Inshore ireland vol13 nr2 summer 2017

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The Marine & Freshwater Environment Publication End of opEnnEt-cagE sEa fish farming?

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OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF SEAFEST 2017 P21

Summer 2017 Vol 13 Issue 2

ONLINE EDITION

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Absence of map data may have contributed to fatal helicopter crash Gillian Mills

A

warning system that increases pilot ‘situational awareness’ did not include Black Rock and its lighthouse or the terrain of the island in its database, according to the preliminary report of the Air Accident Investigation Unit into the crash of Irish Coast Guard helicopter R116 (March 15) that claimed the lives of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, co-pilot Capt Mark Duffy, winch operator Paul Ormsby and winchman Ciaran Smith.

A digital map that allows the pilot to view a representation of terrain and obstacles ahead is included in the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS), ‘provided these are contained in the database’.

EGPWS manufacturer, Honeywell, informed the Investigation that compliant processes include the ‘integration and validation’ of multiple public and private data sources, furnished by customers, governments

and private industry.

It added however: ‘Honeywell’s selected terrain and obstacle source data do not include Black Rock.’

And while the island is present in alternate data sets, ‘the actual altitude of Black Rock is considerably higher than what is indicated in these alternate data sets.’

They confirmed the obstacle data for ‘the Ireland region’ is sourced from their ‘Type 1 LOA supplier’. This data ‘does not include obstacles on Black Rock’ Honeywell told the Investigation.

The EGPWS also includes basic modes that prevent descent into level or evenly sloping terrain. Enhanced or ‘look ahead’ modes are based on Global Positioning System (GPS) position compared to terrain and obstacle databases.

‘Look ahead’ modes are intended to prevent the aircraft from running into ‘sharply rising terrain or man-made obstacles’, the report notes.

SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS

While the Investigation is still at a preliminary stage, it has made two interim

safety recommendations.

It notes that as the flight crew has been using an operator-specific route guide it would be appropriate that the operator should review all such route guides.

‘CHC Ireland should review/re-evaluate all route guides in use by its SAR helicopters in Ireland, with a view to enhancing the information provided on obstacle heights and positions, terrain clearance, vertical profile, the positions of waypoints in relation to obstacles and EGPWS database terrain and obstacle limitations.’

LOCATION BEACON

The Investigation also notes ‘a matter of concern’ relating to the installation of the locator beacon in the lifejackets worn by the pilots, which ‘appeared’ to be in accordance with a Service Bulletin issued by the lifejacket manufacturer RFD Beaufort Ltd. ‘This shows the GPS antenna in the same pouch as the beacon. However, the beacon manufacturer’s publications recommend a minimum separation between

beacon and GPS antenna of 30 centimetres (cm).’

The AAIU has recommended that the manufacturer ‘should review the viability of the installation provisions and instructions for locator beacons on Mk44 lifejackets and if necessary amend or update these provisions and instructions taking into consideration the beacon manufacturer’s recommendations for effective operation’

FINAL FLIGHT

R116 had responded to a call to provide ‘top cover’ for a medical evacuation of an injured fisherman from a fishing vessel, 141 nm off the Co Mayo coast. The Air Corps could not respond to the mission request as they had no availability until 08.00 hrs.

The first indication that R116 could be missing was at 01.06 hrs on March 14 when the helicopter crew did not answer radio calls to their call-sign.

In the final seconds, R116 ‘pitched up rapidly’, impacted with terrain at the western end of the Black Rock and departed from controlled flight.

An extract of ‘relevant data’

ILV Granuaile supports the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and divers during search operations of R116 at Blackrock Island

from the recovered Control Voice Recorder notes the last words of co-pilot Capt Mark Duffy: “We’re gone.”

The Final Report of the AAIU will consider factors including organisation and management of the mission; the Operator’s procedures and guidance, helicopter systems; navigation; mapping and charting; human performance; aircraft performance; survival aspects; ergonomics, oversight; risk management and a deeper analysis of the recorded data and recovered wreckage.

The report notes: ‘The sole purpose of this investigation is to prevent aviation accidents and serious incidents. It is not the purpose of any such investigation and the association investigation report to apportion blame or liability.

A safety recommendation shall in no case create a presumption of blame or liability for an occurrence.’

AAIU report available on: www.aaiu.ie

»

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inshore ireland summer 2017

NEWS

Brexit: fisheries must not become a bargaining chip Gillian Mills

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overnment must make Ireland’s €1bn fishing industry a “top priority” in the Brexit negotiations, the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation has said.

Seán O’Donoghue added that the snap election in the UK on June 8 will add “further obstacles and challenges” and will impact the form Brexit will take.

“UK Minister for Fisheries, George Eustice, has stated publicly that British fishermen will catch hundreds of thousands of tonnes more fish after Brexit.”

With Ireland sharing 47 out of its 50 Total Allowable Catch (TAC) quota stocks with Britain, “it stands to reason that Ireland will suffer disproportionately if negotiations on fisheries are separated from trade negotiations,” he warned.

O’Donoghue however

said he was encouraged following recent remarks by the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, during a visit to Dublin: “I got a very clear answer he was adamant that fisheries and trade would not be separated.

That’s what we wanted. The Irish and British fishing industries occupy a unique space. They are entwined like no other sector in sharing a limited resource as well as grounds and markets.”

Brexit is “potentially disastrous” for the Irish fleet in three key issues of access to waters, quota share and trade. Ireland’s two biggest fisheries, mackerel and nephrops, are “inextricably linked” to Britain.

“Theresa May’s government is already advocating calls ‘to repair what went wrong in 1973’ which means Britain will be fighting for higher quotas” and will endeavour to take “the metaphorical fish off our plate. We believe there is no justification whatsoever for any such move,” he added.

“We implore the Irish Government not to allow fisheries to become a bargaining chip in the highlevel negotiations to follow.”

UK EEZ almost 33% North East Atlantic Waters

EXPORT CHALLENGES

Irish seafood processors exporting to the UK are also facing uncertainty for their industry valued at €71m in 2015.

While European exporters are also concerned about Brexit, Ireland’s geographic location, existing arrangements and high dependency on Britain means it is “perilously positioned” if the negotiations are not extremely effective,” Seán O’Donoghue warned.

Such is the seriousness and uncertainty, the European Fisheries Alliance — a coalition of fishing fleets from nine European countries including Ireland, accounting for 18,000 fishermen with an annual turnover of €21bn — is setting aside internal grievances regarding the Common Fisheries Policy, to present a united lobbying

UK EEZ RED EU EEZ Blue Other EEZ Green

front to protect the industry.

It has written to all EU heads of government, as well as the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, calling for fisheries to be explicitly included in the negotiation mandate to guarantee mutual access to traditional fishing grounds; preservation of the current distribution of TAC and quotas, as well as maintaining the existing trading arrangements, post Brexit.

SHARE AGREEMENT

Our greatest national resource is our ocean marine.ie

TACs of relevant commercial species are currently distributed between the UK and other EU Member States, in accordance with the 1983 sharing agreement.

This agreement reflects the situation after the UK and Ireland joined the European Economic Community in 1973, and has been the foundation of European fisheries for over 30 years.

Quota distribution has taken into account both historical practices and specific local considerations. The UK and Ireland enjoy preferential treatment [under Hague Preferences] for specific species, further demonstrating the complexity of the fisheries relationship between Ireland, the UK and Europe.

“A clean break is neither desirable nor possible,” says Seán O’Donoghue.

DAFM COMMENT

In a statement to Inshore Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine said it was ‘impossible to say with certainty’ the effect of Brexit on the Irish fishing industry: ‘’We don’t know yet what changes the UK may seek to the current arrangements.

Nevertheless it is clear that Brexit poses a very significant challenge… What we do know

is that there is a strong desire and expectation from parts of the UK fishing industry for a hard Brexit on fish – to ensure that non-UK fishing vessels will no longer have access to the UK Zone and that all fish in that zone — currently shared with EU partners will be retained by the UK. ‘Limitations on access and any attempt by the UK to increase its current quota share at the expense of Ireland and others will be resisted strenuously.’

The twin threats, on access and quota, could also lead to increased activity by other EU vessels in the waters around Ireland, threatening the longterm sustainability of stocks.

Marine minister Michael Creed has held discussions with fisheries Ministers from Member States who fish within the UK 200 mile zone ‘to ensure that fisheries remain a top priority in the negotiations.

Protecting existing shares will be a top priority for that group.

‘The Minister and An Taoiseach have made clear that they intend to ensure that fisheries remains high on the Brexit agenda in the EU, and that Ireland obtains the best possible outcome from the negotiations.’

Minister Creed is ‘strongly supportive’ of the work being undertaken by Seán O’Donoghue in the European Fisheries Alliance on behalf of the Irish fishing industry and the fishing industries of the main Member States impacted.

‘The Minister has been and remains committed to working closely with the Irish industry to inform and support the upcoming negotiations and in opposing any dilution of our existing EU quota shares, including protecting the benefit to Ireland of the Hague Preferences, and any limitations on our existing rights of access.’

inshore ireland summer 2017

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COMMENT

Remembering Capt. Dara Fitzpatrick, Capt. Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith

T

he unfolding events that began in the early hours of March 15, 2017 off the Mayo coast will be forever etched in the minds of not only the families, friends, rescue services, local community and State agencies, but of all of the people of this island.

Day in, day out, we go about our daily routine without giving much thought to air, land and sea rescue personnel who are on call 365, responding to every incident in blind dedication — some of whom

have paid the ultimate price.

And why would we think too much of these brave, gallant and selfless people; after all, most of us will never need their helping hand. They are the people in the background who we might see at open air events, at community festivals, whose sole purpose is to serve communities – to keep us safe and to find us when were are lost.

When news started to break that four crew from rescue helicopter R116 had perished at Blackrock Island off the Mayo coast, a shockwave was palpable in every corner of this island. The loss of the rescuers themselves reached

into every household in every village, town and city – not just into the homes of maritime families who are aware that help is never very far away.

The village of Blacksod became the coordination centre for State agencies and professionals who conducted missions to the incident site. And on shore, villagers set up a twenty-fourhour community hall and were joined by people from around the coast who just wanted to help in any way they could.

As the official search was eventually scaled down, fishermen united in a coordinated sweep from Mayo to Donegal, looking

for those who for years had looked for their lost companions at sea. This dreadful tragedy had become personal, very, personal.

They wanted to give back; they wanted to show respect; they wanted to do something.

The accident is being investigated by the Air Accident Investigation Unit who will publish a final report in due course. Their investigation will be thorough and complete and has but one purpose: to prevent aviation accidents and serious incidents.

We offer our sincere, heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, rescue services and local communities.

comment

Gillian Mills

Unanswered questions ahead of 2019 Landing Obligation Dear Editor

O

n the first of January 2019, all TAC species will come under the Landings Obligation which means all fish caught must be landed and counted. This data will be of great assistance to scientists in setting future quota to ensure a sustainable fishing industry.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that Ministry Coveney was one of the primary signatures to the CFP, questions remain to be answered before full implementation — a mere 18 months away.

What facilities will be in place to receive catches under the minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS) which cannot be sold for human consumption?

What will be become of these catches? Who will be responsible for enforcement?

How much will fishermen receive for landing these fish?

The whole point is not to create a market for small fish.

Who will collect the data on landings and verify identification is correct?

What will happen to undersize fish landed by other Member State vessels landing into Irish ports?

Their lorries are already full with commercial fish.

The issue of undersize fish landed was recently downgraded by the Council whereby now instead of banning it outright, it must be avoided as far as possible.

In the case of landing excess quota, the possibility of fisheries being ‘choked’ (closed), remains a real

possibility from Jan first 2019.

The Irish Sea prawn fishery is a case in point, as prawn trawling has one of the highest levels of bycatch in the fleet. Despite many new Technical Conservation Measures (TCMs) there is zero TAC for cod in the Irish Sea but a certain amount can still be caught under certain exemptions.

Many of the smaller piers on Ireland’s east coast do not have a harbour master let alone an SFPA officer to inspect what is landed. How will this data be collected and the new regulations enforced?

We would like these questions answered to ensure the future of our fishing industry and our marine environment.

We are also concerned about the growing switch to non-TAC species being targeted by the commercial fishing industry. This avoids having to deal with quota issues; it seems that if a market can be found for a species, it will be targeted.

Some, (sprat for example) are an important part of the ‘food chain’ and a major source of food for many commercial fish species, as well as marine mammals and birds. Not only that, is anyone monitoring what other species are caught in sprat fishing operations where small mesh nets are used in known nursery areas for the likes of seabass?

We believe all non-TAC species should have an EIA conducted before any fishery commences. Mullet for example are a valuable angling species. Parts of Ireland are known as great tourist destinations for mullet

Inshore Ireland is published by IIPL Ltd

anglers, yet they can and have been fished out in many areas.

We fear if fisheries become choked, the industry will simply switch effort to these almost unmonitored species without concern for the environmental impact.

The Irish authorities have

a duty under European law to consider the concerns of all stakeholders.

We are a group of concerned stakeholders with a deep interest in our marine environment. We have experience in angling; environmental policy;

fisheries science; tourism and commercial fishing practices.

Our concern is for the future of our seas and those who use this shared recourse, which is a national resource and should be available for our children.

Johnny Woodlock Skerries, Co Dublin

Commemorating the death of Robert Erskine Childers

O

n the morning of his execution, Robert Erskine Childers requested a delay in the proceedings so he could see the sun rise.

We will never know if his face saw the disc of the sun that morning. We will never know what contribution his skills would have made to the building of the new Republic. But what we do know is that he addressed the firing squad and said: “Take a step or two forward lads. It will be easier that way.”

We, in this branch of the Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen and Women (ONE) have taken his request as our motto - Céim ar Aghaidh Courage is contagious.

When a brave man takes a stand the spines of others are often stiffened.

Séamus Heaney wrote: ‘The dotted line my father’s ashplant made on Sandymount Strand, Is something else the tide won’t wash away’ This branch of the ONE will not let the memory of Robert Erskine Childers

Editor

Features Editor

Gillian Mills

Gery Flynn

mills@inshore-ireland.com

flynn@inshore-ireland.com

01 235 4804

091 844822

or the Asgard wash away.

Eric Healy, the first skipper of the converted Asgard said: “Sail training is not about sailing.”

And he was right.

The voice of Sail Training International will say that participants confront many demanding challenges both physically and emotionally.

Sail training inspires selfconfidence and the acceptance of personal responsibility. It promotes an acceptance of others whatever their social or cultural background, and develops a willingness

to take controlled risks.

Sail training is a positive life-changing experience.

Sail training takes place all over the world, but not on this island on a Stateowned vessel. Our sail training vessel lies on the bottom of the sea in Biscay.

This is our shame.

At the ceremony the wreath was laid by Roy Glynn, Chairman of the branch, and a lament was piped by John O’Neil.

Tom Lawlor, Photographer, broadcaster and Arctic sailor

L to R Commander Liam Doyle, Irish Naval Service. Ollie O’Connor, Chief Executive Officer ONE. Tom Lawlor.

Pic. Terry Thorp Sales & Marketing sales@inshore-ireland.com

087 290 2045 085 747 5797

Design

Durgan Media info@durganmedia.ie

074 91 77893

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

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inshore ireland summer 2017

NEWS

SFPA information breakfasts wrap up in Donegal

T

he Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority concluded its first industry-information breakfast series at the end of March in Donegal attended by fishermen, processors and shellfish producers from across the northwest.

The seven events were held in the main fishing harbours and were ‘onestop’ opportunities where fishermen could obtain information, advice and assistance on topical matters including changes in fisheries and sea-food safety legislation of the past two years.

The series was conceived against the backdrop of the landing obligation (LO) introduced in 2015 for the

pelagic fisheries, extending to all demersal fisheries throughout 2016.

“The low levels of noncompliance detected in a testament to the real efforts of the majority of fishermen, fish farmers and fish processors to work within the law, remarked Susan Steele, SFPA chair.

Compliance with the new landing obligation, however, involves substantial changes in fishing industry practice in Ireland. These breakfast events were an opportunity for the fishermen to have all their questions about the new regulations and their responsibilities answered simply and quickly to assist them in achieving full compliance”.

She added it was also an opportunity for the SFPA to brief industry about their role as the regulator and why these regulations were vital for protecting fish stocks and safeguarding the industry, the main source of employment for many coastal communities.

“Science-based evidence of fish stocks is determining quota allocations, as increases in mackerel and prawn quotas from the EU negotiations last year demonstrated.”

While the LO was a key focus, it wasn’t the only topic covered. Other State agencies: Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine; Air Corps; BIM; FSAI; Marine Institute; Naval Service; Inland Fisheries Ireland; the National Parks & Wildlife Service, Revenue and the WRC were on hand to answer queries on latest developments and regulations, as well as dayto-day matters relating to quota management, seafood safety, trade and business development.

“This was the first time that agencies and industry came together like this. The response…has been very encouraging and we would certainly look at hosting similar events in the future,” Susan Steele added.

Resumption of market access in China for live Irish crab

I

reland’s crab trade into China is expected to resume this month following agreement on the certificates to accompany consignments.

Irish authority (SFPA) and Chinese authority (AQSIQ) have reached technical agreement on a methodology designed to resolve certification of live crab exports to China, based on a national monitoring programme of animals destined for the Chinese market.

The SFPA will implement the monitoring, and apprise seafood exporters of the specific requirements attaching to consignments that in turn will be monitored on arrival by the Chinese authorities.

At a meeting with Minister Zhi Shuping in Dublin, Michael Creed, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, thanked the Chinese authorities and the SFPA for reaching a conclusion on a “difficult issue”.

Susan Steele, chair of the SFPA said that Health Certificates and Catch Certificates validated the provenance and safety of Ireland’s seafood produce going to non-EU countries, including China: “Facilitating optimal market access for compliant fishers and producers ensures the best economic return for catches and is a key part of our compliance strategy. We’re delighted at this announcement.

“We will now move towards the necessary operational arrangements to implement this agreement, both at point of export and point of import, with a view to actual resumption of trade shortly.”

Independent TD Thomas Pringle said the announcement was “very good news” for Irish and Donegal exporters, but noted the gross loss of export sales in 2016 at almost €5m.

“I am concerned that it took almost a year and a half to reach this solution...The UK ended the ban within 12 months and France had it resolved after only eight months.”

BACKGROUND

I

n 2010, Ireland secured market access in China for live crab through bi-lateral cooperation between Irish authorities and their Chinese counterparts. This access built on previous arrangements for fisheries products and more recently has been part of wider trade missions to expand access for Irish food and seafood products in China.

Exports have increased to a rough value of €3m with many Irish sea-fishing boats providing product to seafood export companies. China is an increasingly important market for Irish seafood particularly in the context of Brexit.

WORKING TOGETHER TO PREVENT DROWNING

RNLI.org/GAA

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), a charity registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SC037736). Registered charity number 20003326 in the Republic of Ireland

Minister Michael Creed and Minister Zhi Shuping reach agreement to resume Irish brown crab exports to China

inshore ireland summer 2017

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NEWS

Licence to mechanically harvest kelp out of line with spirit of Bantry Bay charter Gillian Mills

A

licence to mechanically harvest 752 hectares of kelp in Bantry Bay, West Cork, described as the largest ever granted in Irish or UK waters, has met with widespread opposition from fishermen, conservationists and local interests.

Concern centres on a lack of adequate public consultation and notification, and the fact no Environmental Impact Assessment was required.

Since the application was made in 2009, amendments were made to the legislation in 2014 regarding type and characteristic of projects that require EIA. (See sidebar) In March 2014, biotechnology company BioAtlantis was granted a Foreshore Licence to harvest ‘specific quantities of specific species of seaweed’ on a rotational basis. The licenced area is split into five harvesting zones, to be harvested on a four-year rotation with a stand by zone (99 hectares) only to be harvested if weather is adverse.

OFFICI AL RESPONSE

In correspondence (April 2017) with Simon Coveney, Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and

Local Government, Michael Collins TD said the project was not in keeping with the spirit of the Bantry Bay Coastal Zone Charter of 2010, to safeguard the bay.

‘The stakeholders’ charter is based on the understanding that the regulatory agencies need to work in partnership with the local community for successful management. Cork County Council were not consulted about the granting of this license [sic] which will have enormous impacts for the people of Bantry and the wider community.’

In response, Minister Simon Coveney said, inter alia, that an EIA was not necessary as the project ‘is not within a Natura 2000 site, it is not of a class set out in Annex I of the Directive nor does it fall into Annex II and therefore an EIS is not required.’

A spokesperson for Bantry Bay – Protect our Native Kelp Forest, said the basic advertisement that appeared in just one local paper referred to occupying ‘part of the foreshore for the purchase of harvesting seaweed’.

“No mention was given to the industrial scale of this licence or that it would be by mechanical means. Removal of 1,860 acres of native kelp forest…may be an ecological disaster for the bay. The people of Bantry Bay do not want this harvest to go ahead without proper consultation.”

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

Karin Dubsky, Coastwatch, told Inshore Ireland that while harvesting kelp can have local economic benefit and provide super food ingredients, “wise harvesting and aquaculture allows you to do that and at the same time, keep the many other ecosystem services including fish nursery, carbon storage and storm mitigation. This would protect our marine ecosystems and benefit far more people.”

Inshore Ireland subsequently asked the DHPCLG why an EIA was not required, given the amendments to Directive 2014/52/EU, Annex IIA and footnote, and Annex III: ‘The licence to harvest in Bantry Bay was originally received in June 2009. It was processed in the same thorough way as other foreshore lease and licence applications received around the same time. The Marine Licence Vetting Committee, a group of marine experts who advise the Minister of the day on the technical and environmental aspects of foreshore applications, recommended that a licence should issue and approval in principle was given by Minister John Gormley in 2011.

‘The final legal papers, the licence between the State and BioAtlantis giving effect to the decision, were completed

by Minister Kelly in 2014.

All necessary environmental screening was carried out in accordance with the legislation relevant at the time.’

A 10-year licence commenced on January 1, 2014 and harvesting is expected to commence this year. Approval of a baseline study that is currently ‘under consideration’ by the department is a prerequisite before harvesting can begin.

DHPCLG RESPONDS TO INSHORE IRELAND

II: Coastwatch is calling for mechanical harvesting to be stopped until more information is collected on the effects on the ecosystem DHPCLG: ‘This application was circulated at the time to various bodies for their views and input. Submissions were received from the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Underwater Archaeology Unit of the then Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaelteacht; the Marine Survey Office; the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board, the Central Fisheries Board and the Marine Institute.

‘The Marine Licence Vetting Committee considered all material pertaining to the application and concluded that subject to compliance with specific conditions the proposed harvesting was not likely to have a significant negative impact on the marine environment.

‘To strengthen the sustainability of the harvesting plan for the licenced area within the bay, the harvesting is also subject to a strict monitoring programme and requires approval of a baseline study prior to commencement of operations. All costs associated with the baseline study which was carried out in September 2016 and costs associated with the monitoring programme were or will be fully borne by the licensee.

‘The monitoring programme includes comparisons between harvested and non-harvested areas in each zone for density and height of kelp together with quantitative measurements of flora and fauna prior to commencement of harvesting (2016) and in years 3 (2019) and 5 (2021) for 15 areas within each zone.’

II: The NGO contends that cutting kelp stripes off as low as 25cm from the holdfast would affect sea life ‘The method to be used under this licence will apply moderate suction to draw the kelp into the cutting area where sonar and sound automation will ensure that the kelp is harvested at a minimum of 25cm from the holdfast. The licence is also subject to strict monitoring and control. In the event that unacceptable impact on the environment is observed, there is an option to modify or restrict harvest practices and schedule as necessary.’

II: The NGO is also calling for the area affected to be designated a Marine Protected Area on the basis that the kelp forest ‘would be an excellent candidate for designation… would protect the fish nursery and would protect the otter which feeds on the sea urchins and the fish.’

‘This Department has responsibility for operating the consenting process which regulates the use of the Foreshore in accordance with the Foreshore Act 1933, as amended. Designation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is currently carried out under the Birds and Habitats Directive and is the responsibility of the NPWS within the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government is in the process of drafting legislation to enable the designation of MPAs under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. An expert group will be established in due course to identify other types and locations suitable for designation as a MPA.’ II: An Taisce has also suggested that an EIS would indicate what levels of harvesting would allow for the kelp to grow back ‘During the processing of this application submissions were received from a number of organisations with expertise in the area of nature conservation including the National Parks and Wildlife Service. The Marine Licence Vetting Committee took into account the views raised through the consultation process in granting this licence. The monitoring programme which has been put in place together with the baseline study required prior to commencement of operations was developed, by working closely with an experienced representative of Inland Fisheries Ireland.’

II: If an EIA is not required for this licence to harvest 1,860 acres, on what basis ‘could’ a licence be required to mechanical harvest kelp?

‘Each application processed by the Department is assessed on its own merits in line with all applicable legislation in force at the time therefore it is impossible to say when an EIS would be required.’

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inshore ireland summer 2017

REPORT

Climate change and sea lice responsible for increasing mortality among juvenile migrating salmon

A

study published (May 2017) by the international journal Aquaculture Environment Interactions evaluates the effect of sea lice from salmon aquaculture on wild Atlantic salmon and is

based on 30 years of data from the Erriff river (National Salmonid Index Catchment).

The study, Quantifying the contribution of sea lice from aquaculture to declining annual returns in the wild Atlantic salmon population, examined

Erriff River system and Killary Harbour, showing the location of the salmon aquaculture sites and the fish counter

sea lice production from salmon farming in Killary harbour and its effect on the return of wild salmon to the Erriff River at the head of the harbour in the following year. Juvenile salmon (smolts) migrating to the sea ‘can become infected with sea lice from salmon farms and suffer increased mortality soon after leaving the coast’.

The results indicate that returns of wild adult salmon can be reduced by more than 50% in years following high lice levels on nearby salmon farms during the smolts outwards migration, according to Inland Fisheries Ireland.

“There has been a lot of discussion as to the importance of the sea lice impact in the context of environmental variation and changing ocean conditions.

We find that the predicted 50% reduction in 1SW salmon returns following a high lice year is greater

than the average year-toyear variation attributable to environmental effects,” remarked the study’s coauthor Dr Samuel Shephard.

The authors contend that ‘modelled lice impact levels and a fitted stock-recruitment relationship were used to estimate how annual returns of Erriff salmon might have looked over the last 30 years in the absence of a serious impact of sea lice from aquaculture.’

And they say that ‘Results suggest that Erriff salmon returns could now be twice as large as without observed anthropogenic lice impacts, but would probably show a similar long-term decline.’

The River Erriff is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for Atlantic salmon under the European Union Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC).

Co-author Dr Paddy Gargan suggests that

“increased mortality of wild salmon due to the impact of sea lice from salmon farming can result in salmon stocks not reaching spawning targets or not being at favourable conservation status” as required under the EU Habitats Directive.

“It is critical therefore that sea lice levels are maintained at a very low level on farmed salmon in Spring and where this has not been achieved that farmed fish are harvested before the wild salmon smolt migration period.”

The authors conclude that many Atlantic salmon populations are already under pressure from “possibly climatemediated reductions” in marine survival. The addition of significant lice-related mortality during the coastal stage of smolt out-migration could be critical”.

For more information about Inland Fisheries Ireland, visit www.fisheriesireland.ie.

To view the full report, visit: http://www.int-res.com/ abstracts/aei/v9/p181-192/ .

BIM’S NATIONAL SEAFOOD CONFERENCE 2017 “Winning in a Changing Environment” Bord Iascaigh Mhara’s 2017 National Seafood Conference is a one-day seafood industry meeting that takes place on Thursday 29 June 2017 in The Radisson Blu Hotel, Galway.

A must-attend event for Ireland’s seafood professionals, this conference will be opened with an address by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, T.D. and will offer:

Sharp conference moderation by Gavin Duffy.

A speaker line-up of leading seafood industry experts and commentators.

A dynamic conference programme with a strong focus on sustainability.

The latest thinking and policies shaping Ireland’s opportunity in the global seafood industry Book your place at BIM’s “Winning in a Changing Environment” through Eventbrite.ie.

www.bim.ie

Ireland’s EU Structural and Investment Funds Programmes 2014 - 2020 Co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Union

Agriculture, Food and the Marine Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara

inshore ireland summer 2017

7

REPORT

The role of seafood in economic growth to dominate conference

M

inister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed, will deliver the opening address at the 2017 BIM national seafood conference in Galway (June 29): Winning in a Changing Environment.

Minister Creed will outline his views on how his Department ‘will ensure that seafood continues to

play a vital role’ in Ireland’s agri-food sector, to maximise its contribution to economic growth and exports in an environmentallysustainable manner.

A guest panel discussion will follow, chaired by Cecil Beamish, Secretary General of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to explore the implications for Ireland’s seafood sector amid government assurance

that fisheries and sectoral concerns are ‘high on the EU agenda’.

The agency’s four strategy pillars of Competitiveness, Skills, Innovation and Sustainability are key drivers of the conference agenda, described as ‘critical’ to delivering on Foodwise 2025 and to build progress achieved under Food Harvest 2020.

Details on the BIM website: www.bim.ie

NIFF meets to discuss inshore strategy Members of the National Inshore Fisheries Forum (NIFF) met last month to discuss a strategy for Ireland’s inshore fisheries sector. This segment of Ireland’s fishing fleet comprises boats less than 12 metres and represents more than 80% of the fleet, predominantly active within six nautical miles of the shore.

Commenting on the meeting, NIFF Chair Alex Crowley said good attendance midweek, and in good weather when boats could be fishing, “demonstrated” commitment.

“Our initial idea was to develop a work-plan for the forums to follow but now I would hope it will be something more significant.”

A discussion with officials of the Inshore

Management Group (IMG) focused on establishing the Terms of Reference.

“Once the TOR are finalised, I would hope to be in a better position to outline more detail.”

NIFF members also meet Jim O’ Toole, BIM’s new chief executive. “I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate and wish him the very best.”

Check www.inshoreforums. ie for further information.

Legal identity to support Ireland’s inshore fisheries A National Inshore Fishermen’s Association Company Limited by Guarantee (NIFA CLG) has been incorporated to ‘Support the Inshore Fisheries Forums in a noncompete manner on issues of mutual interest and importance, and to represent, protect and promote the interests of inshore fishermen operating Irish registered fishing vessels,’ according to its Articles of Association.

In a joint statement, chairman of the NIFA CLG Richard Gulidea and NIFF chairman Alex Crowley said they saw this as a ‘very positive step’ in representing inshore fisheries in Ireland.

‘The NIFF realised a while back the potential benefits of forming a legal entity to support the Inshore Fisheries Forums,

which could also allow the wider inshore sector make full use of the Forums.’

The trigger behind this thinking was 2016 when the NIFF requested BIM to engage a consultant on their behalf to form a prebudget submission regarding social protection. But as a State agency it could not engage in ‘lobbying’ and turned down the request.

‘We can’t overstate the support the Inshore Fisheries Forums receive from the State, DAFM and the agencies under its remit, namely the Marine Institute, the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and in particular BIM who facilitate the process. Their remit however places limits on how much they can do for us.

‘Formation of a legal entity will position us

to make full use of the European Maritime Fisheries Fund. The NIFF and the NIFA intend to develop a Memorandum of Understanding to put the relationship between the two on a formal footing.

This is important as it deals with any potential conflict of interest issues.

‘The purpose of the NIFA CLG is to work with and support the NIFF and the RIFFs — not to compete or oppose them. It’s very important to get that message out at this early stage; this is not a split in the camp or some breakaway group from NIFF.’ The NIFA also intends to open its membership to the wider inshore sector to enable the ‘grass roots industry’ make full use of the Inshore Fisheries Forums.

Former Bord Bia executive to head up seafood development agency

T

he board of BIM has appointed Jim O’Toole, former director of meat and livestock sustainability development, as its chief executive, who brings to the position ‘a wealth of experience in global food marketing, sustainability development and change leadership’.

Prior to leadig Bord Bia’s Origin Green initiative, Mr O’Toole was responsible for implementing the agency’s Quality Assurance Scheme, gaining experience in the marketplace working in the agency’s offices in London, Milan and Paris.

BIM chairman, Kieran Calnan, said Mr O’Toole would apply his leadership abilities and knowledge of the agri-business sector towards implementing the vision BIM has developed for Ireland: “To become the international leader in high value, differentiated seafood products that satisfy the growing demand for healthy, safe and responsibly

sourced seafood.”

He said the board and staff were looking forward to working with Jim to achieve “the ambitious targets set out in Government’s Food Wise 2025 strategy, with a particular focus on skills, sustainability, innovation and competitiveness”.

Mr O’Toole said he was excited by the challenge and honoured to lead the team “as we work closely with industry to realise the potential of this valuable indigenous sector. I am thoroughly looking forward to meeting and gaining insights from as many of our stakeholders as possible”.

8

inshore ireland summer 2017

RESCUE 116

Agencies and industry remember the crew of R116 Irish Coast Guard

T

he Coast Guard has reiterated its sympathy to the families of Paul, Dara Mark and Ciaran.

“It remains a matter of huge regret that Paul and Ciaran’s bodies have not yet been recovered and everybody is acutely aware of the upcoming memorial services for Paul and Ciaran, remarked Gerard O’Flynn Search and Rescue Operations manager Gerard O’Flynn thanked the families for taking the decision to proceed with the ceremonies in these most difficult circumstances.

He also asked everybody to be mindful of the sense of loss and bewilderment

being experienced not alone by their families but also by their colleagues in CHC Ireland who continue to provide day and night helicopter search and rescue services in addition to aero medical support to the HSE/National Ambulance Service.

He thanked the many Statutory and Voluntary organisations that participate in the search off Blacksod, a Search that extended from South of Achill to North of Donegal Bay. “Despite the tragedy of the situation, the level of cooperation and coordination between a multiplicity of groups in what was an unprecedented

Seabed bathymetry data around Blackrock Island

search was hugely impressive.

The local community in the Blacksod area deserve special mention for the support they provided over several weeks to the many searchers and most importantly to the families of Paul, Ciaran, Dara and Mark”.

He also thanked the many people who made donations of food and money to the local community organisers.

“Nobody expects the rescuers to become the casualties and it was indicative that so many organisations who benefited from Coast Guard service made such a huge effort to support the search”.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha

Marine Institute

I

t was such a terrible tragedy to lose the crew of Rescue R116 who saved the lives of so many people responding routinely to accidents and emergencies, sometimes in very dangerous conditions and our thoughts and sympathies are with the families, friends and colleagues of the crew of Dara Fitzpatrick, Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith.

Marine Institute staff assisted with the search operation over three weeks at Blacksod, alongside a large team of people, agencies and volunteers. Together with so many others, we did what we could to help, and we feel privileged to have been able to play our part in the huge search and recovery effort and to try to bring some closure to the family and friends of the crew.

Initially we deployed the national research vessel, RV Celtic Voyager to Blacksod to begin the seabed mapping and scanning, to aid the search and recovery operation, and later deployed our remotely operated submarine, ROV Holland I, which was fitted with specialist equipment and video cameras, and formed an important part of the search.

Our INFOMAR team — a joint seabed mapping programme with the Geological Survey Ireland — played a key role in scanning and mapping the seabed to identify target search areas and to facilitate the safe operation of the ROV Holland I and the navy and Garda dive team operations throughout the duration of the search operation. Our ocean modelling team also provided the Coast Guard with predictive models incorporating wind and tides to assist with search areas.

The effort coordinated by Marine Institute included support from INFOMAR colleagues at the Geological Survey of Ireland (DCCAE) who deployed their shallow-water mapping vessel RV Geo, and P&O Maritime who operate our research vessels and expertly pilot the ROV Holland I. These teams formed part of a much wider group including the Coast Guard, RNLI and Civil Defence volunteers and Defence Forces assets including naval divers, ships and Air Corps.

The operation showed the real value of inter-agency cooperation, as well as the importance of having specialist national marine research infrastructure available and experienced people to bring their expertise and skills to meet the challenges of this type of mission.

Dr Peter Heffernan

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9

RESCUE 116

RNLI

LAST

‘

The RNLI stands with our colleagues in the Irish Coast Guard as they deal with their terrible loss.

The search for the crewmembers involved six RNLI lifeboats with volunteer lifeboat crews travelling from across the country to support their colleagues.

Lifeboat stations lowered their station flag to half-mast or opened Books of Condolence as marks of respect.

RNLI lifeboats work hand- in-hand with Irish Coast Guard helicopters; their presence providing an additional asset to work alongside our volunteers and offering much needed cover and support in the most challenging of callouts.

The crews train alongside each other year-round and share valuable knowledge and experience that undoubtedly has saved many lives. Our thoughts remain with the families and colleagues of Rescue 116 and we will continue to keep them in our thoughts.

IFPO

W

e take much for granted in 2017 having reached an era of near instant communication.

Machines and communication routes don’t work on their own.

Hard working, familyorientated and ordinary decent people make these systems work and in particular when it comes to the safety at sea for all marine users.

We often forget those very people have family like you and I, friends like you and I. On March 14, Capt Mark Duffy; Capt Dara Fitzpatrick and colleagues Ciaran Smith and Paul Ormsby left their Dublin base by helicopter to carry out support for what we have come to consider as a routine rescue of a fishermen injured on a fishing vessel, one hundred and fifty miles off the west coast of Ireland.

We all go about our dayto-day business, not thinking that at some point, someone somewhere will get into a tricky or life threatening situation. We make that phone call for help, knowing that the most professional and hard-working people will start an operation with the sole focus of bringing that person back safe. Their DNA is unique; it comprises putting their own lives at risk to save others without giving it a second thought.

They wouldn’t have it any other way. They are special people, gifted by an unequalled lack of selfishness.

Very sadly on this occasion the rescuers got into difficulty. Recovering

the entire crew is now the primary objective with the secondary objective of trying to understand what actually caused the accident. We owe our very deep gratitude to all of the crew of rescue helicopter 116; to all of their colleagues and to all the rescue services in general.

This accident has brought into sharp focus — as it has done many times in the past— for Ireland’s fishing industry the pain experienced by families and loved ones when people are tragically lost while doing their job. Behind the person there is a whole world that collapses suddenly in situations like this, there is debris everywhere.

The Irish fishing industry is extremely privileged to have such brilliant people across all of the rescue services, available to them 24/7. Many give their time on a voluntary basis while others are full-time employees. Either way, they provide a professional service and never wane in their commitment to bring injured people or those who have been tragically lost, back to their loved ones.

Captain Mark Duffy; Captain Dara Fitzpatrick; winch men Ciaran Smith and Paul Ormsby, were some of the top life savers in Ireland and it is certainly poignant that they lost their lives doing what they loved the most — helping others.

On behalf of my own organisation and the Irish fishing industry I offer our sincere condolences to their respective families, friends and colleagues in what is a very painful time for them.

Francis O’Donnell

I

again send our deepest sympathies to the comrades, friends, and especially the families who so tragically lost their loved ones in Rescue 116 on March 14. We think especially this weekend of the families of Ciaran Smith and Paul Ormsby, as the Smith family celebrate Mass in memory of Ciaran and his comrades.

LAST (Lost at Sea Tragedy) had been in contact with the families over the last few weeks of the search, when we saw one of the biggest searches by fishing vessels ever undertaken, along the west and northwest coast.

Thanks to to the hard work and dedication of Eamonn Dixon, and the local fishermen of Belmullet - Shaun Curran our vice chair in Killybegs and Jerry Hassett; on the second weekend over 100 divers were organised and coordinated by John Carney.

Indeed, once the appeal went out, boats, divers and hillwalkers arrived from all around the island. In true form, local fishermen and divers expressed their desire to carry out these searches — and they did so until all avenues were exhausted, and were privileged to be allowed to give their time and efforts in the hope of recovery that would have brought some comfort to the families.

Fishermen appreciate the work and time that the rescue services put in to help them in their time of peril. This tragedy rang a

very sad and sombre note to all sea-going people: that those who go to our rescue do so at the risk to their own lives. So it was with deepest sadness that despite all efforts, the sea still refuses to give up their bodies.

As too many around the coast know - there is scarcely a greater pain for families than to lose someone so tragically, itself horrendous, but not to recover their bodies and return them home, even more so.

As an island people we once again showed our true nature. The effort by local men, women and children who got up every day to make tea, soup, lit candles and pray has to be commended.

I was asked in March if I would like to chair LAST, and I am so grateful to give back to our fishing families and local communities who were so helpful and supportive in our difficult weeks of the search for the crew of the TitBonhomme.

It is our aim in LAST to have a committee in every harbour, to assist those who need it – be that fishermen, their families, those involved in aquaculture, or as we recently saw, those who make work to keep us safe, in any way we possibly can — be it as big or small as a cup of tea, to light a candle, or hold a hand.

These things are just as important to families who find themselves faced with such sudden loss.

Families need support in

those difficult times – a time that is made harder by logistics that mean they are often only afforded very limited information during an ongoing search, and then, very unfortunately, are left to face very publicly, snippets of information that should never be in wider circulation than is necessary – most certainly not as soundbites for the media.

Is this necessary? Who does that serve?

We greatly appreciate the work of our rescue services, Coastguard, RNLI, navy and Gardaí. Without local people to assist however, providing food and shelter and especially local fishermen, whose local knowledge is invaluable, these searches would be a lot more difficult.

LAST was in a position to help financially and this was crucial too.

LAST will hold a meeting in Galway on June 10 and we would like to see as many people there as possible, so we can make a plan about how to move this forward.

Along with Eamon Dixon, and fishermen from all over the west and northwest coast who joined in the search, and many others, I left Belmullet with a very sad heart. But now is the time to drive this forward; we need to be in a position to assist each other should such a tragic event arise again.

We know only too well that sadly it will, somewhere around the coast.

Caitlin Ui Aodha Chair, LAST charity

10

inshore ireland summer 2017

FRESHWATER FOCUS

The fish of a lifetime: Seatrout weighs 10.77 lbs Brendan Connolly

A

ngling is an uncertain business.

You never know what the day’s fishing will bring. Will it be one of those ‘red letter days’ when you can hardly keep the fish off the hook, or will the day produce just one or two hard-won fish or even no fish at all?

Success, even as recent as the previous day, does not guarantee success the next day; however, each day can be the day that you catch that ‘fish of a lifetime’.

And so it was with two anglers who set out on Donegal Bay to fish for

seatrout. A fresh easterly breeze was blowing from the land out to sea, leaving the waters close to the coast quite calm. The anglers fished with a natural sand eel as they had heard that shoals in the bay were being preyed on.

DASHING BAITFISH Seatrout hunt along the shoreline — darting in and out of the surf — snatching small baitfish as they dash through the water.

They paid out the lines and slowly trolled parallel to the beach. The sand eel baits turned and twisted enticingly in the clear seawater.

Weighted down with drilled leads, the baits at times

A Sea Trout 4.77 lbs over specimen weight!

skipped off the bottom, causing the rods to nod.

The anglers knew, however, that these were false strikes.

Suddenly, a rod bent over and the line was pulled off the reel. One angler quickly grabbed the rod but the fish gave one hard, fast jerk and the line snapped. The anglers sat back in disbelief.

The take was so violent and the line parted with such ease, they wondered what type of fish could have possibly taken the bait. It certainly was no finnock!

The angler took the reel off the rod and replaced it with one with a stronger line and rebaited. Again they trolled along the shore. An hour or more went by without any sign of a fish. Then the rod bent over again; the angler thought the sand eel had got stuck on the bottom it felt that solid.

The line zipped off the reel, and he was thankful he had changed to a stronger line.

He loosened the drag to allow the line to run out, and stopped the boat in order to free the line. But the second angler said he saw the line move away from the boat. If this was true, they were not stuck on the bottom but had a fish on.

The first angler sharpened his attention and made sure

concentration.

At long last he was able to reel in the line and slowly the fish came closer to the surface. Still going round the boat, he circled upwards in a spiral. The anglers were craning to catch a glimpse of their quarry.

Eventually, a broad dark back hove into view below them. Both wondered whether this could possibly be a salmon because this was a big fish! Very carefully, the angler maneuvered the fish head first into the net.

The net came up and for the first time they saw the beautifully-spotted silver body of a huge fish. Laid out in the boat they checked that the jaw went back beyond the eye, its many dark spots covered its lower flanks, and the tail was spade shaped with a straight edge. This was a magnificent seatrout!

Their weighing scales only weighed up to 10 lbs, and this fish was heavier! This meant it was at least 4lbs over the specimen weight of 6lbs for a seatrout! Later the true weight of the seatrout proved to be 10.77lbs.

What a fish! Many a lifelong seatrout angler never catches anything near this size.

This was truly a fish of a lifetime.

to let out the line under a constant pressure: not too tight; not too loose. And yes, the line definitely moved through the water to the side of the boat.

CONTROLLED PRESSURE A hidden force was cruising deep below the surface taking the line with it. One or two strong jerks confirmed there definitely was a fish. The line now moved to the front of the boat, cutting at a steep angle into the water. The angler felt the thrill of feeling the physical connection with this mysterious fish below the boat.

The fish was strong and steady; no sudden rushes and no splashy jumps at the surface. The angler knew this was a large fish, and if it was a seatrout, that it must be a big one.

Not wishing to jinx the fish, he kept these thoughts to the back of his mind and concentrated on carefully controlling the pressure on the rod and line. The fish cruised around and around the boat, staying deep and out of sight. This state of affairs continued for more than half an hour.

And although the angler by now had a sore arm, he forced himself not to lose

Protecting and enhancing Ireland’s waters

Gery Flynn ‘Woodland for Water: creating new native woodlands to protect and enhance Ireland’s waters describes a proposed measure that combines new native woodland and an undisturbed water setback, specifically to deliver ecosystem services that protect and enhance water quality and aquatic ecosystems.

This measure - provisionally entitled Woodland for Water - is proposed by the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for strategic deployment alongside watercourses under the 2nd cycle of the Water Framework Directive (WFD).

If adopted, it would operate alongside other water protection measures applied by the Forest Service throughout its regulatory and promotional role.

STRATEGIC DEPLOYMENT

The proposed measure comprises areas of new native woodland accompanied by a defined setback of undisturbed ground vegetation positioned

alongside the bank of the watercourse. This measure is designed to be strategically deployed alongside streams, rivers and lakes for the purpose of forming permanent seminatural landscape features that will protect and enhance water quality and aquatic habitats.

Where basic site requirements are met, the Forest Service perceives widespread potential for this measure — from upper to lower catchments and in relation to various land uses.

The Woodland for Water measure can be realised with funding under the FS-DAFM Native Woodland Establishment Scheme (NWS Est.), which provides grants and premiums to farmers and other landowners to a forest with native woodland. The water setback – which itself forms an integral part of the NWS Est. project as part of the 15% biodiversity-focused ABE requirement – follows specifications set out in the FSDAFM document Environmental Requirements for Afforestation.

FS-DAFM contends that a range of significant waterrelated ecosystem services can be realised under the Woodland

for Water measure, particularly in relation to the following: reduction in sediment mobilisation and runoff into watercourses interception of nutrient runo into watercourses bank stabilisation food input into the aqua c ecosystem shading / cooling regulation of floodwater migrating acidification Deployment of this combined native woodland / water setback measure would require promotion by various bodies within the context of the 2nd cycle of the WFD. It would also need to be targeted strategically at particular sites, based on set criteria and GIS analysis.

Section 2 and 3 of the paper, detail relevant FS-DAFM specifications regarding both elements of the Woodland for Water measure, namely the NWS Est. and the water setback.

Section 4 presents an overview of relevant research in Ireland, the UK and elsewhere, demonstrating the water-related ecosystem services provided by this approach, as listed above.

Adjoining landuse, including agriculture, commercial forestry, built environment

Proposed 'Woodland for Water' measure, i.e. combined native woodland & water setback

A B .

D .

B C

Schematic of the proposed measure

Potential site, to protect against bank erosion

inshore ireland summer 2017

11

FRESHWATER FOCUS

Diverse use of aquatic buffer zones Declan Cooke, Inland Fisheries Ireland

Declan Little, Woodlands of Ireland

T

he concept of an aquatic buffer zone as a means of protecting watercourses is nothing new. It has long been recognised that stable, well vegetated river banks, are an important factor in maintaining a healthy aquatic environment.

A group comprising Woodlands of Ireland; Inland Fisheries Ireland; the Forest Service (DAFM) and National Parks & Wildlife Service have collaborated on a series of projects and measures to promote the establishment of native trees in these buffer zones to bring about additional benefits to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This should also work to the advantage of Ireland’s biodiversity, including some of our most rare and threatened species.

When Woodlands of Ireland was established in 1998, it was a loose grouping of concerned individuals from the public sector (Forest Service; Heritage Council and National Parks & Wildlife) and some NGOs. In 2012 they became a private company with charitable status and a board of directors. Throughout their evolution from NGO to PLC, Woodlands of Ireland have championed the conservation, promotion and development of Ireland’s native woodland resources.

They were instrumental in establishing and rolling out the Forest Service’s Native Woodland Scheme, which grant-aids landowners to manage existing and establish new native woodlands.

An important part of this scheme is the Riparian Measure that promotes the establishment of native trees along watercourses.

At the same time that Woodlands of Ireland was working to promote the native woodland scheme, Inland Fisheries Ireland along with other government bodies was promoting the concept of watercourse protection through the establishment of well vegetated riparian areas.

The EU Water Framework Directive also supports and promotes this initiative, and the EPA recently offered generous grant aid for research into this issue.

One part of the approach to achieving improved ecological status for water bodies is to establish Aquatic

Buffer Zones. Up to now, this has largely involved fencing off watercourses to prevent access by livestock and to intercept some of the nutrients and sediments frequently contained in agricultural runoff. In more recent times, however, the idea of amalgamating the two concepts has been gathering support.

IMPACT ON RECEIVING WATERS

River banks bare of vegetation are vulnerable to erosion. The surrounding land, which mainly slopes toward the watercourse, will often comprise soils that have been improved for grazing, fodder or crop production. Mostly these soils will have been fertilised with both artificial nutrients (N, P & K) and have had animal slurries spread onto them.

Nutrients that are not absorbed by the plants will be washed into the receiving water body.

In addition, much of Ireland’s farmland is now subject to ploughing, drainage and general improvement for agricultural purposes.

This introduces the issue of sediment runoff which can act in conjunction with nutrients to impact on water and aquatic habitat quality.

The design and establishment of aquatic buffer zones may be extremely helpful in addressing these issues.

Their protective benefits are largely accepted; however additional advantages could be brought about by allowing native trees to become established in these areas.

Given that the level of nutrient input to watercourses is often in excess of what is required to drive normal primary production, light is usually the most important factor in terms of limiting plant and algal growth in streams.

A combination of unlimited light and excess nutrients will lead to excessive growth of aquatic plants and algae.

Total elimination of light through excessive tunnelling by trees however will also have negative consequences on the productivity of a stream or river.

RIPARIAN WOODLANDS

From a fisheries perspective, the ideal scenario would be to achieve ‘dappled shade’ provided by fairly diffuse tree growth along river banks.

The key to beneficial riparian woodlands would be to manage for light penetration, sufficient to provide for optimum productivity so that maximum aquatic biodiversity is achieved.

Another significant potential benefit associated

with establishing riparian woodland is the regulation of excessively high water temperature, particularly on exposed upland steams, which are often important salmonid nursery areas.

Research carried out by fisheries scientists in Scotland suggests that maximum daily water temperatures in exposed streams can be up to 4oC warmer in summer extremes compared to those in wooded areas.

It is well known that Atlantic salmon require cool, well oxygenated water and their optimum temperature range is from 8oC to 13oC. They will tolerate temperatures up to 20oC but become stressed at these levels and significant mortality will occur at >22oC. Global climate modelling clearly predicts higher mean summer temperatures in Northern Europe over the coming decades, which may well reduce the range of suitable salmon habitats.

It will also severely test juvenile salmon populations living in streams exposed to high temperatures. The establishment of riparian woodlands could make a real difference to the future survival of such salmon populations.

to design and supervise a research project in the Carragh catchment in Co Kerry. The aim of this project is to examine methods and strategies to promote the establishment of native woodlands in riparian areas with a view to protecting watercourses. There is a particular emphasis on the protection of one of Ireland’s most threatened species, the freshwater pearl mussel.

This unusual bivalve has a remarkable lifespan of up to 150 years. It lives in only a small number of our most pristine rivers, and relies on upstream migrating trout and salmon to disperse its larvae. They effectively hitch a ride on the gills of these fish having been released as spawn into the water column

by their sedentary parents.

They later settle into gravels further upstream where they form new colonies.

Throughout most of its range, the freshwater pearl mussel is under threat as they require very clean gravel and relatively high densities of salmonids for successful recruitment of juveniles.

Sedimentation of gravel substrates and excessive growth of filamentous algae are thought to be the primary reasons for their decline.

By establishing the type of aquatic buffer zones which can support diffuse native tree assemblages, Woodlands of Ireland hopes to demonstrate that with proper riparian management, species such as the freshwater pearl mussel can be better protected.

NUTRIENT ABSORPTION

Biodiversity is a prerequisite for optimal productivity in any aquatic ecosystem and to achieve this, the riparian zone plays a key role. A properly functioning riparian zone will absorb nutrients from the surrounding land, and promote plant growth within the aquatic buffer zone.

Much of the resulting organic material will end up in the watercourse, usually in the form of leaf litter and bud scales. Large communities of micro and macro organisms have evolved to take advantage of this coarse organic material and form the basis of a healthy aquatic food chain.

Insect larvae and crustaceans form a large part of this community and these are an essential food source for fish.

Each of these species will have a specific time or season when they make the transition from aquatic larva to terrestrial adult; it is at this time that they become most available as a food source for fish.

The greater the biodiversity of aquatic macroinvertebrates, the more seasonal abundances of food will occur throughout the year and the more variable and long-term the food source for fish will be.

RESEARCH

In 2013, Woodlands of Ireland were awarded €5.5m

A bed of adult Freshwater Pearl Mussel

Above left: an unprotected watercourse, vulnerable to erosion, pollution and sedimentation. Right: The same watercourse having been fenced and protected.

(Photo courtesy of Martin O’Grady)

Above left: A watercourse with a well vegetated riparian zone. The water and habitat quality in this stream reflects the benefits conferred by an effective ABZ. Above right: A watercourse with a poorly developed riparian zone, subject to erosion and nutrient inputs from the surrounding farmland.

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inshore ireland summer 2017

FRESHWATER FOCUS

Hardangerfjord

End of open-net-cage sea fish farming?

Noel Carr, Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers

W

hile we await the resumption of an oral hearing on the application by Marine Harvest Ireland for a salmon farm licence in Bantry Bay, the focus moved to Norway and the 10th annual Hardangerfjord Seminar in May which discussed sealice damage to wild salmon stocks.

At the conference, FISSTA spoke to representatives from Marine Harvest Group ASA and Norsk Industri, who outlined the new measures announced for Norway. May 2017 will be

remembered as the time when sealice damage to both wild and farmed salmon was confronted more openly than ever before.

The decision by Norsk Industri to outline a ‘sealice free’ roadmap for the industry was the big news story.

Stein Leir-Hansen, administrative director of Norsk Industri, presented details that clearly confirmed a sealice-free Norway by 2022 under ASC Certification which suggests a Closed System Aquaculture (CSA) future for the salmon farming industry.

NEW STUDY

In terms of salmon farming, if Norway sneezes, Ireland will die of pneumonia.

Ireland’s annual production is a minuscule, 10,000 tonnes compared to Norway’s 1.3m tonnes and Scotland’s 210,000 tonnes.

Yet, the damage to wild Atlantic salmon from sea lice infestation of migrating smolts is devastating and evident in a study* just published by Dr Samuel Shephard and Dr Paddy Gargan from Inland Fisheries Ireland which clearly demonstrates that significant losses of wild Atlantic salmon are due to infestation with sea lice from salmon farms.

These scientists conclude that ‘many Atlantic salmon populations are already under pressure from (possibly climate-mediated) reductions in marine survival. The addition of significant lice-

related mortality during the coastal stage of smolt outmigration could be critical’.

We often use the metaphor: ‘doctors differ, salmon die’ to highlight how scientific reports differ and cause dispute. Thankfully, Dr Gargan’s clarity since the 1990s must be commended.

A scientific view held by some diverts from the substantive debate that if even if the last sealice was eradicated, it would not bring back the wild Atlantic salmon.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Mortality at sea is the undisputed problem. This is due to many reasons including competition in the feeding grounds of Greenland, Faroes and Iceland.

(L-R): Stein Lier-Hansen, admin director Norsk Insdustri and Alf-Helge Aarskog, chief executive officer Marine Harvest Group ASA

Pelagic species, especially mackerel, are blamed for preventing migrating salmon from feeding as they move into the colder water – a possible symptom of climate change.

In the meantime, the proposed move to closed system aquaculture seems to be the only option for a sea lice and amoebic gill disease-free future in Ireland.

Politicians must realise they can no longer allow our pristine sea waters to be licensed for what is no longer tolerated in Norway.

At last we are being assured by industry leaders in Norway there will be no further growth there in farmed salmon until the sealice problems are resolved.

We hope they extend this assurance to Ireland and that this is another very important step towards the protection of wild Atlantic salmon stocks.

“While we welcome such good news, we will continue to pressure our government to end what we believe, should never have been licensed in the first place. We will debate the issues on the national and international forum through NASF under the direction of our leading campaigner of our wild Atlantic salmon Mr Orri Vigfusson.

“Getting access to the world production leader of farmed salmon Mr Alf-Helge Aarskog, chief executive officer of Marine Harvest Group ASA to hear such such good news being announced will hopefully prove a positive outcome for our salmon,” remarked FISSTA chairman Paul Lawton. *http://www.int-res.com/ abstracts/aei/v9/p181-192/

inshore ireland summer 2017

13

FRESHWATER FOCUS

Inequality, super-trawlers and impacts of industrial fishing on small-scale fisheries Gillian Mills, Brussels

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inn Féin and GUE NGL (European United Left/ Nordic Green Left) organised and hosted an event to assess the impact of super-trawlers and industrial fishing on small-scale and local fisheries, at the European Parliament in March.

The event brought together public and private sector representatives who discussed environmental impact of super-trawlers, along with inequalities in fisheries under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), and ongoing socio-economic impact on coastal communities.

Sinn Féin MEP Liadh Ní Riada was joined by fellow MEPS and party colleagues, and by representatives of the European Commission and the Irish Permanent Representation to the European Institutions.

The following is an overview of the points raised: Fishing industry representatives

unanimously spoke of crippling regulations and restrictions, as super-trawlers ‘recklessly’ fished off the Irish coast with devastating effects on small-scale fisheries and without benefit to local communities.

Examples were given of damaged gear and the effects on marine mammals from super-trawler activity, along with impact on stocks from discarding (up to 70% in some cases) due to indiscriminate nature of fishing methods.

IRISH SITUATION

Coastal communities will be further eroded unless action is taken to safeguard inshore fishing fleets, and in the absence of adequate investment.

(The scale of the socioeconomic challenge facing island and rural coastal communities has been outlined by the Donegal Islands Fishermen (DIF) in a presentation to the Oireachtas sub-Committee on Fisheries. Árainn Mhór Island is classed by the CSO as extremely disadvantaged, being ranked one out of 483 on ‘relative

deprivation’ score.)

The current quota system was described as ‘flawed’, requiring a full review of the ITQ system and of relative stability.

It was also suggested that fish caught in Atlantic waters should be processed in Ireland. Around 1.2 million tonnes are caught annually in Irish waters of which 80 per cent by non-Irish vessels. Just 5% of total catch in processed in Ireland.

The impact of Brexit centred on fleet displacement if the UK exercises full control of its EEZ (33% of North East Atlantic Waters), and on ‘relative stability’ which guarantees Ireland a fixed quota percentage of certain species.

The total allowable catch (TAC) of a stock is based on scientific data. If the UK successfully negotiates to ‘reclaim’ quota, relative stability for Ireland would mean a greatly reduced allocation, because percentage would be of a smaller overall quota.

Ireland — with the largest lucrative fishing grounds of the EU ( Atlantic /North Western Waters) — will soon be isolated from Europe and must be given special status.

It was also suggested that if Ireland was to double its entire white fish quota, it would only be an increase of about €1m in value per week; however this increase would correct the current imbalance in sections of the fleet and would help ensure the survival of coastal communities.

SMALL SCALE FISHERIES AND THE ISLANDS

The Commission must consider the role of smallscale fisheries in island communities in future proposals. Key considerations: more equitable distribution of quotas for non-industrial fisheries legal provisions to enable coastal and island development while taking into account environmental protection and socioeconomic diversity preferential access to small-scale, coastal and traditional fishermen EMFF funding priority for small-scale fisheries Proposed and potential implementation of fisheries legislation should be subject to prior comprehensive

impact assessment Fishery-dependent regions should play a key role in developing innovations, and should be involved at every phase of the blue economy Better involvement of women and young people to reinforce their economic and social empowerment.

Despite islands being recognised as part of the guiding principles of the CFP, national agencies have not adopted measures to help island fishers to date.

(Paragraph 20 of CFP preamble: ‘Small offshore islands which are dependent on fishing should, where appropriate, be especially recognised and supported in order to enable them to survive and prosper.’)

A proposal was made to create sustainable inshore fisheries management areas out to the six mile limit. Irish waters within the baseline should be restricted to inshore low-impact fishing only.

QUOTA ACCESS

Sustainable fishery management systems/areas require fair access to quota for inshore and island fleets.

A designated, ring-fenced, non-transferable community quota for proposed managed areas should be made available as per Article 17 of the CFP. This would enable seasonal fishery management.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Inshore fishers using static fishing gear often lose equipment to large pelagic vessels towing mobile gear.

An official notification and conflict resolution system needs to be put in

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place to prevent the loss of livelihood, for island fishers.

ADDING VALUE

Fishery products of island origin require specific lowvolume, high-value marketing and retail chains. This would ensure the benefits of sustainably managed fisheries are retained within island communities.

In her concluding remarks, MEP Ní Riada said small-scale fisheries were inseparable from social and cultural practices, and called on legislators and policymakers to place greater emphasis on understanding these dynamics to improve fisheries management.

She added that fishing has always been expressed by coastal and island communities as being ‘intrinsic’ to their local economy and culture, underpinned by ‘cultural capital’ that took pride in the skills required to fish knowledgeably and efficiently, and how fishermen interacted and managed their local fishing grounds.

These elements “should and must be incorporated into policy-making and legislation….The fishing industry has been mismanaged, undermined and neglected needs to end,” she said.

Scope and precedent exists for small-scale fisheries “and those who are concerned with the condition of the global marine environment to challenge the super-trawlers and their operators and owners from their increasing dominance of industrialised corporate fishing”.

iadh Ní Riada, Sinn Féin MEP for IrelandSouth has been appointed as Brexit rapporteur for fisheries by the European United Left.

“I am very happy to have been chosen for this role and the opportunities it affords me to stand up for the Irish fishing industry. The situation with Brexit and fisheries in Ireland is an unpredictable and potentially catastrophic for Irish fishermen.

She stressed “major concern” with vessel displacement from UK waters if Britain exercises full control of its EEZ. “Such a move could signal the death knell of Ireland’s fishing industry” unless the CFP is revised.

“If Brexit turns into a disaster for our ordinary Irish fishermen, especially the small-scale sector and our rural and coastal communities because of incompetence and indifference of the Irish government and their failure to consult and take on-board the concerns of the whole sector and Sinn Féin proposals, the Irish people will hold you accountable,” she warned.

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FISHERIES

Sustainability and responsibility: the new language of the pier

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reland’s seafood development agency is supporting the fishing industry to increase its sustainability footprint by working with fishermen, fish farmers, processors and retailers — and to ensure the sector operates responsibly and increases profitability.

In 2016, seafood exports were valued at €559m and domestic sales reached €239m with demand continuing to grow.

BIM’s revised ‘Responsibly Sourced Seafood’ (RSS) standard focusses on sustainability in the catching and processing sectors. The standard is a third-party accredited certification that verifies fishing vessels and onshore facilities adhere to strict criteria.

The Fishing Vessel Standard is based on four pillars: responsible fishing practices; care of the catch; traceability and provenance and social sustainability which includes training and staff welfare.

For intermediaries such as co-operatives and processors, the Onshore Handling & Quality Standard covers four

areas throughout the supply chain: food business operator requirements; facility hygiene and management; sourcing policy and practices, and traceability and provenance.

The RSS standard helps to deliver key objectives of Ireland’s Food Wise 2025.

In particular, it addresses key requirements of the raw material certification and sustainability aspects of Origin Green — the national sustainability strategy for food and drinks producers.

Castletownbere Fisherman’s Co-op received the top accolade, ‘Green Business of the Year’ at the 2017 Green Awards.

LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY

BIM is also working with fishermen and producers through local Fishery Improvement Programmes (FIPs). These programmes aim to improve the long-term sustainability of fisheries through voluntary agreement to engage in specific actions that work to preserve the fishery.

FIPs aim to meet the standards set by the Marine

Stewardship Council and enable producers and processers to access markets that now demand sustainability credentials.

Four fisheries have been identified for the first phase of development: brown crab, whitefish (hake, monkfish and megrim), nephrops and albacore tuna. (See pg 17)

PLASTIC CATCH

A simple, but very effective, initiative is the BIM Fishing for Litter programme. With six ports participating (Clogherhead, Killybegs, Castletownbere, Union Hall, Ros a Mhil and Greencastle) and another two ports expected to participate this year, the programme enables fishermen to collect marine litter in heavy-duty bags that can be brought ashore for appropriate disposal and recycling.

In 2016, close to eight tonnes of waste was collected and disposed from the marine environment. The Fishing for Litter programme links in with BIM’s existing Net Recycling programme; since 2005, 400 tonnes of

Frances O’Dwyer, BIM; Patrick Jnr McClenaghan; Oscar McClenaghan; Frank McDermott, Harbour Master; Catherine Barrett, BIM; John D O’Kane, Manager, Foyle Co-op; James Harkin; Mo Mathies, BIM monofilament fishing nets have been recycled.

FISHING NET ART

Social Sustainability is another key element of BIM’s work. The agency has teamed with ReCreate, a national social enterprise, to divert certain fishing net materials from landfill for reuse.

Clean and unused net cut-offs become inventive art materials that ReCreate give to groups who may not

BIM and Teagasc in joint project to recover valuable by-product ingredients

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y-product or ‘waste’ recovery is becoming a key priority for pelagic and shellfish processors in light of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy.

These by-products are important as often the ‘organic loads’ (the impact organic material has on the environment as it decomposes to inorganic) are high and the cost for their treatment and environmentally safe disposal can be substantial.

There is now an onus on fishermen not to discard fish whereas previously by-product would have been thrown back into the sea. Crab, prawn and pelagic processing by-products currently have a low market value and are used primarily in Ireland for pet food, aquaculture feeds and composting.

In Donegal alone it is estimated that 11,500 tonnes of waste is produced along with 2,500-3,000 tonnes of sludge every year as a result of fish processing.

This volume of waste is likely to increase as scale and competitiveness increases; however, this material is no longer being viewed purely as a waste but as a by-product, co-product or rest-raw material of processing with the potential for use as a substrate to generate high-value feed, food and functional food ingredients.

NORDIC STUDIES

Studies carried out in Iceland and Norway have identified valuable components in effluents and waste waters generated during pelagic processing.

In Ireland similar projects are being carried out by Teagasc in a bid to add

value to fish processing rest-raw materials.

Bloodwater from pelagic processing can contain proteins, lipids, minerals and vitamins with potential added market value for processors.

BIM-funded research will assess the recovery, quantity, and quality of potentially high value proteins, peptides and other ingredients from blood water and skin and bones.

This work is being carried out by researchers at the Teagasc Food Research Centre in Ashtown Co Dublin.

A project on chitin and chitosan generation from crab shell by-product material that results following processing is also underway.

BRAVO PROJECT

Recovery of valuable ingredients from bloodwater waste streams will utilise technologies including membrane concentration

along with fractionation and purification methods to recover and concentrate proteins resulting from pelagic processing.

Fish blood consists of plasma and proteins including albumin; globulins; nonprotein nitrogen; urea; creatine and other small molecules. The species of focus include blue whiting, mackerel and horse mackerel.

Protein characterisation methods will be employed to determine the quantity and quality of proteins/peptides found in blood-water sampled at each stage of processing.

FISHBOWL PROJECT

Ireland’s 2017 quota for blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) increased 85% to 45,500 tonnes. For boarfish (Capros aper) Ireland’s catch quote decreased 36% to 10,500 tonnes.

Currently, these species

ordinarily have access to supplies. To date, ReCreate has given over 500 tonnes of clean waste materials to 5,000 children’s art and play projects.

At the end of April, BIM established a direct logistics link to ReCreate and gave clean storage receptacles to three net manufacturers in Howth: GK Nets Ltd; Marine Suppliers Ltd and Pepe Trawls Ltd. Further information: http:// bim.ie/our-services/yourenvironment/for,fishermen/

are shipped whole and unprocessed as frozen 20 kilo product to African countries and China with low market value. FishBOWL aims to recover and generate sufficient quantities of marine proteins, specifically gelatine, from byproducts of boarfish and blue whiting Surimi production.

Gelatine will be characterised and assessed for its potential use as a food ingredient with emulsifying, gelation, foaming properties as well as health benefiting properties.

CHITIN PROJECT

Crab shells contain useful chemicals including proteins, calcium carbonate and chitin - a polymer similar to cellulose, but which also contains nitrogen. Chitin is the second most abundant polysaccharide after cellulose on earth. It is a component of crustaceans, insects and arachnids and is found in the exoskeleton or shell of crab.

Currently, chitin and its watersoluble derivative chitosan are used in niche areas of industrial chemistry, such as cosmetics, textiles, water treatment and biomedicine.

Chitosan is also used as a functional food ingredient.

Summary of a scientific paper can downloaded from the Inshore Ireland website www. inshore-ireland.com

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FISHERIES

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ishermen from Foyle Fishermen’s Co-op in Greencastle, Co Donegal, are now active members of BIM’s Fishing For Litter (FFL) programme.

Funded under the European Maritime Fisheries Fund (EMFF), this simple but effective programme provides fishermen with bags to collect marine litter while fishing and to bring it ashore for appropriate disposal and recycling on land. All seven fishing vessels in the Co-op have signed up to the environmental initiative, highlighting their commitment to greener fishing policies.

“There is a pride among fishermen and the local community here in Greencastle, and this pride will continue to drive our focus on environmental responsibility,” remarked John O’Kane, Manager of Foyle Fishermen’s Co-op.

Announcing the Co-op’s membership, BIM’s chief executive, Jim O’Toole said that environmental sustainability was a priority for BIM and the fishing industry: “Participation in this initiative can gain recognition for member vessels and their crew, as Fishing for Litter contributes to BIM’s certification and sustainability programmes and Bord Bia’s Origin Green sustainability charter.

“The programme has already resulted in the retrieval of 10 tonnes of marine waste. I would like to congratulate and recognise the members of Foyle Fishermen’s Co-op and Greencastle’s Harbourmaster, Frank Mc Dermott, for their dedication to this programme and other environmental initiatives.”

In conjunction with Donegal County Council and the harbour management, Greencastle fishing port is already a significant contributor to BIM’s Fishing Net Recycling programme where nets are dismantled into components for recycling, diverted away from landfill.

To date, the port has recycled six tonnes of fishing nets. Coop member, Pat McClenaghan, MFV Foyle Warrior, won ‘Best New Fishing Practice’ in the BIM National Awards 2016 — one of three vessels awarded third-party certification to BIM’s Responsibly Sourced Seafood scheme.

Five fishing ports are participating in the ‘Fishing for Litter’ programme; another three are expected to join later this year.

Further information: Catherine Barrett on 01-2144251 or barrett@bim.ie

Crab de-clawing: a cruel and damaging effect on stocks Norah Park, Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation

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n its advisory role to the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, the SFPA Consultative Committee has been concerned with industry reports that indicate a marked increase in the practice of de-clawing brown crab, and either discarding the bodies or using them for whelk bait.

This practice has many negative outcomes for industry, such as poor quality product; possible consumer health issues; animal welfare; negative reputation on domestic and overseas markets and possibly the most serious implication — longterm effect on brown crab stocks.

The CC asked the Marine Institute for its opinion regarding possible consequences for crab stocks due to large-scale de-clawing.

The query was dealt with by the Marine Institute Fisheries Ecosystems Advisory Services which made several key observations. Firstly, the practice does not occur in all

regions to the same extent; there appears to be ‘hot-spots’ of large scale de-clawing and areas with virtually none. In all crab fisheries, a high level of discarding takes place which varies throughout the year due to seasonal factors: numbers of male versus female; undersized animals and recently moulted crab in poor condition.

Normal discarding is a protective mechanism for the stocks; crabs returned to sea as part of the grading process survive to grow, spawn and reach a suitable market condition.

De-clawed crabs however have a poor chance of survival; they die of blood-loss or failure to feed properly while their claws re-generate.

While there is ample evidence of de-clawed crab, there are few examples of crab with re-generated, functional claws. A strong correlation exists between claw size and body size; small claws, with the exception of obviously regenerated claws, come from small bodies.

In Ireland, the only relevant management of the brown crab fishery is by compliance with the Minimum Landing

Size (MLS); this assumes that all crab landed are above MLS but does not take into account the landing of those crab where bodies have been discarded.

This is potentially a big loss to stock recruitment.

Many crab fishermen are in favour of increasing the MLS —especially as the market favours a larger crab — but there will be no benefit to stocks and yield if crabs below MLS are not returned to sea, intact.

BIM Training Schedule June – September 2017

Navigation Control (Fishing) – 26 June-07 July, NFC Greencastle Commercial Fishing QQI Award (Major) Level 5 – Commences September 2017, NFC Greencastle Skipper Full Certificate of Competency – 20 March-09 June, NFC Greencastle – 04 September 2017, NFC Greencastle

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Class 3, Certificate of Competency Engineer Officer (Fishing Vessel)1 – Commences September 2017 GMDSS Short Range Radio Proficiency Module 1 & 21 – 22-24 May, NFC Greencastle – 22-25 May, NFC Castletownbere – 29 May-02 June, Howth, Co Dublin CTU2 – 22-24 May, NFC Greencastle – 13-15 June, Achill, Co Mayo CTU1 – 18-20 July, Killybegs, Co Donegal GMDSS General Operator Certificate1 – 12-23 June, NFC Greencastle 1

Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting (3 Day) STCW-95 – 30 May-01 June, NFC Greencastle Advanced Fire Fighting and Prevention (5 Day) STCW-95 – 19-23 June, NFC Greencastle Three Day Basic Safety Training – 23-25 May, Howth, Co Dublin CTU2 – 23-25 May, NFC Greencastle – 30 May-01 June, Achill, Co Mayo CTU1 – 06-08 June, NFC Greencastle – 13-15 June, NFC Castletownbere – 13-15 June, Union Hall, Co Cork CTU2 – 20-22 June, Achill, Co Mayo CTU1 – 20-22 June, Union Hall, Co Cork CTU2 – 27-29 June, Achill, Co Mayo CTU1 – 11-13 July, Killybegs, Co Donegal CTU1 – 11-13 July, NFC Castletownbere Enhanced Safety Training – 26 May, Howth, Co Dublin CTU2 – 02 June, Achill, Co Mayo CTU1

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport Certificate of Competency

www.bim.ie

Ireland’s EU Structural and Investment Funds Programmes 2014 - 2020 Co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Union

– – – – – –

08 June, NFC Castletownbere 12 June, NFC Greencastle 23 June, Achill, Co Mayo CTU1 05 July, NFC Castletownbere 03 July, NFC Greencastle 18 July, Killybegs, Co Donegal CTU1

Passenger Boat Proficiency – 26-30 June, NFC Greencastle For information on our courses visit www.bim.ie or contact: – National Fisheries College (NFC) Greencastle on 074 938 1068 – National Fisheries College (NFC) Castletownbere on 027 71230 – Coastal Training Unit 1 (CTU1) Confirm course 087 683 7134 – Coastal Training Unit 2 (CTU2) Confirm course 087 233 4620 Please contact the CTU instructor for final confirmation of the course schedule.

Agriculture, Food and the Marine Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara

EUROPEAN UNION This measure is part-financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund

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FISHERIES

Capture fisheries and aquaculture economics at Dublin Castle suggests, that problems emerged to “rationalise the industry by getting rid of most family fishing operations” in an effort to make the industrial fishery more efficient. During this era, policy failure and the inability to enforce harvest limits, “brought chaos and depletion of certain fish stocks”.

Gillian Mills

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he 23rd conference of the European Association of Fisheries Economists (EAFE), hosted by BIM, welcomed over 100 delegates to Dublin Castle for threedays of business and networking.

The theme: The Socioeconomics of adaptation in EU fisheries: Lessons from the New Common Fisheries and Beyond, attracted presentations across 25 plenary and breakout sessions to promote discussion among researchers, managers, policymakers and stakeholders.

Topics included fisheries management; the landing obligation and catch quotas; financial support; market analyses within the EU and fisheries subsidies at the WTO, along with aquaculture management and commercialisation.

Quality economic data and analysis, described as critical to achieving robust economic output, were the subjects of two sessions presented by DG Mare: the ‘small scale coastal fleet’ which has suffered from poor economic research is now being addressed by the EAFE, as well as the tools required to accurately assess the case for ‘public support’ in fisheries and aquaculture sectors, post 2020.

Jim O’Toole, BIM chief executive, said the conference was extremely timely as the fishing industry adapted to the new measures under the CFP. “It is imperative we share the latest research and intelligence in this field to ensure we are successfully managing this valuable industry.”

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Ragnar Arnason, Professor of Fisheries Economics at the University of Iceland, delivered a key note address on Fisheries Management: What works and want doesn’t.

Prof Arnason advises the Icelandic government on fisheries management, and was instrumental in developing the country’s ITQ system in the 1980s.

A second key note address was presented by Prof Daniel Bromley who shared his vision for “an honest European fishery policy”, not based on the “intellectual deceits and lies that underpin much fishery policy”.

He foresees a new policy that assures fish stock sustainability; that shifts the focus of policy from fishery management to fishery

‘MINIMAL SHARE’

Pictured at Dublin Castle are: Michael Keatinge, BIM; Barrie Deas, National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations UK; Jim O’Toole, BIM:, Prof Daniel Bromley, University of Wisconsin- Madison; Sean O’Donoghue, KFO; Gerard van Balsfoort, Pelagic Freezer Trawler Association; Miguel Pena Castellot, DG Mare; Prof Ragner Arnason, University of Iceland. governance; that breaks the monopoly-like grip of a few large industrial firms over fish harvesting and processing; that generates national income by a royalty payment from firms that now get their fish for free, and one that revitalises fishing ports devastated by the policy mistakes of the past two decades.

Bromley points to the “evolutionary pathway” that led to the “current flawed state of affairs” characterised under the headings of artisanal fishing; elaboration; reconstitution; apologetics and victimization.

He describes ‘artisanal’ fishing as “human interaction with the marine ecosystem — a broad spectrum provisioning strategy”, eventually leading to more “narrow exploitation and consumption choices” that economised on what was scarce.

“If labour was scare, there was a tendency towards technical innovation. If labour was relatively abundant then exploitation patterns evolved in the direction of minimal technical change.

Gradually we began to see the emergence of high-grading,” he says.

HIGH GRADING

In phase two ‘elaboration’, high-grading evolved into “an increasingly complex social and economic system in its interaction with the marine environment” evidenced by larger vessels, more elaborate gear, larger sails and eventually motors.

“Opportunistic fishing” gave way to more persistent exploitation over both time

and space, and fishing evolved into a “profession”.

Economic activity was gradually transformed into an industry “with associated patterns of hierarchy, control and social and economic advantage”, leading to competition, scarcity of certain highvalued species and labour/ management conflict.

This coincided with the emergence of ‘merchant capitalism’, he describes as the “immediate use of sporadic cash infusions into the fishing household”.

Since most labour was provided by the owner, “all sales immediately became household income”; there was no fixed capital and thus, external investors were unnecessary.

‘FIXED CAPITAL MODE’

The third phase, ‘reconstruction’, saw a shift from merchant capitalism to modern industry, characterised by a fixedcapital mode of production — the industrial model.

Bromley describes this as a “single long-run equilibrium that must equate supply and demand throughout the production cycle”.

Competition then drove full employment and the need for labour flexibility, paving the way for factory ships to process and freeze fresh product for shipment to distant markets. Necessary capital was needed from external investors; however outside investors meant that control was now divided between the vessel owner and the investor, resulting in a “serious

economic liability when it is not harvesting fish”and pressure to earn revenue all of the time if possible.

“A fishing vessel in port — like a commercial airliner parked at an airport gate — is a serious financial liability,” he contends.

This unravelling scenario soon became the focus of attention of government who in turn sponsored research that helped to improve technology — and that technology was then adopted through subsidised government loans.

These innovations allowed further “lethal pursuit” of traditional fish stocks as well as exploitation of other stocks previously uneconomic to pursue.

Emblematic of this, Bromley says, are the Exclusive Economic Zones under the United National Convention of Sea (UNCLOS), which entitled coastal states to exercise control over what had suddenly become “their” natural resources (e.g. minerals, fish and habitats).

By declaring national sovereignty over coastal fisheries, “the rush was on to develop commercial fleets that could quickly capture this new bounty. There is no clearer acknowledgement of the economic and political importance of an industry than the sudden appearance of government subsidies and assistance’, he says.

At this stage, growing industry activity was the norm; seen as “normal, necessary, good and as a legitimate form of social and economic organisation”.

It is at this point, Bromley

He adds it was “the policy of choice” to evict small fishing firms and to reward those who had been most responsible for aggressive fishing. Firms with a small fishing history received a minimal share of the new quota and were forced to sell this to those with a “massive fishing history”.

Given so many of the world’s fisheries are now in peril, Bromley says is cannot be a surprise that the final phase in this evolutionary process is one where the fishing industry sees itself as the “innocent victim and we see the emergence of a “sense of entitlement.

“And from victimisation comes the expectation of indemnification. How many fisheries have been devastated by industrial harvests and then rescued by compensation scheme?” he asks.

But he suggests a more “insidious form of indemnification” is the free gifting of quota “into perpetuity – assuring access to billions of dollars of income and wealth available for firms who get the fish for free”.

This “handover” to the private sector is “justified by the bogus claim that private interests are the best assurance of sustainability” — those who can do “the right thing until, under pressure from creditors, they decide not to”.

Bromley believes the first requirement to “rescue” fisheries policy is to purge maximisation from the conversation, which has “distorted and stifled” creativity in policy formation, and to shift from “management” to “governance”.

A fundamental flaw is found in the multiplicity of fishery goals, coupled with reliance on a single policy instrument – ITQs (Individual Transfer Quotas), he contends.

He proposes four plausible goals: “preserve fish habitats and sustainable harvests of valuable fish stocks; assure access to fishing opportunities by firms; generate royalty revenue for national treasuries and promote the revitalisation of former fishing communities that have suffered under the ravages of quota programmes

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FISHERIES and other policy mistakes”.

These goals could achieve a more “coherent set of policy alternatives”, led by fishery administrators, biologists, ecologists, sociologists and economists, supported by agencies, decision-makers, politicians, fishing industry representatives and the public.

Assuming Total Allowable Catch limits are set and enforced with “no possibility for deviation”, Bromley suggests the first step in a new approach to an “honest fishery policy” must be to eliminate “the exclusive control over access to fishing now enjoyed by a closed-class of vessel owners – and their bankers – who possess quota”.

Correcting the policy mistake of ITQs would offer “aspiring firms an opportunity to gain access to a livelihood in fishing without the need to purchase quota as a condition for entry and would also prevent the practice of fishing firms becoming like share croppers to those who own quota”.

He believes ITQ fisheries must change to “fixedterm permit fisheries” that authorise holders to land a specific share of the TAC in a particular fishery for a fixed period, e.g. ten years, and that these permits belong to government, not to a fishing firm.

The second advantage of a “governance” regime would mean the private sector is no longer given “free fish” that belongs to the nation State.

A unit price for every fish caught (the royalty) “acts as damper on effort” as it lowers the net economic value to the firm of each additional fish caught and sold. A royalty auction would assure that only the most efficient firms gain access to the fishery.

Helping fishing communities to overcome the problem of “stranded labour and capital” arising from current policy mistakes, Bromley suggests that recipients of TAC-share permits could be required to off-load some portion of their landings at those locations to stimulate employment.

Alternatively he suggests that a portion of a TAC-share permit could be awarded to ports that have abandoned processing facilities; they in turn could contract with vessels to deliver landings to specific locations.

In summary, Bromley contends the focus must change to comprehensive fisheries governance instead of emphasis on management — the unequal contest between industrial-scale vessels and fish stocks.

Central to this must be stock sustainability and to break “monopoly-like control of industrial fishing in which entry is impossible, and fish are given away for free”.

Best practice developments to bolster brown crab fishery

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IM in partnership with industry stakeholders from the inshore and processing sectors have launched a Fisheries Improvement Project for Ireland’s brown crab fishery. The aim of a FIP is to improve sustainable operations within a fishery and to progress to certification under the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) over a 3-5 year period.

“The Brown Crab FIP represents a unique precompetitive partnership, combining the concerted efforts of government, industry and NGOs to address common challenges we face in securing a sustainable future for our crab fishery,” remarked BIM’s new chief executive, Jim O’Toole.

A coordinated industry group will drive sustainability to ensure fishermen and

processors are achieving the best price on the market.

“This is an exciting development for the industry and is aligned to BIM’s Responsibly Sourced Standard — a key driver of seafood environmental and sustainability objectives outlined in the Government’s Food Wise 2025 report,” he added.

The Brown Crab FIP has been independently accepted by the NGO, Fishery Progress ( www.fisheryprogress. org). This is one of four FIPs scheduled for BIM support in 2017, covering the nephrops, whitefish and albacore tuna sectors.

BIM have linked registered FIPs to its Responsibly Sourced Seafood Scheme, the agency’s accreditation standard for the sector. This link provides the opportunity for actions and participation in a FIP to be independently, thirdparty verified and certified.

The FIP will focus on sustainable sourcing; healthy fish stocks; effective fisheries management; improved quality and market performance, and the activities will be regularly tracked by Fishery Progress and performance will be measured against the activities and

outcomes identified in the agreed work plan.

Participation in the FIP is voluntary and open to any fisherman or processor, provided they agree and implement the rules set out by the FIP stakeholders.

For details contact: rssstandard@bim.ie or log onto marineapps.net/fip/

WEFA 2017 attracts leading seafood research and development experts to Dublin Gery Flynn

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he 47th annual conference of the West European Fish Technologists Association WEFTA 2017 takes place in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium (Oct 9-12) with the theme: Innovative Technologies for Healthy and Sustainable Seafood production.

“The WEFTA conference has become the leading platform where seafood R&D experts discuss hot topics and major breakthroughs,” says John Fagan, Senior Food Technologist with BIM, and chair of this year’s event.

The event comprises keynote lectures, oral and poster sessions and opportunities for active discussion and networking with SMEs from the seafood sector. Already confirmed are global experts from Nofima (Norway), Matis (Iceland), Ifremer (France), Teagasc (Ireland) and Skaginn 3X (Iceland).

“Skaginn 3X has completed high-profile turn-key subchilling technology projects with major Icelandic whitefish and Norwegian salmon processors. Their highly efficient freezing systems are already being installed by major French and Icelandic pelagic processors,”

John Fagan explained.

“Sub-chilling involves pulling the core temperature of the fish to approximately minus 1.5˚C with the fish effectively becoming the refrigerant and negating the need for ice. Super-chilling has been a hot-topic at WEFTA for several years, with Irish and Nordic projects trying to examine whether it actually gives verifiable results in terms of product quality, shelf life and sensory.”

Fagan added that a renewed focus was evident, especially in the Nordic countries, on how new equipment and processes affect the raw material and that this insight was being used to develop technologies that ensure the raw material is maintained in the best possible quality.

“BIM works closely with the Irish seafood sector to add further value to processing, aquaculture and fisheries companies and individuals with a key role of ensuring our clients have access to the latest innovative technologies and knowledge-base,” says Fagan.

He also believes that the scientific content at WEFTA is relevant to Ireland’s seafood sector and its research base. It also presents opportunities to learn from the leaders in seafood R&D

to integrate knowledge and new technologies on fishing vessels, aquaculture facilities and on the factory floor.

“My day-to-day role with BIM involves scanning the horizon for new innovative technologies across all the major species groups, and making sure our clients understand the most relevant packaging, processing and new product technologies,” adds Fagan.

The BIM team also links with major international production equipment and packaging technologies suppliers and manufacturers, and maintains close links with commercially relevant international seafood R&D groups involved with industry-led projects aimed at maximum use and profitability from raw materials.

under-utilised shell material and to assess opportunities to extract chitosan from Irish brown crab by-product for potential ingredients, and for the health and wellness and techno-functional markets.

John Fagan believes that international seafood companies are becoming “smarter” and are employing experts who understand new technologies and can quickly convert new ideas into new products, processes and market opportunities.

Pointing to by-product use as a major issue globally, he looks forward to a keynote presentation by Scottish company CuanTec Ltd on new opportunities that use discarded shell material from Nephrops processing to develop smart packaging concepts with extended shelf life properties.

TEAGASC

Having worked with Teagasc, John Fagan has introduced some of the technologies used in beef, poultry, dairy etc into the Irish seafood sector via in-factory trials and by maintaining an international network of commerciallyaware R&D groups.

BIM is now working with Teagasc to explore technologies to develop

John Fagan, Chair of WEFTA 2017

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inshore ireland summer 2017

AQUACULTURE NEWS

Water Network: first ‘stock-take’of water-related activities related work areas of DAFM and its agencies.

Published in March the report provides a ‘stock-take’ of the water-related activities of DAFM and its agencies.

Gery Flynn

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rotecting and Enhancing Water for Sustainable Agriculture is the first report from the DAFM Water Network, established following an internal Water Forum in October 2015, which created an opportunity to collectively share knowledge and expertise from across the water-

EU WATER POLICY

The Water Framework Directive is the primary EU water policy driver, and its objectives encompass the multi-sectoral achievement of good water status (quality and quantity) in all EU

WFD / Nitrates Deroga3on / EIA CAP Pillar 1: Direct payments

Integrated Controls

CAP Pillar 2: Rural Development

Nitrates, Biodiversity & Engineering

Broad-ranging laboratory capability

DAFM Laboratories

Agricultural Environment & Structures Origin Green Quality Assurance Schemes

Food safety / Shellfish waters

Bord Bia

Food Safety Controls

ACHIEVING good water quality AND safe sustainable food

Sea Fisheries ProtecDon Authority

Marine Strategy Framework Direc3ve

Sustainable Use of Pes3cides

PesDcide RegistraDon & Control

Research Research & funds: RSF, CODEX FIRM, CoFoRD, Horizon 2020

Climate Change & Bioenergy Policy

Marine InsDtute

Agricultural Catchments Programme / Water-related research

Dairy Controls & Cer3fica3on / Hor3culture & Plant Health / Veterinary Public Health & Inspec3on Service

Animal ByProducts

Teagasc Forest Service

Promo3ng sustainable forest management

Environmental sustainability

Economics & Planning

Food Wise 2025

Animal byproducts disposal

waters by certain deadlines.

Noting that the quality of Irish water is among the best in Europe, the report warns that agriculture is nevertheless a key pressure, with the potential to impact on our ability to fully meet stringent environmental objectives.

The WFD requires Member States to manage water at the river basin scale, and DAFM is collaborating closely in this regard with the Department of Housing, Planning & Local Government and with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Both bodies are leading the development of Ireland’s River Basin Management Plan. This plan will be finalised in 2017 and will form the basis for the implementation of the next phase of the WFD (2017-2021).

Ireland must provide details of how it plans to fully implement the following EU water-related legislation: » Nitrates Directive » Plant Production Products Regulation » Environmental Impact Assessment Directive » Habitats and Birds Directives » Drinking Water Directive » Marine Strategy Framework Directive » Bathing Waters Directive » Sewage Sludge Directive » Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive

» Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive » Major Accidents Directive.

The Plan must also detail any other water-related measures that are considered necessary for Ireland to achieve WFD objectives.

FARM-LEVEL MEASURES

Farm-level and other measures are currently being facilitated by DAFM divisions and agencies, directly and indirectly to protect and enhance water quality.

Such measures play an important role in striking a balance between agrieconomic growth and environmental protection, as set out in Food Wise 2025.

Taken as a whole, they also represent the contribution of the agri-food, forest and marine sectors to Ireland’s River Basin Management Plan under the WFD.

INTERACTIONS

» DAFM has statutory obligations under some EU Directives, that fall directly under the umbrella of the WFD » DAFM also directly facilitates water-related measures under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), including the Direct Payments Regulation, the Rural Development Programme

(RDP) and the Forestry Programme » other areas of work that interact with water quality matters, include climate policy and food safety.

DAFM also promotes and supports waterrelated research through its research funding programmes Agencies under the aegis of DAFM include Teagasc, the Marine Institute, the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and Bord Bia. The water-related activities of these agencies are included under monitoring, research, food safety regulation and marketing measures.

All of these activities contribute to further strengthening compatability between increased food production in accordance with Food Wise 2025, and achieving and maintaining good water quality under the WFD. The Water Network document also describes the water-related activities across the Department and throughout its associated agencies, under the following headings: » WFD: Nitrates, Pesticides and Environmental Impact Directives » CAP and water » Forests and water » Other DAFM activities relating to water » DAFM agencies

Ireland recognised worldwide for its shellfish safety regime

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Pictured at the conference were Dr Peter Heffernan Marine Institute, Richie Flynn IFA Aquaculture; Michael Molloy, Chair Irish Shellfish Association and Joe Silke, Marine Institute

afety controls in Ireland’s seafood industry are among the most sophisticated in the world, an international conference on shellfish safety at NUI Galway was told.

Michael Mulloy, chairman of the Irish Shellfish Association, and a prominent mussel farmer in Clew Bay, told delegates at this year’s International Conference on Molluscan Safety (ICMSS) that Irish shellfish farmers “pride themselves” on the quality of the expertise employed in Ireland to ensure seafood products are of the highest standard.

“Scientific progress in the last 15 years has been promoted and embraced by Ireland and we have gained a deserved reputation as one of the leading expert centres on shellfish safety in the EU and

worldwide,” Mulloy said.

The conference is hosted in a different country every two years and attracts global scientists, students and food-safety experts to hear about the latest strides made in consumer shellfish safety.

The positive economic impact that shellfish production has in rural communities is also highlighted at this prestigious biennial event.

“Local communities in Ireland, the tourism sector and the economy all benefit from our activity, which is simply about producing delicious, nutritious and safe seafood from the Irish coast. The Irish industry takes food-safety very seriously and, as a trading nation dependent on food exports, Ireland must ensure we have a secure and trustworthy system based on world-class systems and science,” Michael

Mulloy said in his welcome address to delegates.

“Irish shellfish farmers pride themselves on their wealth and quality of knowledge and data, as well as on the expertise employed in the private and public sector… to ensure our products are of the highest standard.”

Mulloy said the Irish Shellfish Association, as a partner with the Marine Institute, NUI Galway, BIM and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, was delighted to be able showcase the scientific, environmental and regulatory strengths of the Irish shellfish safety regime.

“We look forward to showcasing to delegates the best Irish shellfish and most progressive and safety conscious farms in Ireland, located in waters we regard as the finest in the world,” he said.

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19

AQUACULTURE NEWS

Salmon farmers see huge potential in recirculation systems Ivar Warrer-Hansen, Inter Aqua Advance A/S

I

t was not until the mid to late 1970s that the idea first emerged of applying the principles of intensive commercial Recirculation Aquaculture Systems (RAS) to the aquaculture industry.

These early efforts focused on controlling water quality parameters by maintaining optimum water temperature and treating the recycled water so that growing conditions for the fish were optimised in a contained system. This pioneering work was carried out at Denmark’s Water Quality Institute.

European eel was the first species to be farmed using RAS because they fetched a high market price at the time - the highest price of any commonly consumed fish, in fact. Eels also thrive in relatively high water temperatures and are tolerant to being farmed.

At the start of the 1980s

there was a boom in eel production using RAS in Denmark, Germany and Holland. Annual eel production quickly reached 8,000 tonnes, and was seen as a significant contribution to European aquaculture.

RAS development spread even as far as China where quite a lot of eel plants were also built in the mid to late 1980s.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

These early RAS systems had many technical teething problems however. The first mistake was to adopt the same mechanical and biological treatment methods being used at the time in municipal wastewater treatment plants.

As this type of technology was far from optimal, it was fortunate that, as a species, eels are hardy and relatively tolerant. So despite early poor design, these RAS farmers, to some extent ‘got away with it’, and many of them even succeeded in making money.

In the meantime, RAS technology has improved enormously, although some concepts still resemble the early designs and some projects have had mixed

results over the years. In practically all cases however, the problems have been due to poor technology or too small a scale, or a combination of both. It is true too that some of the fish species used were unsuitable for the early technology used. The species reared in RAS today include: turbot; sea bass; tilapia; catfish; trout; Arctic charr; perch; salmon smolt and salmon on-growing.

SALMON FARMERS LEAD THE WAY

At a relatively early stage, the salmon industry recognised the potential for RAS production – especially in relation to smolt production. As well as being able to fully control water temperature and water quality, RAS systems offered farmers the possibility of year-round optimum growth and an option to transfer smolt to sea cages at any time.

With optimum growth regimes and the large number of smolt that could be produced, RAS also showed it was cheaper to produce smolts this way compared to conventional flow-through systems.

Driven by developments in

the salmon farming sector in Norway, North America and Chile within the last five years or so, many RAS systems have worked exceptionally well – providing a pristine water quality environment as well as stable and safe production. Led by the salmon industry, these newer systems can now be used with practically any fish species.

And due to the more stringent environmental regulations today it would be difficult to obtain the necessary planning permission to build a flow-through smolt facility.

POST-SMOLT PRODUCTION IN RAS

The salmon farming industry is also gradually changing from standard smolt to postsmolt production. Instead of 80-120g smolt, post smolt are regularly being produced in RAS systems at 500-600 g - or even up to 1kg. The result is that the production period in sea cages is being reduced significantly.

Under Irish conditions

therefore, instead of 540 days at sea, production time could be reduced by as much as 130 days – a time saving of approximately 25%. At the same time, with bigger fish stocked in a shorter production cycle, significant reductions in sea lice infestations are likely. Site fallowing can also be more efficient.

RAS is now gaining a significant foothold in the aquaculture world - a move directly attributable to these positive developments with the salmon industry.

Salmon-smolt production using RAS is paving the way for a promising future for aquaculture worldwide.

*Ivar Warrer-Hansen co-founded the Aquaculture Department at the Danish Water Quality Institute and has been involved in RAS developments for many years. He has also been a commercial salmon and trout farmer. For the last 10 years he has been a senior adviser with Inter Aqua Advance A/S. http://www.interaqua. dk/about-iaa/

Post smolt of 500 grams reducing production time in sea by 132 days

An example of the the water treatment system in a RAS.

Courtesey Inter Aqua Advance

Rethinking Boundaries and Innovation for a Sustainable Marine Economy June 30th 2017 Register now ouroceanwealth.ie/register NUI Galway

David Lyons, Food Safety Authority of Ireland; Dr Jeff Fisher, Marine Institute; Dorothy-Jean McCoubrey, University of Auckland; Dr Peter Heffernan, Marine Institute; Dr Terrance O’Carroll, BIM; Joe Silke, Section Manager Shellfish Safety, Marine Institute.

20

inshore ireland summer 2017

SEAFOOD DESK

Funding to support seafood companies

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ineteen seafood companies are set to benefit from €1.3m grant-aid under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) Operational Programme to underpin business development and to purchase new equipment. Ten aquaculture enterprises will receive almost €1m; nine to develop oyster production and one relating to mussels.

In addition to €1.8m grant-aid announced in March, “This means grant offers of nearly €2m have already been made this year to 18 aquaculture enterprises and are supporting €5m in aquaculture capital investments,” remarked marine minister, Michael Creed.

SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE SCHEME

SEAFOOD PROCESSING CAPITAL INVESTMENT SCHEME

Beneficiary

County

Total Investment

Grant Approved

Beneficiary

County

Total Investment

Grant Approved

Sofi Shellfish Ltd

Mayo

€68,815

€27,526*

Caragh Clams Ltd

Kerry

€27,354

€10,941

Cork Cork Mayo

Donegal Oysters Ltd

Donegal

€610,880

€244,352

Good Fish Processing Ltd Keohane Seafoods Ltd Carr & Sons Seafood Ltd TOTAL

€505,000 €211,948 €235,076 €952,024

€113,250 €57,819 €64,446* €235,515

Donegal Ocean Deep Oysters Ltd

Donegal

€809,553

€323,821

* Subject to confirmation of SME status

Iasc Sliogagh Dún Garbhain Teoranta

Waterford

€342,176

€186,870

SEAFOOD SCALING & NEW MARKET DEVELOPMENT SCHEME

Racoo Shellfish

Donegal

€119,700

€47,880

Coney Island Shellfish Ltd

Sligo

€93,300

€37,320

Turkhead Enterprises Ltd

Cork

€51,317

€20,527

Eoin Carter Ostre’an Teoranta TOTAL

Sligo Donegal

€84,052 €62,837 €2,269,984

€42,026 €25,135* €966,398

* Subject to confirmation of SME status

GET THE LATEST NEWS ON THE MARINE, MARITIME, SEAFOOD AND FRESHWATER SECTORS ON WWW.INSHORE-IRELAND.COM AND OUR FACEBOOK BUSINESS PAGE: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/INSHOREIRELAND

Beneficiary

County

Total Investment

Grant Approved

Jade Ireland Seafood Ltd

Dublin, Donegal, Cork

€120,000

€60,000

€120,000

€60,000

TOTAL

SEAFOOD INNOVATION & BUSINESS PLANNING SCHEME Beneficiary

County

Total Investment

Grant Approved

Ocean Run Ltd Biomarine Ingredients Ireland Ltd Shellfish De La Mer Ltd Rene Cusack Ltd Goatsbridge Fish Processors Ltd TOTAL

Cork Donegal Cork Limerick Kilkenny

€6,650 €40,000 €39,604 €10,000 €28,000 €124,254

€3,325 €20,000 €19,802 €5,000 €14,000 €62,127

The Irish Seafood Sector Careers with Real Opportunities

A Career in Sea Fishing On a fishing vessel, a deckhand is obviously going to help with shooting and hauling the fishing gear. But there’s lots more to do besides. Steering and lookout duties; maintenance of fishing gear and onboard equipment. If hands-on work and the feel of the salt spray in your face are your idea of healthy outdoor work, this is for you.

But don’t forget that as well as the fresh sea air, a career at sea offers great opportunities for advancement. With BIM courses, you could go on to train as a mate - or even a skipper. With a Second Hand Certificate of Competency, you can become a mate after two years getting your sea legs. And after that, well – you might be thinking of skippering your own boat. Taking overall responsibility for over-seeing the crew and the vessel’s safety. Making the decisions about when and where to fish.

Everything is possible.

BIM’s Certificate in Commercial Fishing is held at our National Fisheries College, Greencastle, Co. Donegal. Next course commences in September 2017.

A Career as a Marine Engineer If you have a flair for machinery and modern technology, there’s a special place on the marine team for you. Because every vessel needs a marine engineer to maintain and repair all the machinery – and there’s a lot of gear on a boat. From the main engines to electrical generators, pumps, refrigeration, hydraulics and winches, the onboard marine engineer is a vital and highly respected member of the crew. And it’s a very satisfying feeling knowing that everything on board is running smoothly like a well-oiled machine because you’ve done your job. Where problems arise, you analyse and solve them. You use your judgement – that’s where your training helps. And all the mathematics that used to be theoretical – it’s a vital practical tool when you’re on a boat or in a marine control room. Because don’t forget that as well as maintenance, marine engineers are the people who actually design, develop and produce all that equipment. So if machinery and technology is what floats your boat, there’s a career in the seafood industry for you!

Marine engineering is a learning curve that doesn’t stop when you land a job. It’s a fast-moving area that continues to develop. Technical know-how and computer skills help of course; but there’s no substitute for a curious mind, a creative imagination and a logical approach to decision making. Oh, and communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team help as well! If this sounds like you, then you sound like the kind of person who should be thinking about a career as a marine engineer.

BIM’s Engineer Officer (Fishing Vessel) Certificate of Competency Class 3 - as approved by the Irish Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport - is held at our National Fisheries College, Greencastle, Co. Donegal. Next course commences in September 2017.

A Career in Aquaculture Aquaculture is an exciting and growing area of the seafood industry in Ireland, currently employing nearly 2,000 people and set to expand.

Fish farmers breed, rear and harvest a range of finfish – mainly salmon & trout, and shellfish - usually mussels and oysters, at sea or in freshwater locations around Ireland depending on species. If you have an interest in marine life biology, and a love of outdoor work, this could be for you. Whether feeding fish by hand or with hoppers, equipment maintenance and critical thinking are essential skills of the trade. From hatchery to harvesting, there are careers in aquaculture for operatives, technicians and managers.

BIM offers the QQI Level 5 Certificate in Aquaculture at its training college in Castletownbere, Co. Cork, with progression on to third level qualifications.

Next course commences in February 2018.

For more information check out

www.bim.ie

inshore ireland summer 2017

21

SEAFEST 2017

Official launch of SeaFest 2017

M

inister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, officially launched SeaFest — Ireland’s national maritime festival — at Galway City Museum, while also officially opening Ireland’s first sea science gallery ‘Sea Science - The Wild Atlantic’.

SeaFest (June 30-July 2) which takes place in Galway for the second consecutive year has become one of the most popular summer festivals in Ireland. It brings together

a wide range of agencies, partners and businesses in the marine sector.

“I am delighted to officially launch SeaFest 2017, a unique festival that creates awareness of our maritime heritage and celebrates our seas and all the opportunities that they provide to us.”

“This year’s festival is expanding to a three-day event with an exciting line up of attractions, including PowerFly’s world champion flyboarders; the tall ship Phoenix; boat tours; a showcase of the finest of Irish seafood

by BIM and Bord Bia; demonstrations and a range

PwC supports Ireland’s blue growth as sponsor of Our Ocean Wealth Summit

P

wC, Ireland’s largest professional services firm, is sponsoring Our Ocean Wealth Summit (June 30, NUI Galway)— the largest national gathering of Ireland’s marine and business communities.

Now in its fourth year, the summit forms a key part of the Government’s marine plan: Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth, and brings together world-renowned speakers; industry experts; business development agencies and the Irish business and marine research community, for focused discussions on this year’s theme: ‘Rethinking Boundaries and Innovation for a Sustainable Marine Economy’.

Speaking at the partnership announcement, Declan McDonald PwC Advisory Partner said that our seas are a vital national asset and are very important to Ireland’s future economic success.

“Our Ocean Wealth Summit provides a unique platform for the opportunities of our blue economy to be brought to the fore. The opportunities for the blue economy do not come without challenges, both immediate in terms of the potential economic impact of Brexit on our ports and fisheries, but also in the longer term in terms of sustainable development and protection of our sensitive marine environment. We look forward to overcoming these challenges with the Marine Institute in bringing both local and global marine sector expertise from around the PwC network.”

“We’re delighted to have the support of PwC for Our Ocean Wealth Summit for the next three years. Ireland’s marine sector has enormous potential for growth and our ambition is to be at the forefront globally as a leader in both traditional and emerging marine activities.

“PwC’s support, as an internationally recognised leader in professional services, reaffirms this ambition and we look forward to working closely together to realise the potential of Ireland’s marine economy,” remarked Dr Peter Heffernan, Marine Institute chief executive.

To register for the Our Ocean Wealth Summit visit www.ouroceanwealth.ie/register

of activities that bring visitors on a journey of discovery when it comes to the mysteries of the ocean. It is truly a festival for everyone to enjoy.

“SeaFest plays a vital role in the Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth’s key goal of increasing participation and engagement with the sea. It deepens knowledge and appreciation of the ocean, and builds on how we can each work to protect while also benefiting from our abundant maritime resources.”

Minister Creed remarked.

SeaFest attracted more than 60,000 visitors to Galway in 2016 and this year, the event will make an even bigger splash. Galway Harbour and Docks are set to be transformed into an ‘open air sea world’ for the free threeday festival with a host of family-friendly entertainment and attractions on the water.

There are many new additions to this year’s festival programme, including ‘Sea Science – The Wild Atlantic’ exhibition, Ireland’s first sea science gallery to have all displays accessible in both English and as Gaeilge text and audio. The basic principles of marine science are communicated in a fun, interactive and engaging way at the Galway City Museum.

As well as activities around Galway Harbour and Docks, the festival includes events in NUI Galway, Salthill and the Latin Quarter. More

activities will be unveiled in the lead up to the festival.

SeaFest is co-ordinated by the Marine Institute, on behalf of the Marine Coordination Group.

“We are eagerly anticipating SeaFest 2017. Last year, it proved itself to be massively popular with the local Galway community and with visitors who travelled from far afield to celebrate the festivities,” remarked Dr Peter Heffernan, Marine Institute chief executive.

He paid tribute to all of the partners who collaborate on SeaFest and continue to make it a successful event.

“A unique aspect of SeaFest is the number of local, regional and national agencies and organisations that come together to plan this event. Local businesses,

media and festival volunteers also play a pivotal role.”

SeaFest also includes many industry events focused on research, the marine industry and marine technology.

National and international delegates will attend the 4th annual Our Ocean Wealth Summit (June 30) at NUI Galway.

Digital Ocean: Ireland’s Marine Engineering and Technology Conference and the Marine Industry Awards will take place on June 29. A Marine Trade Show will be held at NUI Galway (June 29-30) and BIM will hold their national seafood conference ‘Winning in a Changing Environment” (June 29) in the Radisson Blu Hotel.

For more information, visit www.seafest.ie and www.ouroceanwealth. ie and follow SeaFest on Twitter and Facebook.

Innovative thinking at Our Ocean Wealth Summit

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On board Irish Ferries Ulysses at Dublin Port launching Our Ocean Wealth Summit are l-r Declan McDonald, Advisory Partner, PwC; Yvonne Thompson, Tax Partner, PwC and Dr Peter Heffernan, CEO, Marine Institute. Jason Clarke photography

Minister Creed Launches SeaFest with marine stakeholders

om Kelley of award-winning global design and development firm, IDEO, will encourage leaders in Ireland’s marine sector to engage in creative thinking at Our Ocean Wealth Summit on June 30 at NUI Galway.

Kelley is regarded as a leader in innovation management and design, with proven techniques for fostering a culture of creativity and developing processes for continuous

innovation.

“Using the concepts of design thinking, Kelley will encourage delegates to adopt creative, problemsolving methods. He will challenge current perspectives and encourage new ideas and approaches on how Ireland can continue to transform the marine industry. Policy-makers, researchers and industry leaders will be exposed to new techniques, which will help us work together to achieve sustainable economic prosperity and ensure our marine resources are protected for future generations,” remarked Dr Peter Heffernan, Marine Institute chief executive.

Tom Kelley will be among the speakers exploring this year’s theme: ‘Rethinking Boundaries and Innovation for a Sustainable Marine Economy’. With new activities emerging that are re-shaping and diversifying maritime industries, achieving sustainable economic growth and

protecting the world’s oceans is both a challenge and an imperative.

Other speakers include Miguel Marques, Partner, PwC Portugal and Economist of the Sea; Terry Garcia, former VP National Geographic and CEO, Exploration Ventures; Andrew McDowell, VP, European Investment Bank; Wendy Watson-Wright, CEO, Ocean Frontier Institute Canada, and many more..

Delegates will also receive a progress update on Ireland’s Integrated Marine Plan Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth, an initiative of the inter-departmental Marine Coordination Group.

Our Ocean Wealth Summit will be held as part of SeaFest 2017, celebrating our seas - Ireland’s national maritime festival.

To register for the Our Ocean Wealth Summit visit www. ouroceanwealth.ie/ register

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inshore ireland summer 2017

MARINE R&D

A day in the life of a remotely operated vehicle

Aodhán Fitzgerald Marine Institute

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he state-of-theart Remotely Operated Vehicle Holland I is managed and operated by the Marine Institute on behalf of the State. The Holland I was obtained in 2008 using funds secured from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) at a cost of €3m.

The ROV is an underwater robot designed to be deployed from RV Celtic Explorer and other suitable vessels, e.g.

Commissioner of Irish Lights Granuaile. It was supplied

by Soil Machine Dynamics (SMD) of Newcastle, UK and is a Quasar work class Hydraulic ROV. To-date, Holland I has completed 2328 hours of ROV work — that averages about 70 days per year scientific or other work mostly from the RV Celtic Explorer.

The next dive to take place will be the ROV’s 400th dive; scheduled for the end of May

during an NUI-G survey: Exploiting and Conserving DeepSea Genetic Resources. This survey is a Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) funded survey into bio-discovery at the continental margin.

The Holland I can reach depths of up to 3,000m; the entire system comprises the ROV; a tether management system; an A-Frame launch and recovery system and a deep-water winch. The ROV is controlled from a 20ft control room and comes with a 20ft workshop container.

A high definition camera system (video and stills) as well as powerful lighting (supplied by Irish Company CATHX Ocean) ensure high quality observation and documentation of seafloor images.

Since its arrival, the ROV has been heavily modified with addition of a survey skid to accommodate scientific equipment including various biological and sediment sampling systems.

It has seven and five function robotic arms that enable scientists to pick up specimens from the sea bed and which are then deposited in the sample storage boxes on board and brought to the surface for analysis. It also comes with a slurp (suction sampler), used to obtain more delicate samples.

The Holland I has been adapted to include push cores which are used to take core samples from the seabed. It is also fitted with an EM2040 multi-beam which enables high-resolution mapping of the seabed.

The Marine Institute

is currently undergoing a technology transfer exercise with Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) that will result in the design and fit of a VibroCorer onto the ROV. This will enable scientists to obtain 5 x 2m long cores at depths of 3,000m.

It takes six crew to man the ROV, 24 hours-a-day. When the ROV is at sea, scientists and crew generally work 24 hours on shifts in order to maximise the available time. The crew consists of P&O Maritime Services staff and regular contractors.

One of the most memorable highlights in the ROV’s history was the discovery of the first mid-Atlantic deepwater vent system on the mid-Atlantic ridge north of the Azores. It was discovered during the VENTuRE survey led by University College Cork (UCC) in 2011.

The ROV was also deployed in 2015 during another UCC led survey to map and record video footage of a new coldwater coral mound region on the Porcupine Bank. This saw the ROV acquire spectacular video footage and high definition multibeam imagery of these environmentally sensitive areas The ROV has an important role to play in search and rescue operations, and the Institute has taken part in training exercises with other State agencies since 2010 to ensure the system and its team are experienced in work such as this.

Holland 1 played a key role in the recent search and recovery operation following

the tragic R116 accident.

The ROV was mobilised onto the ILV Granuaile as soon as Marine Institute personnel located the signal from the aircraft’s black box recorder using equipment on the surface, and spent almost one month working at the scene.

Holland 1 initially located the aircraft wreckage using its high resolution cameras and sonar equipment as well as a homer system, capable of detecting the signal from the black box.

The team completed many difficult recovery and investigation tasks while on site and the ROV was fitted with specialist cutting equipment to help with this work. Conditions were often trying due the exposed location of the site; however the skill of the ROV team allowed them to deploy in often very challenging conditions and quickly get to the wreck location in conditions that were unsuitable for conventional diving operations.

A push core sampling the chemistry and biology of a microbial mat at a mud volcano where methane and sulphide actively seeps out from the sea floor

ROV Control Room

ROV being deployed from RV Celtic Explorer

Black Smokers at 3000m during the Venture Survey

inshore ireland summer 2017

23

MARINE R&D

Achievements of the Celtic Seas Partnership Sarah Twomey, MaREI Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy, UCC

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he Celtic Seas Partnership was an international project funded by LIFE+, the EU’s funding instrument for the environment. It brought together, governments, sea-users and scientists to find new ways of managing the marine environment to secure a sustainable future for our valuable marine economy and to protect our precious seas.

Over the past four years, the WWF-led Celtic Seas Partnership has been bridging the links between marine stakeholders and policy, building key relationships and developing a toolbox of resources to support the management of the Celtic Seas.

University College Cork’s MaREI Centre coordinated the stakeholder engagement activities in Ireland through a series of two national and three international workshops from 2013- 2016. The final event took place in Croke Park, Dublin in October 2016, attracting over 100 delegates representing a wide range of sectors across the Celtic Seas.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS INCLUDE:

» influencing the Governments’ Programmes of Measures for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive in Ireland, the UK and France » scenarios developed with stakeholders for the Future Trends study are being used by the Marine Management

Organisation as the basis for their own future scenario work for Marine Spatial Planning around England » evaluation of the project identified that what people valued most about the project was the unique opportunity to meet and work with others from different sectors and different countries. The project also helped to improve people’s understanding of marine policy and to empower them to get involved in shaping policy. This has created a better environment for implementing the policy which should in turn bring environmental improvements Through the active involvement of stakeholders representing government, industry and civil society from Ireland, the UK and France, the project recently launched a host of resources to support the implementation of integrated approaches to our seas.

Examples of these outputs range from guidance documents such as Guidelines for Planning Authorities and Engaging stakeholders in regional marine policy, an interactive website exploring Future Trends, a Celtic Seas Information Portal and a series of videos showcasing a range of locations across the Celtic Sea, as well as Irish stakeholders including Cork-based Richard Cronin (Dept. of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government) and Dublin-based Catherine Barrett (BIM).

Celtic Sea Partnership: http://www. celticseaspartnership.eu/

Ireland-Wales project to investigate climate change and coastal heritage Gillian Mills

A

five-year project stretching from Ireland’s east to south coast and along the Welsh coastline will use ‘cutting-edge’ technology to analyse coastal and island archaeology and heritage sites most affected by climate change, coastal erosion, storminess and rising sea levels.

CHERISH (Climate, Heritage and Environments of Reefs, Islands and Headlines) will be led by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, with partners Aberystwyth University, Geological Survey Ireland and the Discovery Programme Centre for Archaeology and Innovation Ireland, Centre for Archaeology and Innovation Ireland.

Hydrography; geology; archaeology; built and maritime heritage; remote sensing and environmental science will be employed in the research that will focus on selected headlands and sites including the Saltee Islands Glascarrig Motte (Co Wexford); Skellig Michael (Co Kerry) and the Skerries Islands (Co Dublin), as well as islands around Pembrokeshire, Cardigan Bay and the Llyn Peninsula of Wales.

A key objective is to uncover some of the secrets hidden beneath the coastal waters along west Wales and Ireland’s east coast to establish the long-term context of environmental change.

Traditional survey techniques will be used along with laser scanning, bathymetry, drone and geophysics to record ‘at risk’ sites.

Monitoring surveys will be undertaken on shipwrecks, built heritage and eroding coastline, and archaeological excavations will be carried out on known or newly discovered sites.

Over 100 people attend the launch (March 23) held simultaneously on both sides of the Irish Sea at the Commissioners of Irish Lights in Dún Laoghaire and at Aberystwyth University.

Speaking in Dún Laoghaire, Sean Kyne, Minister of State at the Department of

One of selected sites

INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS FROM KONGSBERG MARITIME

Communications, Energy and Climate Change, said that ‘citizen science’ would be involved throughout the duration of the project: “Most importantly [the teams] will work with coastal communities to develop mutual understanding of climate risk to local heritage assets and to reduce the impact of climate change on local economies.

“It is my aim that this project will serve as a stimulus for climate knowledge growth, wellbeing and prosperity in the local communities it serves, as well as throughout coastal Ireland.

The project will be an “exemplar of what is best in interdepartmental and interagency collaboration”, Minister Kyne added.

CHERISH will receive €5.2m funding through the EU Ireland-Wales Cooperation Programme.

24

inshore ireland summer 2017

LATE NEWS

RNLI drowning prevention campaign

R

esearch commissioned by the RNLI reveals that 39% of Irish people questioned said they would follow their instincts and fight against the water, if they unexpectedly fell into it.

However, the RNLI’s ‘Respect the Water’ campaign is asking people to fight those instincts and remember

one simple piece of advice: floating – that could save lives from drowning.

The RNLI says that sudden immersion in cold water puts people at severe risk of cold water shock, which triggers the instinctive but life-threatening reaction to gasp uncontrollably and swim hard, which can quickly lead to drowning.

Respondents were asked to imagine a scenario where they

have fallen unexpectedly into water such as the sea, river or canal, and what would be the first action they would take to save themselves.

Thirty-nine per cent said they would follow this potentially life-threatening instinct if they fell into water; 28% said their immediate reaction would be to swim, while 3% said they would panic – two of the instinctive responses the RNLI is urging people to fight.

Others said they would remove clothing (5%); do nothing (1%); hold their breath (1%), and 1% said they would not know what to do.

Only 8% of respondents knew specifically to float (4%) or tread water (4%).

PARTNERSHIP

Noel Browne - Castlehaven GAA ‘healthy club’ representative and long-distance open-water swimmer

The RNLI recently announced a partnership with the GAA for the Respect the Water campaign which is being supported through their Healthy Clubs programme.

The charity invited some of the GAA’s top athletes and

Kilmore Quay RNLI lifeboat on exercise off the Wexford coast

Big Top at the Dock B

IM will be showcasing the best of Irish seafood through its Educational Seafood Experience at Seafest 2017.

This interactive and dynamic event will feature virtual-reality displays explaining how Irish seafood is sustainably caught and farmed; live cookery and fishmongery demonstrations by top chefs: Rory O’Connell; Oliver Dunne, Michael O’Meara and BIM’s Young Fishmonger of the Year – Eimantas Zvirblis.

The three-day event is pitched at all ages, and tells the story about fish, shellfish

and lobsters found in Irish waters. Dublin Bay prawns; spider crabs; oysters; scallops and other common seafood species will also be on display in purpose-built tanks.

Fishing is considered one of the most dangerous occupations and BIM will graphically demonstrate how new lifejacket technology is saving the lives of fishermen around the coast.

So whether you want to know more about Ireland’s fishing industry, or you simply want to taste delicious, locally caught seafood, make sure you look out for BIM’s Big top on the Dock!

Right: Michael O’Meara giving a seafood demonstration at Seafest 2016 Above right: Tales from the Deep at Seafest 2016 Above left: A full house at a seafood demonstration at Seafest 2016

healthy club representatives to their training college in Poole and to Portsmouth University to experience the effect of cold water on the body.

Noel Browne, Castlehaven GAA’s healthy club representative and wellknown long distance open water swimmer was one of those who attended.

Noel has recently returned from swimming from the Gibraltar Straits, a major open water swim which he completed in five hours and forty minutes.

Backing the RNLI’s Respect the Water campaign he said: “It can go against everything your body wants to do but resisting the urge to fight against the water when you fall in and just float, can save your life.

“I train hard for my swims and spend hours in the water all year round. I’ve seen the effects of cold water shock on people who were not acclimatised to the water and it can be frightening and overwhelming.

“Fighting against it increases the chances of water entering the lungs and puts a strain on your heart. The best course of action is to try to float or rest, just for a short time.

“The effects of cold water shock will pass within 60 to 90 seconds and let you regain control of your breathing, increasing your chances of survival.

“The recommended floating position is to lean back in the water and keep your airway clear. Keeping calm will help maintain buoyancy and moving as little as possible until you have control of your breathing will give you a much

better chance of surviving until you can swim to safety, call for help, or continue to float until help arrives.’

Gareth Morrison RNLI Lifesaving Manager added: ‘The RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crews launch to hundreds of calls for help every year in Ireland but, sadly, not everyone can be reached in time.

“If people are in danger in the water they can help themselves by floating and regaining control of their breathing.

“Through our Respect the Water campaign in partnership with the GAA, we want to start a national conversation about water safety.

“We’re asking people to remember this lifesaving advice and share it with others – it could be the difference between life and death.

Each year an average of 28 people drown accidentally around the Irish coast.

“For those who are planning to go into the water and with the good weather coming out way, the best way to stay safe is to choose a lifeguarded beach and swim between the flags.

And if you see someone in danger in the water, call 999 and ask for the Coast Guard.”

The Respect the Water campaign will run throughout the summer on channels including cinema, outdoor, radio, online, and on catch-up TV channels.

The cinema adverts have been voiced by Irish actor Liam Cunningham.

For information on the effects of cold water shock and floating techniques visit RNLI.org/RespectTheWater.

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r g secto re fishinunities the insho comm strategies e O’Donoghue was speaking e and their inabl Gillian Mills e incom by the ed on susta ise the e at a hastily convened breakfast e; marin marin & Gery Flynn e leisur ies afford to optim briefing before BIM’s national marin m and other rtunit oppo al resource. touris holders. seafood conference in July, also s.” coast stake structures ies for unitieincluded along with Barry Deas, This is not going The opportunit een al comm s and coast s discussed de ion betw stock nal provi National Federation of to be business Topic to herring op natio s collaborat re Fishermen’s Organisations as usual; there to the acces sals to devel ures for itted the insho meas propo rvation and Cecil Beamish, ASG, will be extremely nt of rked. has comm opme conse t crab. r of devel rs,” he remato deliver Department of Agriculture, complex and difficult velve inshore sectog boats ll and ter for secto added that it was The g fishin s in overa Food and the Marine, negotiations,” remarked tive, the views e, Food ael he Minis He prisin objec ultur Mich gh (com 12 metremore than e, Agric chaired by broadcaster and Sean O’Donoghue, on thisntial” to hearrs throu up fleet and the less than g the Marin h) make “esse stakeholde journalist Olivia O’Leary.

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inshore ireland summer 2017

MARINE R&D

Moytirra hydrothermal Taking the temperature vents 3,000m of the Atlantic under the ocean

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GO-SHIP survey in the mid-Atlantic involves collaboration with scientists from ten leading universities and research institutes representing six countries joining the survey.

Photograph Tomasz Szumski

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n international team of scientists from six countries have returned (22nd May) from a trans-Atlantic 27day expedition studying the impact of climate change on the ocean, on the RV Celtic Explorer. The Marine Institute-led team of experts surveyed a transect of the Atlantic Ocean last surveyed 20 years ago, to investigate carbon dioxide levels. The survey is essential to understand and project how carbon dioxide emissions are accumulated in the oceans and the atmosphere, as well as their contribution to ocean acidification.

The survey is part of the Global Oceans Ship-Based Hydrographic Investigations Program (GO-SHIP) which carries out systematic and global surveys of select hydrographic sections, through an international consortium of 16 countries and laboratories. This is the first GO-SHIP survey to involve this level of collaboration with scientists from ten leading universities and research institutes representing six countries joining the survey.

“The Marine Institute is proud to lead this truly international collaboration.

This GO-SHIP A02 survey is a very real example of the Galway Statement in action: working together to better understand and increase our

knowledge of the Atlantic Ocean and its dynamic systems, and promoting the sustainable management of its resources,” remarked Dr Peter Heffernan, Marine Institute chief executive.

The Galway Statement signed at the Marine Institute on May 24, 2013, launched the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance between the EU, Canada and the USA. The survey is coordinated by the Marine Institute and NUI Galway with research partners in Dalhousie University & Fisheries and Oceans, Canada; University of Exeter, UK; GEOMAR, Germany, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Columbia University, USA, and Aarhus University, Denmark.

“Ship-based surveys are still the only way to collect the best quality measurements of fundamental physical, chemical and biological properties known as Essential Ocean Variables,” explains Dr Evin McGovern, Marine Institute and Principal Investigator on the GO-SHIP A02 survey.

“Although technology has provided many new methods to collect ocean measurements, there’s really no substitute for going out on the ocean on a research vessel. We can use satellite technology to look at certain properties on the ocean surface and

can deploy autonomous Argo floats to take some measurements to depths of 2,000, but we need to carry out ocean surveys that can measure to get a complete picture of the chemistry of the ocean at different depths up to 5,000m.

“The transect we are surveying is a really dynamic area of the Atlantic for heat transport and carbon uptake and is hugely important to informing our understanding of our global climate and how the ocean regulates our climate,” said Dr McGovern.

“The Northwest Atlantic is one of the world’s largest sinks of carbon dioxide and despite progress in our understanding there’s still a huge lack of data as it relates to climate change’s impact on the ocean and what that means for the economy and society,” remarked Brad de Young, Professor of Physics and Physical Oceanography at Memorial University, Newfoundland and an Ocean Frontier Institute researcher.

“Improving our scientific understanding and developing strategic and effective solutions for safe and sustainable ocean development requires sharing of expertise, international co-operation and exchange of data and best practices. And that’s what this voyage is all about,” adds Doug Wallace, Canada Excellence Research Chair, Dalhousie University.

ourth class pupils from Cregmore national school, Co Galway, are creating an art-marine science installation and short film entitled ‘Build your own Unknown’ with artist Louise Manifold, which is a re-enactment of the 2011 discovery of the Moytirra deep-sea hydrothermal vent field originally found along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, north of the Azores 3,000m under the ocean.

The project is supported through the Marine Institute’s Explorers Education Programme and the Tulca OFFshore programme.

“This is an innovative opportunity for artists, marine scientists and educators to engage and increase our awareness about the value, opportunities and societal benefits that the ocean provides us,” remarked Dr Peter Heffernan, chief excutive.

As part of the installation, the pupils are using images and film footage taken from Holland I for inspiration to re-enact the scientific

discovery of the gigantic, 10m ‘smoking’ lava vents, and areas teeming with newly-discovered species that call the bottom of the ocean home.

“As an artist I have always been fascinated by the relationship between science and cinema, where often our connections to ocean is formed through our childhood imagination — from sci-fi films to childhood games and mythical stories.

‘Build your own Unknown’ is not only about understanding our connections to the ocean, but it is about valuing human curiosity, and I am really enjoying the opportunity to work with the pupils of Cregmore to make an amazing piece of work that celebrates this,” remarked Louise Manifold.

The art-marine science installation will be on show at SeaFest 2017, June 30 July 2.

The Explorers Education Programme is supported by the Marine Institute, and funded under the Marine Research Programme by the Irish Government.

(L-R) Cushla Dromgool-Regan, Marine Institute, and Louise Manifold, Artist, with Éabha, David and Lauryn from Scoil Pádraig Naofa NS, Cregmore, Co. Galway explore the mystery of the ocean through the eyes of a scientist as part of the ‘Build your own Unknown’ art science project supported by the Explorers Education Programme.

Photograph Aengus McMahon

inshore ireland summer 2017

27

MARINE R&D

Minister Creed opens Ireland’s first sea-science gallery

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ichael Creed, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, has officially opened Ireland’s first marine science gallery, at Galway City Museum.

‘Sea Science - the Wild Atlantic’ exhibition is the first such gallery to have audio and visual displays accessible in both English and as Gaeilge.

The interactive exhibition spans topics including the nature of how tides operate; multi-beam mapping; deep sea exploration and marine life along the seashore. The basic principles of marine science are communicated in a fun and engaging way, using a combination of digital interactive touchscreens; hands-onexhibits; holograms and high-definition video footage.

Minister Creed said, “I’m delighted to officially open Ireland’s first marine science gallery at Galway City Museum — an exhibition that both strengthens our maritime identity and raises awareness about our oceans.

“Our ocean is indeed a vital resource, and it is imperative to cultivate an interest in our oceans from a young age. This ‘Sea Science - the Wild Atlantic’ exhibition will educate our younger population and the general public about the value and opportunities provided by our sea. Through both English and Irish interactive displays, future generations will be encouraged to explore, protect, manage and sustainably develop our national resource’” remarked Minister Creed.

The installation of this permanent ‘Sea Science - the Wild Atlantic’ exhibition at Galway City Museum will enable children, school groups and all members of the public to engage with the ocean yearround. This exhibition provides a stimulating learning environment for children to discover the mysteries and science of our oceans, and to also inspire our next generation of marine entrepreneurs, explorers and scientists,” added Dr Peter Heffernan CEO Marine Institute.

John Killeen, Chairman of the Marine Institute; Lord Mayor of Galway, Noel Larkin; Caroline Bocquel, Marine Institute; Eithne Verling, Director of Galway City Museum

Hugo, celebrating his 7th birthday, shows the results of the ‘shrunken heads’ experiment to Minister Michael Creed.

Conall explores Ireland’s first ‘Sea Science - the Wild Atlantic’

Dave Clarke, Marine Institute explains some of the demonstrations to Minister Michael Creed and Caroline Bocquel, Marine Institute

Hugo demonstrates how to use the interactive display to Minister Michael Creed all photos Andrew Downes

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inshore ireland summer 2017

COASTLINE NEWS

Coastwatch survey 2016 records positive and negative findings Karin Dubsky and Angel Duarte, Coastwatch

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esults of the 2016 annual Coastwatch survey were launched by the Austrian Ambassador to Ireland, Dr Thomas Nader.

Standing in Booley Bay, Co Wexford, at the edge of possibly the largest honeycomb worm (Sabellaria) reef in Europe, he looked puzzled: “How can little pink worms create standalone underwater sculptures from sand grains and body glue?” he asked of Wexford County Council staff; councillors; Senator Grace O’Sullivan, Coastwatch coordinators and volunteers.

This is just one of umpteen gems and puzzles of the ~ 7,900 km coastline of the island of Ireland, of which ~ 3.5% was explored by Coastwatch volunteers.

BIODIVERSITY RESULTS Positive • discovery of two very old live native oysters in Dublin Bay on an ‘extinct’ oyster bed • a fine sea grass Zostera marina bed in Bantry bay where none has been reported before • 35 survey sites with honeycomb reef, with new reef located along the Waterford estuary and a patch in Carlingford lough CAN YOU BELIEVE CITIZEN SCIENCE DATA? New special surveyor records are cross checked against Coastwatch, government and OSPAR data bases. Before confirming them as new sites, they are rechecked by experienced Coastwatch scientists in case of misidentification and only after verification are they published.

Negative • Some booked sites were not surveyed due to numbers of stranded jellyfish, which were higher than usual and included stinging varieties • In Dublin Bay and Clonakilty, surveying was impeded by dislodged nuisance seaweed hiding the organisms and litter they were looking for.

• First reports of honeycomb reef damage under

dense Ulva cover. This observation by Paddy Houlihan, Waterford, was later found to be more widespread. It coincided with high nutrient levels in small streams entering near the reef • Numbers of dead birds, seals and cetaceans were slightly higher than 2015.

One Mayo site recorded four decomposing seals.

Common to most previous years, one dead leather backed turtle was found.

SEA AND INFLOW WATER QUALITY

Positive: • Outside harbours, no sign of sea or shore oil pollution recorded and inflow oil pollution was down to two of almost 500 inflows checked. On a follow-up visit they were clean. This is the lowest oil pollution result to date • 89% of the 491 freshwater discharges crossed by surveyors were given an all-clear in a quick visual and smell test Negative: • bad indicators were observed in 11% of inflows: froth and discoloration (8%); bad smell (6%); dumped rubbish (4%) sewage/ sewage fungus (2%) • extremely high nitrate concentrations of > 50mgl NO3 (breaching EU nitrate directive limit values) were reported from 10% of the 171 inflows tested by Coastwatchers Additionally, 38% had raised nitrate levels at time of survey, though levels were within EU law

something will happen. They want to know that problems are being addressed; special finds are taken into account in site designation and planning.

In many cases, citizens would join forces with officials to achieve this.

One example of citizen collaboration is now being tried in the Dublin Biosphere, spearheaded by Dublin City Council.

Just as the European Marine Board is publishing its first position paper on Citizen Science, Coastwatch is hopeful that citizen science collaboration will ‘grow up’ in Ireland to better monitor; have more informed citizens and quicker alerts and problem solving.

New LAWCO and EPA work on water quality protection, management and monitoring is a vehicle to test this.

Results including GIS maps showing species,

results launch in Brussels.

The Coastwatch 2016 was co-sponsored by the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, water section.

Many thanks to the surveyors, regional coordinators and Coastwatch core team for their volunteer work.

Launch of Coastwatch citizen science biodiversity and water quality results, Booley Bay,Co Wexford with Dr Thomas Nadar, Austrian Ambassador, Wexford Co Co councillors and Coastwatchers.

Dr Thomas Nadar, Austrian Ambassador; Michael Whelan, Wexford Co Co and Karin Dubsky, Coastwatch.

Photos courtesy of Brendan Cooney

Nitrate tests were carried out on 171 of the inflows and results were mapped to compare with official EPA data on www. catchment.ie. It turns out that most small inflows checked by Coastwatch volunteers are not tested (or at least not reported on officially) even in shellfish and bathing waters.

The Coastwatch results show the same pattern as official data for the larger inflows, with East and South coast inlets exposed to highest inflow nutrient levels.

WHAT NEXT? Surveyors don’t just want to report special finds and problems, and hope that

habitats and water quality, invasive alien species data are included in the Coastwatch report Part 1 (www.coastwatch.org) Marine litter, harbour waste management results are available from late May. Photos submitted (+900) with survey reports will be shown on a loop at the international Coastwatch

Honeycomb reef

inshore ireland summer 2017

29

COASTLINE NEWS

The future of offshore islands depends on access to essential services officials; Minister Sean Kyne; and deputies Eamon O’Cuiv and Catherine Connolly.

The first order of business was chaired by Simon Murray, Inishbofin, chairperson of Comhdháil. Directly after the AGM, Minister Kyne and his officials took part in a Q&A session. This

Islands’ policy Gillian Mills

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omhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann, the representative body for the inhabited offshore islands of Ireland, has published a new policy document covering 16 policy areas that fundamentally impact quality of life and the long-term viability of island communities.

Implementation of these policies ‘will require cooperation between islanders and local and statutory agencies, and a flexible and imaginative approach to addressing the needs of small island communities.

‘Our experience has been that a partnership approach, where islanders are centrally involved in policy and project development, has produced workable and sustainable solutions.

POLICY AREAS:

Access and Transport: perhaps most fundamental, affecting health and welfare; education; employment; social and family life and business. Affordable, frequent, safe transport services (sea and air) and safe piers and airstrips are vital to viability of island communities.

Agriculture: Recommendation of a ‘Land on Offshore Islands’ category in Rural Development Programmes and EU legislation to recognise the challenges of island farming, e.g. doubling of VAT at point of purchase and freight; added cost of taking animals to mainland markets, and veterinary care.

Childcare: Providing childcare on islands presents particular challenges that require innovative and flexible responses from funding agencies and service providers. Favourable consideration should be given to projects that integrate

services for children with other community services, e.g. caring for the elderly and youth. Capital funding required to develop purposebuilt centres and to support a range of ancillary services.

Communications: Roll-out of the National Broadband Plan to deliver a fibre-optic connection to every household, community buildings and business in Ireland by 2022, is critical for island communities when many utility services require online payment.

CoE will lobby to have this service delivered to the islands as a priority.

Education: Effects of school closures or of limited subject choice adversely affects island communities, forcing children to move to the mainland, sometimes followed by entire families. All island children should have access to a minimum one year pre-school education, and ‘island specific policies’ should include allocation of primary school teachers.

Enterprise & Employment: Support should be available to the self-employed, and to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit for islanders who have a strong sense of their heritage and who could create sustainable employment opportunities.

Environment: Island environment offers a particular experience of an intertwined relationship of rural and coastal life. Islanders should be recognised in environmental policy, being the primary custodians of the land and inshore waters and who maintain its unique biodiversity.

Fire & Emergency Services: Emergencies present particular challenges for island communities, e.g. ensuring that trained, properly equipped personnel can reach an incident in

section of the day’s agenda is a great opportunity for islanders and the Minister and his team to discuss a wide range of ongoing issues connected with island life and to develop solutions.

Thanking Minister Kyne and his team for coming to Inishbofin, Simon Murray invited the Minister to formally the shortest possible time.

Fire and other emergency services should be governed by the principle of minimising the time it takes to respond, through adequate training and appropriate equipment for island-based responders.

Health & Social Services: Access to essential services, including health services is essential to sustain island communities.

Islanders should be afforded services on a par with mainland counterparts.

All islands should have a public health nurse.

Housing & Planning: Availability of affordable, quality homes for permanent residents is essential to ensuring long-term viability and sustainability. Housing and planning issues should be governed by the principle of enabling islanders to remain on the island while protecting the environment and preventing over-development.

Irish language: Protecting and promoting the Irish

launch Comhdháil Oileáin na hEireann’s Island Policy covering 17 topics affected island living.

The day’s agenda included a seminar which is a regular item following AGMs, to maximise the benefit for islanders who may have to spend a few nights away from home. The theme was ‘Tourism and the Islands’ language is a priority for CoE who supports and encourages families on Gaeltacht islands to use Irish as their daily language. CoE is actively working to safeguard the Irish language at public fora and in island language plans.

Marine: Seafaring and fishing are an important part of island economy and heritage. ‘One fits all’ EU and national fisheries legislation is inappropriate for small-scale fisheries. Greater flexibility is required to enable tailored programmes and specific investment (piers, cold storage, processing, etc) Older Persons: Island demographics often do have critical mass required by funding agencies when assessing population needs. An ‘island proofing’ approach should be taken when assessing eligibility.

Favourable conditions should be given to projects that integrate services for older persons with other community services.

Renewable Energy: Harnessing and generating

with guest speakers covering the development of The Blueway; walking; ecotourism and the Wild Atlantic Way. The day concluded at 2pm, followed by lunch in the Doonmore Hotel. Those not overnighting then headed for the 5pm ferry to face the sea, road journey and another sea journey to get home. renewable energy is a real opportunity for economic development and viability but requires investment.

Homes and buildings should be more energy efficient.

For islands that have the potential to develop wind, solar, wave or biomass energy, it is the policy of CoE to support development.

Tourism: As natural attractions, tourism creates special challenges (economic impact; environmental consequences; social, cultural) at peak times of the year, requiring long-term stakeholder planning for sustainable management.

Waste Management: Disposing of waste is a major challenge for island communities. Waste management should be governed by the principles of minimising waste and maximising recycling; controlled disposal; an end to dumping, burning and burying waste and eliminating visitor waste.

Fawnmore, Inishbofin. Tourism, farming and fishing are the main activities on the island.

Inishark, seven miles off the Connermara coast. The last inhabitants were evacuated in 1960.

Photos: Gillian Mills

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omhdháil Oileáin na hEireann held its 2017 AGM on Inishbofin, Co Galway, on April the 27, attended by a many islanders from Cork; Galway; Mayo and Donegal, along with County Councillors and officials; department

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inshore ireland summer 2017

COASTLINE NEWS

The future of Irish island communities Brian O’Riordan, LIFE Platform

Save our Seafront wins legal case against cruise berth terminal

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n Bórd Pleanála has indicated it does not wish to contest the judicial review initiated by the environmental group, Save Our Seafront, in respect of the proposed cruise berth in Dún Laoghaire Harbour, Co Dublin. It added by way of explanation that certain unspecified information potentially relevant to the assessment carried out prior to the grant of permission had not been furnished by the Harbour Company or identified by any other prescribed body or third party during the course of the application process.

The case returned to the Commercial Court on 24 April where SOS contended that contrary to the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive, in particular the harbour company and ABP ‘had failed to take into account the environmental impacts on protected species and the impact on recreational users and walkers on the piers.

SOS also argued that the proposed development would lead to dumping of toxic sludge into Dublin Bay and neighbouring Special Areas of Conservation, and that cruise ships would discharge waste directly into the Bay. ABP agreed to an Order quashing its decision and that the case would be sent back for further consideration.

An appeal process will resume when An Bord Pleanála will make a final determination that either refuses permission, or imposes a new set of conditions.

“This is a crucial victory for the future of Dublin Bay and Dun Laoghaire Harbour, and all who enjoy these unique and wonderful amenities. Hopefully this will finally convince the harbour company about the unsuitability of bringing enormous cruise ships into the harbour or promoting inappropriate developments that would destroy it as a public amenity and a precious piece of our marine heritage,” remarked Richard Boyd Barrett, chair of SOS. “We hope that common sense will prevail and that the harbour can be developed for the benefit of all users in sympathy with, rather than destructive of, the natural beauty of Dublin Bay and Dún Laoghaire Harbour.

Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company CEO, Gerry Dunne, said that while the nature of the issues had yet to be outlined in detail “they are believed to be technical and not substantive. Protecting the sensitive environmental and historical significance of the harbour and its environs remain a priority for DLHC”.

The proposed 250 metre berth will attract c. 50 cruise calls a year from May to September and generate €10m to the local economy annually, according to the harbour company.

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ith fair access, to fisheries, Irish island communities could thrive. Their geographical isolation makes them highly dependent on the resources available within their localities, especially fisheries resources.

The right to fish and to access fishery resources are prerequisite to the prosperity and very survival of such island communities. Banning islanders from the sea and fishing is to take away their lifeblood. But that is why the European Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is being misused to achieve.

Irish island communities are no longer allowed to carry out their traditional seasonally diverse fishing ways of life, but must focus on one or two ‘non-quota’ species the year round.

Not only does this put a strain on these resources, but fishers must also face the prospects of their gears being towed away by super-trawlers that are allowed to fish with impunity in their waters, and to catch quota species they are barred from catching.

Small remote islands in Ireland and many other European Member States rely on tourism, where eating fish; going out to sea; witnessing the catching of fish and, where the bustle of small boats and fish landings in local harbours form an integral part of the

attracting tourists. Without such attractions, tourism will die.

The film A Turning Tide in the Life of Man by Loic Jourdain, recently screened in the European Parliament by the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) in partnership with Marian Harkin MEP, highlighted that the survival of island communities is being sacrificed to larger scale interests by European and national policies that are blind to the needs of most European citizens.

It also showed how national authorities often play a cynical blame game with ‘Brussels’, blaming European policies and ill-defined Brussels agents for the wrong-headed decisions they themselves have taken.

The film spans eight years and follows island fisher John O’Brien. From the banning of offshore salmon fishing in 2006 and restrictions on small island fishermen as part of cod conservation measures two years later, the film throws a light on the maze of fishery regulations in Ireland and the EU. John and other island fishermen have fought through to the highest levels of EU fishery policy, succeeding in getting islands officially recognised in the current CFP. They have worked, in parallel, within the Irish legislative system to get a cross-party Dáil Report on fisheries published in 2014.

The new CFP also contains many provisions, such as Article 17, which could be used to the

advantage of small island communities, if the political will was there at national level.

Following the film screening, Mairead McGuinness —VicePresident of the European Parliament and MEP for the Midlands-North-West of Ireland — called on the European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, to pay more attention to the issues raised by the film.

“People react against the EU because they perceive it to be just for the larger (interests) — be it fishermen or others, and not for local communities,” and she urged Commissioner Vella to “support low impact fishers, and to take on board their concerns”.

The cross-party Dáil Report on fisheries put forward 29 recommendations, three of which have been prioritised by islanders: Heritage Licences, locallyled Managed Areas and Social Welfare reform for share fishermen.

It is over 11 years since the filming started. Action now by the agencies responsible for Irish island fisheries will ensure that island communities will continue to survive and add to Ireland’s rich maritime heritage.

Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) join with Irish Islands Marine Resource Organisation (IIMRO) in calling for the immediate implementation of priority recommendations contained in a Dáil report.

Clare Ireland: With fair access to fisheries, island communities could thrive.

inshore ireland summer 2017

31

OUTSIDE IRELAND

Taking stock of the Landing Obligation implementation: lessons from the Baltic Sea Brian O’Riordan, LIFE Platform

L

ike it or loathe it, the Landing Oblication (LO) – aka the discard ban – forms a central plankof Europe’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and is here to stay.

Intended to reduce unwanted catches and to gradually eliminate discards, in an ideal world, implementation of such an ambitious measure should happen with extensive preparation, with steps gradually taken towards changing the fishing practices and fishermen’s behavior, thus reducing unwanted catches.

PUBLIC HEARING

The European Parliament Fisheries Committee recently organised a public hearing to discuss the ‘State of Play of the Implementation of the LO and Allocation of Quotas by the Members States.

As an input to this, the Low Impact Fishers of Europe’s Baltic and North Sea (BANS) Coordinator, Marcin Ruci ski looked into the practical consequences of LO impmentation in the Baltic Sea, and at the lessons learned. Since the Baltic Sea was the first EU Region to implement the LO, the practicalities and lessons learnt there are of particular importance and interest for other EU Regions.

The hearing highlighted the divergent views of the fisheries sector; environmental NGOs; DG Mare officials and fishery scientists.

Not mincing his words, Pim Visser representing the Dutch vessel owners’ association VisNed, described the implementation of the LO as a case of ‘emperor’s new clothes’ and said that we were deluding ourselves if we thought it had anything to do with fisheries management or achieving MSY. He argued that discarding was an integral part of fishing, and that a new approach was needed, incentivising selectivity under a new management plan for mixed fisheries, with a more realistic timeline.

Pascual Larnaud from the French research institute IFREMER, reviewed some of the modifications for making trawls more selective, while Veronica Veitz, Director of Fisheries Policy for the Mediterranean and Black Sea (Directorate D) at DG Mare, provided some perspectives on implementation,

indicating that while all was not well, there were some indications of progress.

Nils Höglund from the NGO Coalition for a Clean Baltic, highlighted the extent of discarding in the Baltic. He questioned whether trawling was capable of complying with the LO – that in reality it was the ‘Blue Whale in the room’ and was incompatible with a zero discards policy.

LESSONS LEARNT

For LIFE, four main lessons can be drawn for an effective implementation of the LO from a smallscale fisheries perspective: Real effort is needed to adjust fishing practices and to change industry conduct, rather than lowering regulatory standards.

Under the premise that discard rates would be reduced, the first of the EU discard plans, adopted for the Baltic Sea in late 2014, temporarily decreased the minimum conservation reference size (MCRS) for cod from 38 to 35 cm until the end of 2017.

ICES advice for 2017 published May 31, 2016 however estimates the discard rate for the Eastern Baltic cod stock at ‘approximately 15%’, and is much higher than before the introduction of the LO. It adds that the figure ‘is considered an underestimate’ and that ‘the available information suggests that modification of the selectivity properties of the [towed] gear takes place, leading to a higher proportion of smaller fish being caught’.

Implementation of the LO should not be based on lowering the regulatory standards to maintain the status quo in some parts of the industry, particularly trawl fleets. Bringing about a real change in gear selectivity patterns and industry conduct at sea, i.e. a genuine effort to avoid unwanted catches, would result in a much more effective implementation of the LO, in LIFE’s view. Adequate at-sea monitoring and inspection must take place.

It is vital to ensure appropriate levels of atsea monitoring of the LO, if it is to be successfully implemented. European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) research, based on last haul inspections, shows significant catches of cod below minimum conservation reference size (BMS) in Baltic trawl fisheries — up to 11.91% of the total catch.

Inspections of gillnet

fisheries on the other hand show a very small amount of BMS cod in inspected catches — the highest observed rate of 1.20%.

It is no surprise then that demersal trawl fleets are labelled with high risk of noncompliance by the Agency.

AT-SEA MONITORING

The above data, together with ICES estimates cited above, show the necessity of high level at-sea monitoring when implementing the LO. This view is confirmed by Danish fisheries inspectors where more than 83% of respondents in a survey agreed that enforcing the LO is the main challenge for its effective implementation.

The widely tested Fully Documented Fisheries schemes using CCTV technology to ensure Remote Electronic Monitoring may be a part of the answer, but these have their limits because of a possibility to by-pass the cameras; concerns about their intrusiveness; possible malfunctions and running costs.

LIFE recommends further investigating survivability of unwanted catches in passive gears, and to make exemptions to obligatory landings of bycatch where survival rate of discards is high.

Salmon and cod caught with trap-nets, creels/pots, fyke-nets and pound nets are already exempted in the Baltic Sea discard plan due to a positive assessment by STECF. STECF however advises that further work should be undertaken to confirm whether the lower mortality assumption was valid.

A number of projects are underway to research the survivability of demersal fish caught in passive gears used by small-scale, low impact fishers. The fishers’ experience, based on the principle of ‘right gear, right place, right time’ is that survivability rates in passive gears may be quite high, depending on a number of factors.

This traditional knowledge could be very useful in planned and ongoing research activities. LIFE therefore recommends an organised exchange of information between fishers and scientists and where practicable, coordination of research activities so that any future survivability exemptions are underpinned by the highest possible degree of scientific and fishers’ knowledge.

LIFE also recommends encouraging selectivity and

reduced impact through innovation of gear designs, and to discourge bad practices that circumvent achieving these objectives.

It is important to depart from the current construction of Baltic Sea technical measures, which are a prime example of micromanagement at EU level.

This regulation, among other factors, has led to some fishers adopting circumvential measures . As ICES put it: ‘The available information suggests that modification of the selectivity properties of the gear takes place, leading to a higher proportion of smaller fish being caught.’

On the other other hand, the EU should not relax its approach to the point of complete liberalisation, especially when some in

the industry are seen to be ‘modifying the selectivity properties’ of their gears.

This would put the implementation of LO at risk of contributing to excessive fishing mortality, and simply replacing discarding at sea by discarding on land.

FURTHER READING:

Hearing on the Implementation of the landing obligation and allocation of quotas http:// linkis.com/europarl. europa.eu/o3QQQ Landing Obligation: lessons from the Baltic Sea, by Marcin Rucinski, LIFE BANS Coordinator. http://lifeplatform. eu/landing-obligationlessons-baltic-sea/

Based on the principle of ‘right gear, right place, right time’ is that survivability rates in passive gears may be quite high

Photos Brian O’Riordan

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