough the ERDF INTERREG funded Atlantic Power Cluster project, the Halpin Centre has led a report, An Assessment of Potential Growth Patterns for the Developing European Marine Renewable Energy Labour Market, which considers the opportunities for employment creation and skills enhancement, together with the challenges to be overcome in achieving a mature Atlantic Area Marine Renewable Energy sector. This report assesses the labour potential in

the developing marine renewable energy fields of offshore wind, wave and tidal generation. By examining previous studies in regions within the Atlantic Arc, and taking the medium/solid growth scenario figures forecasted by 2050, there is the potential conservatively of between 45,000-60,000 FTE jobs in the area by 2050. These include both direct employment in the manufacture, installation and maintenance of offshore wind turbines and wave/ tidal power installations as

well as indirect employment in the supply chain and ancillary services. Shortages in specialties have been identified within the MRE sector. For example a UK study among leading MRE companies has found a shortage in project managers, electrical engineers and turbine technicians. It also found that the industry is competing with other industries such as oil and gas or construction, for the majority of nongraduate hires. This has led to competition resulting in above-average wages and a high level of intra-sector mobility. And it suggest that with the number of engineers graduating each year in the UK is unlikely to be sufficient to support the growth demands of the industry. In other cases, An Irish study has found that conversion courses are vital for growth

in the industry. These include adapting fabrication trades, management, marketing, legal, project management, marine health & safety, and

Workshop on Telemedicine/ Remote Medicine in NMCI SMACS Project

workshop on Telemedicine/ Remote medicine took place in the NMCI on November 27, organised by The Halpin Centre for Research & Innovation in conjunction with the EU funded SMACS project (www.smacs.eu ) which featured in the last issue of Inshore Ireland. Over 50 attendees were drawn from diverse groups including the HSE, Coastguard, Navy, Ambulance Service, BIM, and MEDICO Cork. Telemedicine involves the exchange of medical information from one location to another via electronic communication. Obviously, this can play a life-saving role in maritime medical scenarios where the at-sea patient can receive

expert medical care through a variety of communication and information technologies. The morning workshop was given over to presentations from a variety of speakers. Dr Jason Van Der Velde of MEDICO Cork, which provides 24-hour telemedical support, spoke of the work by MEDICO and the areas he would like to see improvements to better deliver the service. Capt. Peter Walter, NMCI, gave an end-user perspective of the use of Telemedicine at sea while Lt Cdr Erika Downing discussed the legal complexity of sharing personal data. Cdr John Murphy spoke on the Army requirement for Telemedicine particularly in overseas missions and Mr John Murphy of MANDEC Ltd described the use of innovative satellite communication systems in

remote regions. Kieran Henry of the HSE finished with a presentation on the benefits telemedicine would bring to the National Ambulance Service. An open forum discussion then followed on how the delivery of Telemedicine could be advanced in Ireland. There was very active contribution to this debate and the end-user

requirements were found to be diverse in nature. After much discussion seven focus areas were identified for further studies. They include communications problems with specific reference to voice procedure; medical training for seafarers;contents of medical kit on board vessels and interoperability issues.

marine operations to adapt to the MRE industry. For a copy of the full report, contact Cormac McGarry cormac.mcgarry@umail. ucc.ie

Participants felt the workshop was immensely useful as it helped focus on current issues and stop gaps in the delivery of a telemedicine service in Ireland. The next stage will be to set up working groups to study the focus areas and deliver possible solutions and recommendations.

Capt. Peter Walter; Lt. Cmdr Erika Downing; and Eoin Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donaghue at Telemedicine Workshop

22 inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014

Marine R&D

New additions to the Waterfordbased marine services company www.fastnetshipping.com

he latest vessels to join the Fastnet Shipping fleet are the multipurpose 27.05m x 10.8m Multicat Fastnet Sound and the 22m x 7.3m survey and crew vessel, Fastnet Rock. Fastnet Sound can carry up to 128m3 of fuel and has a full deck cargo and is ideally suited for offshore construction works; dive works; offshore equipment deployment and retrieval. The vessel also has an integrated 4-point mooring system that is separate from her main winches / capstans, which combined with her large deck crane, makes her an ideal work or dive platform. Fastnet Shipping has more than 50 years’ experience

22m x 7m Fastnet Rock in operating, chartering vessels and marine plant on a worldwide basis for works that include dredging; harbour and coastal towage; crew transfer; windfarm and offshore logistics support, along with hydrographic surveying.

Background

In 2010 the company entered the offshore windfarm support/turbine transfer market with two bespoke 14m multi-purpose vessels, Fastnet Swift and Fastnet Tern. The success of these vessels prompted the addition of

two more 14m craft in 2012, Fastnet Skua and Fastnet Puffin. All four vessels are dual certified by both the Irish Department of Transport (P5 Licence) and the MCA (Category 2). This fleet has been operated by Fastnet or chartered to work on offshore windfarm projects at Barrow; Robin Rigg; Sheringham Shoal; Greater Gabbard; Galloper; London Array; Lincs Offshore; Rhyl Flats; Thornton Bank; Northwind; Arklow Banks; Kish Bray and Codling. All feature moonpools and can double as hydro survey and dive support vessels.

Survey/crew vessel

With wind farms moving ever farther off shore, a second recent acquisition for Fastnet Shipping is the 22m Dutch built Fastnet Rock with capacity to carry up to 27 passengers in a spacious air-conditioned cabin. Fastnet Rock is classed by Bureau Veritas as a Special Service – Fast Crew Boat, unrestricted for global operations and has already seen service in Dubai, Germany, Russia and Belgium. Featuring a beam of 7.3m and a draft of only 1.3m, Fastnet Rock is powered by twin Caterpillar C32 main

27m x 11m Fastnet Sound

engines, producing 2,265 hp and driving fixed-pitch propellers through ZF Marine BW 250 gearboxes to provide a maximum speed of 24 knots and comfortable cruising at 19-20 knots. As with the other Fastnet vessels, Fastnet Rock delivers versatility with a large forward moon pool and two dedicated hydro survey work stations in the wheelhouse. Clients can choose to fit transducers to a telescopic mast mounted on the bow or position sonar from a midship access position. Fastnet Shipping is a pan-European company with crew from Belgium, England, Holland and Germany as well as Ireland. The company intends to add four or five additional 20m+ boats over the next two years and welcomes multi-year contracts with all clients. Fastnet Shipping is also committed working with clients to build new and bespoke vessels to suit their project specific needs. Further information and for specifications contact Fastnet Shipping Limited on +353 51 832946, Fax: +353 51 851886, Email: info@ fastnetshipping. com, Web: www. fastnetshipping.com.

inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014 23

Marine R&D

Seabed mapping programme delivers another successful year of data gathering

Tommy Furey, Joint INFOMAR Project Manager

NFOMAR had another bumper year of marine survey activity, outreach and education with Ireland’s marine mapping programme underpinning a broad range of research and industry needs, as well as government strategic mapping priorities. The independent PwC Programme Review undertaken mid-year was very positive and captured the extensive breadth and impact of this world-class marine mapping initiative, coordinated jointly by Geological Survey of Ireland and Marine Institute. (http://www.infomar. ie/documents/2013_ PwC_Infomar_ Evaluation_Final.pdf). The extent of this impact was evident at the annual INFOMAR conference hosted by the Marine Robotics Research Centre in UL in October, with the venue at capacity of over 150 delegates, equally split across government, industry, and academia. (Seminar Highlights: http://www.infomar.ie/ Annual_Seminar/2013_ UL/index.php)

Technology

INFOMAR is now working with MindSeed and the Dublin Business Innovation Centre in response to recommendations in the PwC programme review to realise the full potential of the Irish seabed mapping endeavour. The team is working on developing a structured training programme; mobile application technologies; integrated coding and marine science projects for kids.

Data have historically been freely downloadable in digital chart products and various other formats but in an endeavour to expand the awareness and access to the information, the team is now working towards smart phone delivery of map products and outputs. This will have far reaching implications, particularly for the marine tourism and leisure sector where anglers and divers will have new insights into the seabed features and shipwrecks that inspire them to take to the waters, as well as being invaluable marketing tools to attract international customers. This innovative development will present both technical and management challenges, the latter relating to ensuring a positive outcome to such ready access to this invaluable dataset. INFOMAR’s strong working relationship with all marine stakeholders, as well as the programme’s sustainable marine resource development remit, will help to ensure that the data are used constructively, by reducing risk at sea and promoting jobs and growth, while retaining this sensitive and unique marine environment and ecosystem on this NW European Atlantic Margin. Parallel to mobile app development, new web map services are being developed for specific user groups. Data are also being merged on a large-scale into Google Earth files and other rich data formats to expand public access to the information.

contributing to a proposal for an Atlantic Centre for Earth Observations and a Geoscience cluster, with industry partnership support committed from Fugro, Kongsberg Maritime, GeoMara, & Caris. Further to that, in response to a recent Request For Information from the European Space Agency, INFOMAR partnered on two separate submissions with a view to increasing Ireland’s capacity for remote sensing, and is also recruiting a researcher to augment future developments in this area. Satellite data (imagery and radar) are critical for coastal and marine management and monitoring, and there are significant technology development opportunities in this area. 2014 saw the wrap-up of INFOMAR’s last funded research call, with 26 projects completed and reports available online for those not undergoing commercial development and subject to confidentiality constraints: http://www.infomar.ie/ Research/index.php

In a similar but more hands-on effort, INFOMAR hosted over 700 primary school children from Mayo, Galway, and Roscommon during an open day on the RV Celtic Explorer this month, again highlighting the mapping outputs, and potential career opportunities. More comprehensive and technical training was given in support of the SMART student training programme onboard the R.V. Celtic Voyager in November and December, with 51 3rd level students brought through at-sea planning and execution of marine survey. INFOMAR is currently working on finalising a three week intensive inshore surveying course to meet commercial survey demand for staff training and to augment the above annual ongoing introductory SMART training for 3rd level students.

In line with previous years, INFOMAR is now scoping next year’s survey operations programme which will be published in January. With Horizon 2020 imminent, it is anticipated that INFOMAR will engage in further largescale collaborative research proposals, which provide staffing and funding for value-added development. Budget approval has been received for programme continuation, and new mapping instrumentation will be rolled out to replace some of the ageing systems and to facilitate operations extending offshore into the Biologically Sensitive Area. Ongoing work will continue in integrating data from multiple surveys and platforms, chart production, and associated product development.

Outreach & education

In the ongoing endeavour to increase public awareness of our marine environment, the INFOMAR team highlighted the rich 3D datasets and marine terrain models to an audience of thousands at the recent Galway Science and Technology Festival. http:// www.galwayscience.ie/

‘budding’ researchers at the Galway Technology Festival

Research

During the last quarter of 2014, INFOMAR delivered elements of its research activity at the final conferences for the MESH Atlantic and INIS Hydro INTERREG projects that saw INFOMAR partner with marine research organisations across Spain, Portugal, France, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland since 2010. Continued European INTERREG V funded research collaboration is anticipated in the areas of seabed and habitat mapping, which are becoming ever more important from an EU perspective.

Research calls

INFOMAR has supported recent submissions to SFI’s Research clusters call,

Planning for 2014

DIT students enjoy a day out on Cosantóir Bradán

24 inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014

Book Reviews

Celebrating Irish Salmon

ORLD renowned food writer and chef, Máirín Uí Chomáin has penned this absolute gem which features over 100 recipes guaranteed to whet the appetite of most fish revellers. Speaking at the launch in l’Ecrivian, Baggot Street, Dublin, Máirín said: “The inspiration for this book came from my father who was a ghillie on the Costelloe River in Connemara. I was reared on salmon from the river, we knew nothing else.” “Salmon is the love of my life and recently summed up nicely as ‘A love letter to the Prince of Fish’. That really is the book and, you know, if you eat loads of salmon you’ll feel very romantic,” she said with a smile. Officially launching the book, l’Ecrivian proprietor, Michelin-star chef, Derry Clarke, said: “This multitalented lady has written this book in such a way it will be used by professionals and domestic cooks alike. There is something in it for

everyone.” Celebrating Irish Salmon is divided into three sections beginning with bites and starters, progressing to brunches and lunches and concluding with 34 ideas for dinner and those special occasions. Each serving includes an easy-to-follow ingredient content and preparation details, as well as suggested wines and, in 40 recipes, exquisite photographs by Walter Pfeiffer. Add in accompaniments and therein lies the perfect salmon meal. Máirín is the author of two previous best sellers namely: Irish Mussel Cuisine and Irish Oyster Cuisine, but concedes to realising her dream book to celebrate the prince of all fish, the wild Atlantic salmon. Contributors are of the finest with recipes from highly regarded top chefs, salmon smokehouses and every Michelin-starred Irish restaurant. Máirín’s contribution is also immense with over 50 recipes.

Professor Ken Whelan provides the foreword and an insight throughout the book into the life-cycle of Atlantic salmon from fresh water to ocean and back again, to the present ‘hot potato’ of the coexistence of wild and farmed salmon. Concluding, he says: “It is hoped that a fine balance between the farmed salmon and recreation angling industries can be found in the very near future.” Editorial Director, Mary Ruddy, said: “It has been such a wonderful pleasure working with Máirín. The end result is a beautiful collaboration of colour, flavour and creativity and reflects the importance of cooking with locally produced fresh food.” Celebrating Irish Salmon is published by Artisan House Editions, Letterfrack, Connemara, Co Galway and is on sale in all good bookstores, priced at €20. It is also available at www. artisanhouse.ie with a special launch offer of two books for €30 plus p&p.

Máirín Uí Chomáin with Michelin-star chef Derry Clarke at the launch of her book in l’Ecrivian, Baggot Street, Dublin.

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

Q: How many recipes are detailed in Celebrating Irish Salmon? Answers to mills@inshore-ireland.com or by postcard to 3 Hillview Cottages, Pottery Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin by closing date JANUARY 17, 2014 Good luck!

The Fishmonger

ith over thirty years’ experience as a fishmonger in Cork’s worldrenowned English Market, Pat O’Connell is well known both at home and abroad. In The Fishmonger he paints a vivid picture of the trials and triumphs of life as an English Market trader in a highly competitive and ever-changing environment. He describes the devastation faced by the market traders in the wake of raging infernos; their struggle for survival in times of recession; their battle against strong competition and their eventual path to success. In great detail, he recalls the historic visit of Queen Elizabeth II to the English Market, which left a lasting impact not only on the market itself but also on his own life. A heart-warming story, with tears and laughter along the way, The Fishmonger gives a memorable insight into the lives and personalities of the market traders, their families and those connected with the legendary English Market.

About the Author

Pat O’Connell, in partnership with his brother, runs an award-winning fish stall in the English Market as well as an oak-burning smokehouse in Bandon. An active member of the Market Traders Association, Cork Business Association, Good Food Ireland and Retail Excellence Ireland, Pat became famous around the globe when a photograph of him laughing with Queen Elizabeth II became one of the most iconic images of the monarch’s historic state visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011.

The Fishmonger by Pat O’Connell Price: €15.95 / paperback with flaps / ISBN 978-1-908308-50-4 150 pages + 16 pages colour photos Published by The Liffey Press

Wild salmon sashimi with melon and pomegranate Image by Walter Pfeiffer

A word from the author… “One of the first fish to catch the queen’s eye was a large monkfish and the queen was quick to ask what it was. Now, in Cork we sometimes call this the mother-in-law fish. But this was about a week after the royal wedding of William and Kate. So because of the person I was speaking to and because the world was looking on and because I was in some ways representing the English Market, the city and the fish industry, I had to be diplomatic, didn’t I? You must be joking! ‘That Your Majesty, is what we in Cork call a mother-in-law fish’. As I said earlier, my perception of the Queen was that she didn’t have a great sense of humour. Boy, did I get that wrong. She thought it was hilarious. Now, Cork cheekiness was on a roll.”

Competition The publishers have generously provided two copies as reader competition prizes. Q: How many years’ experience does Pat O’Connell have as a fishmonger? Answers to mills@inshore-ireland. com or by postcard to 3 Hillview Cottages, Pottery Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin by closing date JANUARY 17, 2014.

Good luck!

inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014 25

Book Reviews illust Written and

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Q: The winter of what year is the theme of Pete Hogan’s book?

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Answers to mills@inshore-ireland.com or by postcard to 3 Hillview Cottages, Pottery Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin by closing date JANUARY 17, 2014

OCT/NOV COMPETITION WINNERS Rathlin Reminiscences Roland Wysner, Londonderry

The Artist on the Island

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

adventure ensued. As the only inhabitant on the island, Pete had to use all his resources to survive the kind of harsh winter experienced in the west of Ireland, while all the time making art. With a touch of Robinson Crusoe, Pete describes in detail what it’s like – physically and mentally – to fend for oneself in a stunningly beautiful, but extremely isolated, environment. With over 100 full colour plates, The Artist on the Island is a remarkable record of one man’s attempt to forgo modern-day conveniences and social conventions in

order to focus on what is truly important. The book was launched by Minister for the Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan TD, joined by Anne Chambers, the well-known author of Granuaile: Grace O’Malley – Ireland’s Pirate Queen.

Extreme Greens Anthony O’Sullivan Ovens, Co Cork Mairead Mallon, Athlone, Westmeath

Sherkin Island Maura O’Leary, Cork Stephen Ruane, Dublin 8

Congratulations to all our competition winners

The Artist on the Island by Pete Hogan Price: €19.95 paperback

From all the team at Inshore Ireland

ISBN 978-1-908308-49-8 208 pages Full colour Published by The Liffey Press.

A few words from the author…

he book is an illustrated journal of a winter spent on Achillbeg Island, just south of the main Island of Achill, Co Mayo, in 1983. What fascinates me are the minutiae of daily living, the struggle for life in a harsh environment with very little income. That’s one strand. Then there are the people and characters I meet and interact with. On an uninhabited island one would not expect to find a lot of those. But in fact there are quite a few and the slightest encounter with a shepherd, a fisherman or a visitor becomes a big event. Like Robinson Crusoe meeting Friday. I also call on a big cast of historical figures to keep me amused. When the going gets a bit slow, when the reader has had enough of tending the turf fire or making interesting meals out of tinned baby food and limpets, (honest), I change tack and write something interesting about Paul Henry; Granuaile; the Pirate Queen; Heinrich Boll or my godfather, Peadar O’Donnell, who all spent time in Achill. The flora and fauna and the terrible weather are also themes running through the book. There are at least 500 sheep and lambs knocking about all over the island and I say repeatedly: ‘Achillbeg would be a lonely place without the sheep’. There are also seals; whales; birds galore (including the rare, red-billed chough); sea otters; foxes; rats and several others to keep me company. But the weather is probably the most persistent element, determining whether I stay in by the fire or wander out to repair stone walls and drains or tend to my lifeline, the ‘punt’. At times I am cut off from the mainland. I had a lot of help from both the publisher and my sister, a qualified editor, in completing the book and made many changes and rewrites on their suggestion. If somebody can write about one day in the life of a city and it becomes the world’s best book ever; if somebody else can achieve fame by writing a play about two tramps waiting for someone who never shows, why not I write a book about winter on an island? I enjoyed doing the illustrations for this book perhaps more so than the last Log of the Molly B. They are more varied and interesting, I think, as there was a greater range of subjects to tackle. In addition they allowed me to spend a good deal of time in Achill this summer working on them!

Thank You... To all our readers and advertisers for your support throughout 2013.

WE WISH YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

26 inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014

Coastline News

Connemara cruising on Danú Vera Quinlan

anú is a 43ft ketch-rigged Bruce Roberts Mauritius, first seen on the Rio Guadiana between Spain and Portugal during August of 2010. She required a LOT of attention, but with our budget it was the only way of acquiring a yacht suitable for ‘live aboard’ family trans-Atlantic and of Arctic sailing we had dreamed of achieving. By early 2011 my partner Peter Owens and I had bought Danú, laid her up in Faro and then in May, sailed her in one big push to Galway. Over the next two winters in Dan Mill’s boatyard in Galway, she was stripped bare, internal steelwork prepared and painted and a brand spanking new engine installed. With a full-time job and two small kids it was no easy task! May and June 2013 were a serious flurry of activity to have her ready for three weeks afloat in July with our children, Lilian (5) and Ruairi (3). What a month we picked! After some ‘launching fun’ on the slip from Dan’s yard we eventually made it into Galway docks and on the first day of the high pressure and in 30° heat, we worked hard to get her rigged over an intense three-hour

period. Job done, we slipped back into the marina - just in time to put the grandparents out of their misery and grab the kids. After a long day rigging, we provisioned, put the kids into their bunks and were ready for a 0600 hrs exit, bound for the Aran Islands. Sailing to Aran led to many an emotional moment, myself and Peter looking at one another, asking, ‘Is she really ours?’ The hard work was paying off and maybe Danú - the water goddess - was shining down on us. A gentle breeze from the north and a little help from the new engine and the Aran Islands were soon in our sights. Miraculously, two and a half weeks of glorious sunshine followed; it was like the Carribbean with Guinness! What more could we want for? Fantastic days were had as the kids got used to buoyancy aids, life lines, jumping off dinghies and deep water swimming. They experienced the delights of fast tenders and outboards, life onboard, beaches, walks. I felt I must explain to them that sometimes rain and high winds are prevalent on this stretch of coast and the seas can get big, really big ...but no one seemed to be listening. Five days later bound for Inishbofin we diverted into Roundstone as a lumpy sea off

Slyne Head affected Ruairi, and I discovered that chart work was not so easy with a vomiting 3-year -old attached to your hip. Onward the following day to Inishbofin - a superb island of craic and activity where we met many friends: John Ruddy who had done a great job on the engine installation and John Coyne who was instrumental for Peter, especially in the early days of this project with advice, steel cutting and support during those cold dark winter periods at the yard. From the Aran Islands we sailed north again to the magical InisTurk and met up with Maire and Andrew Breathneach on Young Larry - a 45ft steel yawl. The kids watched her approach, excitedly shouting - ‘the pirates, the pirates are here’! We had never meet Maire and Andrew before but had read many accounts of their Arctic passages and were keen to quiz them about their adventures. We were enthused and enlightened with their company – anything is possible, we think! The next morning we departed early back to Inishbofin and a few days later to our home port of Kinvara. Our three week cruise was an idyllic baptism for Danú and the children, and a great start to what we hope will be many safe passages to far off lands.

Vera is employed by the Marine Institute as part of INFOMAR, a seabed mapping project run jointly by the Marine Institute and the Geological Survey of Ireland in seabed mapping.

Super Crabs ? The biggest crab in the world is the Japanese Spider Crab (Macrocheira kaempheri). It lives on the bottom of the North Pacific Ocean and has a 3.7 m (12 feet) leg span. This is the largest leg span of any arthropod (spider, crab or insect with an external skeleton). In spite of its huge size, the Japanese Spider Crab is a gentle beast, feeding only on plants and dead animals. There is a small fishery for these amazing animals around Suruga Bay in Japan, which has been limited due to decreasing numbers of crabs caught and forbidden completely in the spring when the crabs move into shallow water to reproduce. .

Hairy Crabs ? While we would not normally describe crabs as being 'hairy', many crabs have sensitive hairs called 'setae'on their bodies. Unlike our own hairs, the hairs on a crab's body can be hollow and contain nerves to act as sensors to detect movement around them, such as the presence of food, potential predators or the flow of the surrounding water. They can also be used for filtering tiny plankton and even bacteria out of the water to use as food.

Check out more FunFacts in the children‛s section at: www.spindriftpress.com

inshore ireland December 2013/January 2014 27

Outside Ireland

INIS Hydro delivers on key objective of future collaboration in seabed mapping Gillian Mills

closing seminar marking the end of INIS Hydro showcased the mapping achievements and capacity building of the data gathered over the 3-year project. In the splendid Titanic Quarters in Belfast, delegates from many marine disciplines gathered for the event that also discussed further uses of the high resolution bathymetric survey data of 1,400 km2 of seabed in the Republic of Ireland, (Dundalk Bay), Northern Ireland (SE Mourne Coast, Carlingford Lough, Dundrum Bay) and Scotland (Firth of Lorn and Kintyre). Opening his key note speech, Sir Alan Massey, KCB, CBE Chief Executive, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, admitted that at launch in July 2011, the project seemed like a “hugely ambitious” cross-border project. “Two-and-a-half years on, I now have the opportunity to celebrate the results and successes and to learn about some of the hard work that has taken place under this impressive programme.”

Fitting location

Sir Alan added it was apt the event was being held on the site where the Royal Mail Ship Titanic has been built but which sank on 14 April 1912 with the loss of 1,500 passengers and crew following a collision with an iceberg. “This was an early catalyst for the adoption of the first International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea or SOLAS Convention. The passing of Titanic raised many questions around prevailing safety standards at sea. So many in fact that the British Government proposed a conference to develop international regulations and ‘determine by common agreement certain uniform rules with respect to the safety of life at sea…’,” he said. With the development of SOLAS, the conference was attended by 13 states, and introduced new international requirements dealing with safety of navigation for all merchant ships; the provision of watertight and fire-resistant bulkheads; life-saving appliances; fire prevention and fire-fighting appliances on passenger ships.

Safety at sea

The SOLAS Convention was adopted on 20 January 1914 but did not enter into force until July 1915 following the outbreak of war in Europe. It was signed by just 5 States, but led to extensive application regulations in Britain, France, the United States and Scandinavia. “Today, the SOLAS Convention has 159 contracting states. And my organisation - the Maritime and Coastguard Agency - plays a vital role in providing the navigational infrastructure for a safer shipping industry throughout UK waters and beyond,” he added. At the MCA, the hydrography team feed directly into the national effort to discharge our SOLAS obligations through the provision of ‘hydrographic services’ in association with the UK Hydrographic Office. Regarding safety at sea, Sir Alan outlined the “very good relationship” established with the Commissioner of Irish Lights and the Irish Coastguard. “This project [therefore] is a great opportunity for expanding on this natural alliance with our close international neighbours. “I see this project as one of the flagship initiatives that my organisation undertakes, and I feel strongly that this is the kind of thing that the MCA should be doing. “Organisations are increasingly seeing partnerships as a beneficial methodology central to the delivery of programmes, as this provides more scope to reach more communities and deliver more outputs. “It also provides opportunities for additional funding and resources which makes good plain common sense when it comes to ever increasing pressure on strained budgets,” he added.

He added that by making these data freely available to all via the internet, they will hopefully be used in various applications by many organisations across [the] marine sectors, “and will support demand from academia, offshore developers, marine planners and policy makers.” Sir Alan also highlighted the pro-active support in knowledge sharing opportunities between diverse organisations and the sharing of best practice with partners with little or no hydrographic expertise. “But the most rewarding thing - so my team tell me - to come out of this project has been the relationships that have been built between our respective organisations and the opportunities that these relations have been able to realise and develop for future collaboration,” he concluded.

Sir Alan Massey

The INIS Hydro team on Titanic’s staircase

INTERREG IVA funded project partners »»Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute (NI) »»Geological Survey of Ireland (ROI) »»Marine Institute (ROI) »»Maritime and Coastguard Agency (UK) »»Northern Lighthouse Board (Scotland) »»Scottish Association for Marine Science (Scotland) »»United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UK)

For more more information visit www.inis-hydro.eu/

Eoin MacCraith, Niall Finn, Ronan O’Toole and Seán Cullen, INFOMAR team

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

Data usage begins

Sir Alan identified two “key deliverables” and benefits already achieved, namely by a renewables developer in the Scottish Kintyre region to form a valuable construction and engineering planning resource, “and marine scientists at SAMS who have solved the ‘centuries old Scottish mystery’ of just what does cause the Corrywreckan whirlpool, the third largest whirlpool in the world!”