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incorporating
FRESHWATER FOCUS
News from the coast and inland waterways MARINE R&D
Aquaculture Ireland
3,000 prize set to attract international anglers
PAGE 11
November/December 2009 Vol 5 Issue 4
Cork reports robust business despite economic downturn
Comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Island living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Your view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Aquaculture News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Inshore fisheries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Seafood desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Seafood processor pays high price for breaching food safety standards
T
GERY FLYNN FEATURES EDITOR
he Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has welcomed a Court ruling on foot of a guilty plea by Bantry Bay Seafoods to breaches of food safety standards. At Bandon District Court on 18 October, fines totalling 4,700 were imposed on Bantry Bay Seafoods; the Court also awarded 50,000 costs to the SFPA. A charge against the company's CEO, Paul Connolly, for failing provide the investigators with relevant information, was struck out after he agreed to pay 1,500 to the Cork Cancer Research charity. Bantry Bay Seafoods pleaded guilty to samples of the following charges: * placing unsafe food on the market * failingtowithdrawandrecall unsafe food from the market * obstructing authorised officers during the course of their official duties * using unsuitable water in food production * placing fishery products on the marketthatdidnot comply with biotoxin safety standards The events that led to this
action came to light in March/April 2008 when French authorities triggered a `rapid alert for food and feed' after more than 200 people there became ill, blaming processed mussels from Bantry Bay Seafoods. At the same time, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) had advised consumers not to eat certain batches of Bantry Bay Seafoods' processed frozen mussels on suspicion that they contained Azaspiracid Shellfish Poisoning toxins (AZA) above the legal limit (AZA biotoxins are known to cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach cramps). In a statement, the SFPA expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the legal proceedings, branding the ruling as `a positive result for consumers of Irish seafood. Seafood producers and consumers can be assured that unscrupulous operators will not undermine the good reputation of Irish seafood in the marketplace'. Michea l O'Mahony, a board member of the SFPA who supervised the investigation, told Inshore Ireland that one of the key messages from this case was that the current biotoxin limits for shellfish
were an adequate safeguard to public health. ``It's when people deviate from these that problems arise,'' he said. He added: ``It should also be very clear to food processors that a meaningful approach
to food safety has to be a core tenet of the way they carry out their business. ``It's not an add-on, and it's not something they should do just to satisfy the SFPA. It should be a central part of
what they do to protect their consumers, and to protect their business.'' O'Mahony said that a proactive attitude by food producers to food safety was `an investment' in a compa-
ny's reputation. ``Protection of consumers' health is paramount for the SFPA and we will continue to ensure that Irish seafood businesses have the necessary systems in place. >>PAGE 2 Celtic Tiger bites back! Courtmacsherry residents continue to suffer the brunt of poor planning decisions Ð see report, page 2, and page 5.
Strength in Unity for all Aquaculture Producers JoinTODAY - Call 01 4508755 - or visit our website www.ifa.ie Home of The Irish Salmon Growers’ Association The Irish Trout Producers’ Group & The Irish Shellfish Association
2
NEWS
INSHORE IRELAND November/December 2009
Pollution investigation stalls due to agency refusal to increase funding GERY FLYNN FEATURES EDITOR
T
THE
following
is
an
ex-
the
: A report seen by
Inshore
Ireland [entitled Using Stable Isotope Analysis to
EPA, however, Dr Kraan re-
to
that was to be funded
cently
by the Environmental
Ireland
Inshore
to
Protection Agency (EPA), but
drawn it.
was never published, stands
``We
would
love
to
have
the
EPA
on
13
March
2007.
* What was the substance of * Did the EPA identify flaws in
sible for recurring green tides
more and more and more. We
prevented its publication?
in the Argideen river estuary
couldn't
at Courtmacsherry, Co Cork.
the
report
amount of funding they were
the
offering, and that's basically
clusions?
Kraan, then manager of the
where it stopped as far as we
EPA
Irish Seaweed Centre at NUI
were concerned,'' he said.
review
early
2007,
Dr
Asked
Galway, led a team of scien-
if
he
stood
been
EPA II
: No.
:
Does
the
EPA
intend
publishing the report?
EPA
: The report was with-
drawn by the authors.
II
:
Is
and
the
Argideen
estuary
being
river moni-
have
report's
findings/con-
as
of
the
report
and
of
Ireland's
Framework Directive?
EPA
: Yes, the Argideen is
currently
monitored
four
times a year for nutrients, chlorophyll, mical
: EPA undertook a full
part
physico-che-
parameters
nually
for
and
an-
opportunistic
macroalgal growth.
returned comments to the
II
authors.
results from this monitor-
:
What
have
been
the
orgin
``This may have been a pre-
clined
liminary investigation but it
comments
definitely points very clearly
the
to human waste as the main
tion by the EPA. The com-
RBDs earlier this year the
cause
ments
estuary
type
the
of
pollutant
macro
algae
Ulva.
green tide,
Ulva is common around the Irish
coast
but
it
began
to
appear in usually high quantities on beaches in the inner Courtmacsherry
Bay
in
the
mid-1990s, mainly on the sheltered the
tidal
flats
onto
Argideen and
which
in
tain
beaches,
10
which
habitats
con-
listed
on
Annex 1 of the Habitats Directive
and
are
also
desig-
blighted
by
huge
amounts of rotting, foul-smelling
Ulva.
An EPA Small Scale Study
2004
algae
estimated
measured
that
over
the
the
macro
algal
3kgs
tureal
run-off,
and
total
nutrients.
biomass
of
over
10,000
tonnes. This
natural
Debate report
suggests
that
locally
the primary cause is due to
with
increased inputs of nutrients,
anxious
in
the
particular
from
those
land-based
derived
activities,
sewage
environmental
continues
about
the
residents
high
nutrients
that
to
rage
problem,
increasingly
the
levels be
input
source
of
found
of
dissolved and
ad-
to
authors
address
de-
these
and
withdrew
for
considera-
report
addressed
such
issues as incomplete litera-
The
ture
isotope
analysis
con-
review,
firmed this, and the result is
not
clear. This problem is coming
insufficient
from faeces of human origin,
of results, etc
and likely to include agricul-
per square metre, and had a
nated SACs, have since been regularly
for
The
blooms over the past decade.
and I stand by that!
Kilbrittan
rivers drain. The
Report suggests that while farming in the area has been stable over the last 15 years, residential and tourist populations have grown in the same period. The inherent increase in sewage waste, therefore, is most probably responsible for the nutrient enrichment in the Argideen river estuary, and the lack of adequate sewage treatment facilities in the area has further enhanced the problem. PICTURE: G Mills
said:
report
findings,
and
Kraan
the
the
tists in a bid to pinpoint the
causing
Dr
by
which
* Does the EPA agree with
Stefan
In
Has
obligations under to Water
back saying that we had to do
the
:
published?
tored
done more, but the EPA came
with
II
report's authors?
man faeces are largely respon-
that
ad-
the EPA's `comments' to the
by its main finding that hu-
do
be
itoring programme
II
submitting his findings to the
that he has now with-
will
Framework Directive mon-
and
EPA:
he author of a report
confirmed
This
Inshore Ireland
areas affected by macroalgal blooms] was submitted
Two and a half years after
:
dressed through the Water
trace nitrogen sources in
dressed.
EPA
change of dialogue between
``Farming in the area has been
stable
years,
over
the
however
last
15
residential
II
:
If
EPA
the
time
period.
increase
in
therefore,
The
inherent
sewage
is
most
responsible
for
enrichment
in
waste,
not ing.
: In the interim, WFD
classification
was
to
classified
as
MODERATE status.
II
:
What
action
has
the
EPA taken since December
interpretation
2007 to trace the source of the pollution in the Argid-
this
been
between
the
the
authors
in
een river and estuary?
EPA
: Ongoing monitoring
as
part
of
the
WFD
mon-
itoring programme.
II
EPA
recommend
comments,
decided
draw
reported
data,
to
the
with-
draw from the project and
nutrient
EPA
: Following receipt of
authors
probably
the
out
by
the meantime?
EPA
same
up
has
and
grown
the
so,
sorted
and tourist populations have strongly in
conclusions
backed
ing?
down
the
fund-
:
What
for
the
does
the
as
a
EPA
remedy
pollution
in
the
Argideen river estuary?
EPA
:
A
sures
number
are
of
outlined
mea-
in
the
Argideen
II
river estuary, and the lack of
it
adequate
sewage
treatment
origin
facilities
in
area
has
the Argideen river case be
published
the
pro-
identified?
Ă? http://www.swrbd.ie/
further
the
the
enhanced
: Does the EPA consider to
be
crucial
of
the
that
the
pollution
in
draft River Basin Management
Plan,
sion
of
a
revised
which early
ver-
will next
be
year
blem.''
* From page 1 ``SFPA
is
committed
to
working with the industry to promote
compliance
preserving
the
good
and
to
reputa-
tion the seafood industry currently enjoys,'' he declared. O'Mahony that
his
also
revealed
investigation
confirmed Seafoods
that
had
had
Bantry
Bay
produced
un-
safe food and had sold it over an extended period. ``Over nine months, Bantry Bay Seafoods repeatedly harvested
and
market
placed
mussels
on
from
the
areas
that were officially closed for biotoxin purposes,'' he said. ``The company had an entire electronic product traceability
system
didn't
release
which to
us
they until
several weeks into the investigation. vided
Instead,
us
with
they
pro-
paper-based
versions that resulted in significant delays while product remained
on
the
market
in
the meantime, and the public were left at risk longer. That is
a
food
serious
issue
producers
are
because obliged
by legislation to immediately inform the competent authorities and to immediately recall unsafe product from the market. ``What
happened
wasn't
that
one
in
could
immediate.
for
said
place,'' he declared.
everyone to move on and for
O'Mahony confirmed, however,
that
he
that
Bantry
was
now
Bay
a
in
this
timeframe
construe
as
The
company
complete
disregard
people's
health,
the
law
of the land and the reputation
time
now
for
both the SFPA and the industry to assure the entire global market of the excellent food
operating
has
was
Seafoods under
SFPA approval. ``Bantry Bay Seafoods
it
satisfied
was
made
safety
standards
of
Irish
shellfish. ``Farmers
signifi-
are
very
aware
cant changes to the integrity
of the serious challenges and
of its food safety management
opportunities
system. We are supervising it
sels in the coming year. We
and they are moving forward.
need
They are again putting food
of
on the market, and the SFPA
products.
is happy with that,'' he said.
cences to compete effectively
REACTION
with Chile and Scotland, and,
Donal
culture
to
for
increase
fresh,
chilled We
Irish
mus-
production and
need
frozen the
li-
clearly, we need the support
Maguire, BIM's aquadevelopment
of
the
SFPA
to
ensure
our
man-
waters are clean and that the
Inshore Ireland
heavy burden of regulation is
how they welcomed the fact
used as a lever to open new
that legal proceedings against
markets rather than a weap-
Bantry Bay Seafoods were at
on which could shut down the
an end.
industry.''
ager,
told
``Bantry Bay Seafoods and
Bantry
Bay
the mussel farming sector it
sued
serves can once again concen-
statement
trate on supplying safe, qual-
tacted by
ity
seafood
products
to
the
marketplace,'' he said. ``We welcome the fact that significant working
practices
agement been
changes
to
and
structures
put
into
effect
the
manhave
with
a
view to preventing any recurrence
of
past
mistakes,
and
we look forward to working constructively with the com-
case
showed
of Irish food on the market-
the
Seafoods
following after
is-
written
being
con-
Inshore Ireland:
Since the product withdrawal of April 2008, Bantry Bay Seafoods has been at all times fully compliant with SFPA requirements, and has undergone repeated SFPA audits. Bantry Bay Seafoods is Grade A BRC accredited and is IFS certified to the highest level. Our
customers
include
many of the largest retailers
tation and the reputation of
in Europe and beyond. We remain focused on strengthen-
its
ing our business and continue
pany to help rebuild its repu-
products
in
the
market-
place,'' he added. Richie Flynn, executive secretary
of
IFA
Aquaculture,
to work closely with our loyal customers, suppliers and regulatory bodies.
INSHORE IRELAND
November/December 2009
3
NEWS
Is emerging clean-tech energy the next industrial revolution for Ireland?
`W WENDY SCOTT
e are well on the road to Ireland becoming a world leader in green energy and in the fight against climate change,'' Eamon Ryan, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, remarked at the September announcement of a 500m investment in Ireland's green energy sector by the European Investment Bank. This investment is being seen not only as a crucial step forward in providing cheaper electricity for Irish consumers and businesses, but as a step closer towards Ireland becoming more self sufficient in renewable energy, and much less reliant on fossil fuels. This sentiment was echoed at a conference on `Energy and the Environment' hosted by Invest Northern Ireland, where presenters were unanimous in their opinion that the island of Ireland was extremely well positioned to becoming a world leader on the basis of: * Close proximity to the Porcupine Bank off the west coast, which can provide the optimal natural resources of wave and wind power. * A competent workforce. * Our evolving support infrastructure Ð National Grid connection to a wave energy test site at Belmullet in Co Mayo, completion circa 2011/2012; wave power tank at Queens University Belfast, considered to be one of the world's leading wave power engineering centers. * Expertise in market development. Olive Hill, director of Technology and Process Development at Invest Northern Ireland, explained to Inshore Ireland why they felt it was important to hold the conference. ``We wanted to create a unique and innovative event that would allow businesses to gain access to a wide range
of business opportunities in significant growth sectors of the global economy. ``Many of our traditional areas of excellence, such as engineering and composites, offer readily transferable skills to the renewable sector, providing new markets to exploit,'' she said. ``With around 650 companies attending, this clearly illustrates that local companies have identified the importance of this growing sector as they seek to develop new market opportunities, and Invest NI will help them to exploit these opportunities.'' Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster, told Inshore Ireland that renewable energy technologies can make a big contribution to sustainable economic growth in the region, with clear benefits to rural and coastal communities. ``We have innovative academic and business communities that are starting to focus on the green energy sector. The BioMara research effort with our Scottish and Irish partners is a good example. It is exploring the potential of harvesting marine algae and seaweeds to produce biofuels locally. This could bring significant economic opportunities to coastal communities,'' she said.
COLLABORATION
October marked the establishment of a collaboration between the Irish wave energy technology company, Wavebob, and Vattenfall, one of Europe's largest electrical utilities, to form Tonn Energy. Speaking to Inshore Ireland, Wavebob CEO Andrew Parish explained the importance of this development: ``Wavebob has developed a clear commercialisati on strategy based on developing partnerships with key partners in each of its markets. ``We believe that collaboration is the only way to progress this exciting new
industry. Gaining support from an energy company with the reputation and vision of Vattenfall underpins our strategy, and is a powerful endorsement of our technology and mission.'' Tonn Energy is currently working on the planning, installation, operation and maintenance of pre-commercial devices at the national wave energy test site at Belmullet in Co Mayo. The Government's Ocean Energy Strategy has set a target of 500MW of ocean energy-generated electricity installed by 2020. If the tests are successful, it is hoped the technology can be located in sites around Ireland, with a projected capacity of generating 250MW Ð half of the Governments published targets for 2020. Harvey Applebe of Tonn Energy believes Ireland could become a net exporter of green energy in the long term: ``Ireland really can be the Texas of Europe.'' As the clean-tech energy industry develops, an industry supporting infrastructure will be needed, remarked GoÈ ran Dandanell, director and head of business development for Vattenfall UK and Ireland. He said partnerships and collaboration would be required to build that infrastructure. Inshore Ireland also spoke to David Surplus, chairman of the B9 Energy group of companies, which are currently part of the clean-tech energy infrastructure and which develop, operate and maintain renewable energy projects. ``In 1992, four other people and I took a leap of faith and left jobs to start B9 Energy Services Ltd because we believed that the future was going to need this technology,'' he said. ``Seventeen years later, we provide operation and maintenance services to 45 wind farms of 650 turbines, employ 82 staff and have a turnover of 5m. This industry is in its infancy; for any company out there that is considering taking the leap into this sector, I say go ahead. It has paid off for us.''
energy, the commercial prospects for marine renewable energy technology look promising,'' he said. ``This is potentially significant for Ireland, both in terms of its energy mix and the economic benefits of being a player in respect to the technologies involved. Ireland is particularly vulnerable to energy price and
supply uncertainties, as it imports 90% of its energy needs. However, Ireland has significant clean energy sources available to it in the form of wind, bio-energy and ocean energy, which can be utilized to offset this risk. ``Ocean energy, contained in Ireland's waves and marine tidal currents, provides a massive untapped source of
È ran Dandanell, Director & Head of Business Development, Vattenfall; Eamon Ryan, Minister for (l-r) Go Communications, Energy and Natural Resources; Harvey Appelbe, Project Director, Tonn Energy and Denis Molumby, Executive Director, IDA Ireland.
Marine Institute
Foras na Mara
www.marine.ie Your portal to marine research, monitoring, technology, development & innovation
BACKGROUND
NI energy and environment conference Ð marine energy workshop panel.
In 2002, the Irish Government set up the national energy agency, Sustainable Energy Ireland, to promote and assist in the development of sustainable energy. Inshore Ireland spoke to Eoin Sweeney, Head of Low Carbon Technologies (Ocean) of Sustainable Energy Ireland, about whether he felt the clean-tech energy sector could be the next industrial revolution for Ireland. ``With the continuing rise in the price of energy, and the rise in demand for cleaner
renewable energy. In Ireland, we have a unique opportunity to make this technology a reality and position the country among the global leaders in this field.'' * For more, see page 25. * This month, close to 200 countries are meeting in Copenhagen to discuss climate change. There will be a full report in the next issue.
Marine Institute Rinville, Oranmore, Co. Galway telephone +353 91 387 200 facsimile +353 91 387 201 email institute.mail@marine.ie
4
NEWS
INSHORE IRELAND November/December 2009
Shell applies for a new IPPC licence
T
SHAY FENNELLY he Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confirmed to Inshore Ireland that Shell Exploration and Protection Ireland Limited (SEPIL) has formally notified them of its intention to apply for a review of their IPPC discharge licence. The EPA says it is under consideration, and that a decision is likely early in the New Year. The EPA issued an IPPC emissions licence in November 2007 for the Corrib gas project, which remains valid.
BACKGROUND
Last July, Eddie Diver, Erris Inshore Fishermen's Association (EIFA), told Inshore Ireland that Shell had agreed that the produced water would not be discharged into Broadhaven Bay. SEPIL subsequently told Inshore Ireland that as a `gesture of goodwill' it would not discharge any treated produced water from the outfall pipe (12.7kms zone), but rather seek an amendment to its IPPC licence to have this water disposed of more than 80km from the landfall site in the Corrib field.
The EPA, however, confirmed to Inshore Ireland that it had not received a notification from SEPIL that they were seeking a review. After the July edition was published, Inshore Ireland received a clarification from the EPA licensing section in relation to SEPIL's IPPC licence. It reads: SEPIL sought a Technical
wording changes to:
* correct a clerical or typogra-
phical error.
* clarify wording of a condition in order to facilitate the doing of a thing, under the provisions of the licence, that was originally intended implicitly, but where clarification of the point is required to make the matter more expressly understandable.
Amendment to their IPPC Li-
* making another change to a
cence (Register Number 738-01)
wording of a condition, which
on 2 April 2009, in order to
will have no significant effect on
allow for the making of a new
the environment.
emission point at sea for dis-
Technical Amendments are
charges of high quality treated
made only to address very
produced water.
trivial matters and usually
A Technical Amendment
only to make things clearer.
procedure cannot be used to
A review of an IPPC licence
allow for the creation of a new
involves a complete 'restart' in
emission point of a significant
the IPPC licensing process.
emission. The Technical
The person seeking the review
Amendment request was re-
must make a full application
jected on 23 June 2009. SEPIL
to the Agency, and that appli-
was advised that if such a
cation is similar in every re-
change was to be pursued, a
spect to a first-time application
full review of the IPPC licence
for an IPPC licence. All as-
would be required.
pects of the operation are con-
Section 96 of the EPA Acts
sidered by an IPPC Inspector,
(1992 and 2003) provides for
and the reviewed licence will
the
technical
only be issued by the Board of
amendments to the wording
the Agency after all the im-
of a condition of an IPPC
pacts of the activity are recon-
licence. The legislation speci-
sidered.
making
of
fies exactly the cases whereby the wording of a condition can be changed by the Agency. It extends only to the making of a
The EPA has stressed that it is important to be aware of the significant differences between the two processes.
The stopover in Galway has been heralded as one of the most successful ever recorded from every perspective. Photo: Gillian Mills
Economic impact of world's greatest yacht race to Irish tourism exceeds expectations A report recently published on the economic and media evaluation of Ireland's participation in the Volvo Ocean Race, which stopped over in Galway in late-May, is estimated at 56m, and is 30% greater than was projected. Welcoming the findings, Minister for the Arts, Sport and Tourism Martin Cullen said the event had delivered in terms of visitors, revenue and impact, had provided a `much needed boost' to the local economy and was a showcase for the west coast and Irish tourism. He added that Government
support of 8m towards the event through FaÂilte Ireland's International Sports Tourism Initiative, confirmed their commitment to attracting high profile international sports events to this country. ``This event demonstrates the potential of sports tourism to attract widespread positive international media coverage, as well as additional overseas visitors to Ireland, generating significant foreign revenue earnings for the Irish economy,'' he said. Redmond O'Donoghue, chairman, FaÂilte Ireland said the race had attracted the
biggest audience for Irish tourism since the Ryder Cup in 2006. ``With 650,000 visits to Galway and a further total global audience of millions watching, the event provided extensive media coverage and a fantastic shop window to showcase Ireland as a versatile and high quality holiday destination. I very much believe that the success of the Volvo festival has further increased Ireland's chances for hosting future world class sporting events and provided us with a template for future such festivals.''
IS&WFPO appeals to members to help flood victims THE Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation Ltd, which represents fishermen from Co Galway to Co Wexford, is calling on its members to dig deep and donate what they can to help families worst affected by the recent flooding. The West Cork-based organisation is requesting volun-
To apply sea-fisheries conservation and seafood safety legislation fairly and consistently in accordance with the provisions laid down in the SeaFisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006, and to promote compliance with the law co-operatively with sea-fisheries and seafood sectors and other relevant interests, with the overall objective of ensuring that the marine fish and shellfish resources from the waters in Ireland’s EEZ are exploited legally and consumed safely for the long-term benefit of all.
Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority Park Road, Clogheen, Clonakilty, Co. Cork T: 023 8859 300 F: 023 8859 720 E: info@sfpa.ie W: www.sfpa.ie Confidential Line: 1890 76 76 76
tary financial contributions from local fishing vessel owners, processing companies and co-operatives involved. ``Irish fishermen have always volunteered to support those hardest hit by international natural disasters, and we feel that our situation here in Ireland now takes top priority. We will work in
co-operation with established national support agencies to ensure that all funds collected get to those families most deserving. With Christmas only weeks away, this is a humanitarian effort on behalf of Irish fishermen,'' remarked Gavin Power on behalf of the IS&WFPO said.
Norway seeks increased quota on mackerel stocks AT the November EU Fisheries Council, Tony Killeen TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, made it clear that the mackerel fishery must be protected, and that Ireland's quota must be maintained. Each year, EU and Norway negotiate access to fish stocks in each other's waters, however, due to changing stock patterns, Norway is now also seeking increased quota. There is growing concern that the EU will agree to increase Norway's share of the stock, which would reduce Ireland's quota for 2010 and future years. In 2009, Ireland's quota was 62,000 tonnes, worth an estimated 65m at first sale. Norway has demanded an increased share of the overall EU TAC, and is also seeking
permission to fish that quota in EU waters. ``I made clear to fellow Ministers, and to Commissioner Borg, the importance of the mackerel fishery for Ireland and that we needed to work together to prevent any reduction in the EU's share of the mackerel quota. ``I am prepared to discuss mutually acceptable arrangements that would increase the access for Norwegian vessels in return for a long term agreement on the share out between EU and Norway that protected the interests of Irish fishermen.'' Separately, the Fisheries Council also discussed new conservation measures on mesh sizes and closed areas. These measures are important to deliver on the overall objective of conserving fish stocks and promoting sus-
tainable fishing practices. Agreement was reached to continue the existing measures for a further 18 months to allow for more detailed discussions with fishermen. ``We need to strengthen the current conservation rules, but I want to ensure that the new measures, which are very technical and complex, allow for economic fisheries that protect the livelihood of fishermen. ``I was disappointed that the Council's failure to reach agreement has resulted in the continuation of measures applied last December for the waters off Donegal. While I secured some limited changes, Council was not prepared to make substantive changes to the existing arrangements for Ireland and Britain in the interim,'' he said.
A
s this issue of Inshore Ireland went to press, hundreds of people around the country were engaged in a massive and heart-breaking clean-up operation of their houses and business damaged, and in many cases destroyed, by the recent flooding. WHEN they find somewhere dry again, and when the initial shock fades, it is certain to be replaced by rage, and the blame game will begin in earnest. What caused such devastation and, perhaps, more importantly, will it happen again? Could it even be the start of a regular occurrence? Radio phone-ins and television discussion groups are already channelling much of this anger, as those affected seek explanations, consolation and, ultimately, heads. The finger of blame is already pointing to reckless planning decisions during the so-called `good years' as politicians and planners find themselves in the dock answering why exactly was development allowed on known flood plains. There is more than a tendency in this country to plan Ð if that's the word Ð for
the short term. This is now proving to be an approach that can have fatal consequences, and the results are now clear to be seen. In this issue of Inshore Ireland we return again to examine two issues that highlight our very own particular approach to planning. It's hard to believe that more than a decade after one of the most picturesque areas of the country showed signs of pollution, the communities of the Argideen river estuary, Courtmacsherry Bay and Coolmine Bay, are still waiting for answers and, more importantly perhaps, a solution. And, nearly three years after a preliminary study by the Irish Seaweed Centre pinpointed domestic sewage as the main culprit, it has emerged that this report has been withdrawn by the authors because, according to them, the Environmental Protection Agency would not allocate the extra funding needed to carry out more thorough investigations in the area. The planners at Cork Co Council too have a case to answer here for allowing houses Ð many of them holiday homes Ð to be built without first ensuring that an
adequate wastewater treatment facility was in place. In Clew Bay too, questions are being asked of the EPA about their decision to allow partially-treated leachates from local domestic dumps to be discharged into what was pristine water in which shellfish are being farmed. Nevertheless, despite the doom and gloom, our lead story reports that lessons can be learned from past mistakes. By steadfastly pursuing what appears to have been a tortuously complicated investigation into malpractice by one the of the country's top seafood processors, the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority showed that it has teeth and the determination not to be deflected and to do what it was set up to do. Hard-won reputations by the food processing sector were sullied by the reckless and criminal actions of one of their own. We report, however, that an expensive lesson has been learned by the offending processor, and that new in-house practices will ensure that the likes will never happen again. Finally, the best news story of this issue is a shining example of optimism and of
November/December 2009
5
COMMENT tnemmoC
INSHORE IRELAND
how things can be done right, when we put our minds to it. The official opening of BIM's Seafood Development Centre in Clonakilty is universally seen as a long called for move in the right direction for the seafood producing sector. Pity there isn't more like it to report! * NOTE: Thisissueof Inshore Ireland marks the last to be distributed in association with the Irish Farmers Journal. Since its launch in January 2005, Inshore Ireland has enjoyed a steady growth in its readership and advertising support from the marine and freshwater sectors which can be directly attributed to its association with this national newspaper. From January 2010, Inshore Ireland will publish as a stand-along paper, available for sale in selected outlets throughout the entire island of Ireland. This will be a seamless transition whereby the periodicity and format will remain largely unchanged for the immediate future. In the meantime we wish all our readers and clients a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Ð Gillian Mills
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Effect of zebra mussel on sporting fish waters DEAR Editor: There appears to be increasing discussion and alarm about the spread of the zebra mussel in our traditional trout and salmon inland waterways. Can you tell me whether there is any empirical evidence of the damage done to the sporting fish ecology by the presence of the zebra mussels, and in particular in the waters from where they originated? I have heard that they originally came to us via Holland, but don't know this to be a fact. There appears to be two vociferous sides to this discussion Ð one commending the water-cleansing effect of their presence, and the other claiming they destroy the natural feeding and ecology of the water, and will lead to considerable reductions in our trout and salmon populations over time. What has happened in the sporting fish waters where they have been present for a long time?
There is no definitive answer to what becomes of a game fishery following the introduction of zebra mussels. There are, however, some definite measurable ecological impacts studied in Irish
and international lakes, which affect food webs and habitat in salmonid waters. Once zebra mussel populations are established, their filter feeding activities cause a reduction in phytoplankton (floating algae), resulting in an increase in water clarity. Invertebrate life (zooplankton) in the water, which is a valuable food source for juvenile fish, is subsequently decreased due to the reduction in food source (phytoplankton). The increased water transparency leads to a higher biomass of aquatic plants and blanket weed (bottom algae) in lakes where zebra mussels are established, as plants can grow deeper due to increased light penetration. Many studies have also noted an increase in the biomass of insect and other invertebrate life in the shallow, stoney, near-shore regions of lakes, where zebra mussels attach in dense colonies. In short, the ecology of an infested lake changes from a system where most of the productivity is in the water (pelagic) to one where it is on the lake bottom (benthic). Unfortunately, the invasion of zebra mussels has lead to the extinction of our native swan/duck mussel where these co-occur. Many people believe that the increased water transpar-
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Ð Sandy Robertson, Dublin
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While
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in Inshore Ireland, we do not
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errors, or matters arising from same.
responsibility
for
any
ency must be a great sign of improved water quality. Phosphorus, the nutrient which caused the problems in the first place, is still in the lake, but is now present in the zebra mussels and their copious faeces on the bottom of the lake. This helps to fertilise the new increased plant life. Increased water transparency may affect fish behaviour, possibly making it more challenging for the angler Ð but this is not something we can measure scientifically in the wild. It has been reported that there has been a decline in largely unwanted roach populations (another invasive species!) in zebra mussel lakes due to the decline in their main food source as young fish (zooplankton). However, many European studies have noted an increase in roach populations in these waters, due to their consumption of zebra mussels. There is no golden rule to say that roach or other coarse fish here could not change their dietary habits over a number of generations. In fact, zebra mussels have already been recorded in the guts of a number of Irish fish species. Because zebra mussels have been here for a short time (arrival circa 1993, from England), we do not know what their impact will be for our fisheries. We cannot use international studies as a rule of thumb, because we have fewer species in Irish food webs. In fact, every lake system in Ireland is different both ecologically and hydrologically, so we cannot use any safe scientific predictions. Coupled with this, we have the diverse interactive impacts introduced by the hand
of man. These include nutrient pollution, increased illegal fishing and the introduction of more invasive species, e.g. Lagarosiphon (curly pondweed) in Lough Corrib. Let us not forget the importance of our nursery streams, where trout and salmon spend their vulnerable early stages. It is here that good water quality and suitable habitat are imperative for sustained recruitment of these species. Zebra mussels do not occur in these nursery waters, and so do not impact on the egg and fry stages when most mortality occurs. In fact, zebra mussels do not occur to any great extent in Irish rivers, away from lake systems, and so will not impact ecologically or otherwise on our riverine game fisheries. In the back of some peoples' minds is the misconceived belief that zebra mussels are the panacea for the man-made pressures caused by nutrient pollution/eutrophication. Perhaps they don't realise that the introduction of invasive species is recognised as the second greatest threat to biodiversity worldwide. Please adopt the precautionary principle and do not introduce zebra mussels or any other plant or animal to Irish waters. It is not an act of kindness to release the contents of your aquarium to the wild. See www.invasivespecie sireland.com for details of our most unwanted species.
Ð Dr Frances Lucy, Department of Environmental Science, Institute of Technology, Sligo
MYSTIC, which might be on the market for circa $3m, would be an excellent replacement for Asgard ll.
Maritime heritage DEAR Editor: Those anonymous and hidden `wisemen' who pronounced the death sentence on Asgard ll did more than decapitate Irish sail training for the foreseeable future. They failed to recognise that by lifting her from the sandy bottom of the Bay of Biscay they would, at the same time, be saluting the memory of this island nation's iconic ship builder/designer, Jack Tyrell, who surely should have been honoured in his lifetime, but wasn't. Those of us who were fortunate enough to stand on the edge of the 15th fairway on the Dunmore East Golf Club in 2005 and witness the almost windless passage below of Asgard ll, Jeannie Johnston and Dunbrody had every reason for believing, certainly hoping, that we were witnessing the start of an exciting new period of Irish Tall Ship expansion. Little did we realise how soon those hopes would dissolve in a mist of inaction and bad management. Dunbrody lies lashed hard to her pier by the insistence of the burghers of New Ross that she remain as a visitor attraction and purveyor of gifts while decaying, as good ships will do through inactivity and in, sailing terms Ð for she is a ship after all - virtual abandonment. Jeanie Johnston, her North American triumphs a pale memory, also seems destined
to be added to our list of museums Ð don't they think we have enough of them? She was never ideal as an STV but surely she could have filled the breach until wiser councils emerged to steer us out of the present fog of abandonment of our national maritime heritage? Those of us with some feeling for things maritime in this country, who continue to mourn the passing of the great Dr John de Courcy Ireland, take some small comfort from the relief we feel that he did not live on to endure the dismal times in which we now live.
Ð Tim Magennis Killiney, Co Dublin I have just received details of a fine American schooner, MYSTIC, which might be on the market for circa $3m and would be an excellent replacement for Asgard ll. She is only three years old but is a victim of the current recession in the US. She is built in steel (167ft); beam 34ft; draught 9ft down to 18ft with centreboard; rig height 107ft. And she can be ours for a little bit more than the insurance money for Asgard II. Enquires to me at 01 2855835.
6
INSHORE IRELAND November/December 2009
YOURVIEW
Inshore Ireland, and its publishers, do not accept responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors. While every care is taken to ensure accuracy of information, we do not accept responsibility for any errors, or matters arising from same. Contact the editor at mills@inshore-ireland.com
An Bord PleanaÂla decisionhighlights importance of water quality to fish industry NIALL O'BOYLE CLEW BAY MARINE FORUM
C
lew
Bay's
ine
community
was
of
raises
the
Conservation), and important
seven
years
natural shellfish and seafood
between MCC, their consul-
production area.'
tants and marine users did
(a
at
Special Area
Although
mar-
relieved
candidate
marine
us ers
question of
of
why
consultation
not adequately address shell-
made known their concerns
fish concerns.
to
REDUCED CAPABILITY
Mayo
County
the decision ta-
(MCC)
ken by An Bord
consultation phase of the pro-
Prior
 la (ABP) in September Pleana
posal,
ade-
MCC discharged leachate via
2008 not to allow the discharge
quately
the
Westport Waste Water Treat-
of
application and it was ulti-
ment
mately left to ABP to make
`emergency measure' follow-
chates to be combined with
the
sewage
grateful
partially
and
treated
sludge
hub
landfill
centre
lea-
during
Co u n c i l
these
the
lengthy
were
dealt
not
with
in
to
the
Plant
ABP
decision,
(WWTP)
as
an
are
ing a period of heavy rainfall.
accepted
Local marine users pointed
charged into Clew Bay's shell-
and upheld all of the concerns
out to MCC and the Environ-
fish
raised
mental
effluent,
growing
and
`A'
dis-
classified
waters. To their credit, ABP recog-
r e c e i v i ng
namely
Clew
e n v i r o n m e nt Bay,
which
is
an important natural habitat
decision.
that
We
ABP
during
the
consulta-
Ireland
Agency
(EPA) that Westport WWTP
oral hearing.
was
While ABP's decision cop-
not
chate
water quality to Irish shell-
WWTP's
fish
its
and
fish
industries,
it
designed
to
treat
landfill leachate and that lea-
per fastens the importance of
actually
reduced
ability
sewage
to
the
perform
treatment
func-
tion.
EPA response INSHORE
Protection
tion process and again at the
nised `the sensitive nature of the
final
Then Minister of State at the
Department
ture,
of
Fisheries
Agricul-
and
Food,
John Brown, was made aware of our concerns. He gave us a written assurance that MCC
asked
Mayo County Council is
the EPA if it could guaran-
obliged to comply with the
minded of their responsibil-
tee that a land-fill leachate
requirements of the waste
ities
discharge
water
waters
through
the
discharge
Westport wastewater treat-
granted
ment plant will be guaran-
the
teed to be 100% safe 100%
tion,
of the time?
D0055-01).
ply
EPA
water
the
Westport
EPA
issues
discharge
waste
licences
with in
EPA
under
had
the
been
re-
s h el l f is h
legislation,
and
he
advised them in future to find
agglomera-
an alternate method of dispo-
( regist er
result
the
for
number:
sal. With ABP's decision under
Failure by MCC to com-
REPLY: The
by
licence,
and
our belt and armed with Min-
the
licence
will
ister Brown's letter, we could
the
appropriate
have been forgiven for begin-
being
ning to have some belief in
condi-
taken to bring about com-
the system and for thinking
discharges
pliance and to protect the
that the years of patient con-
from agglomerations must
ambient environment into
sultation
be controlled so as to pro-
which discharges of treated
and
tect the environment from
effluent are made.
warded
that
contain
tions
on
strict
how
enforcement
pollution that might otherwise arise. The
MCC
intends
aqueous
Waste
to
landfill
treat
leachate
and
vigilance with
logical had an
input
been
re-
acceptance
that landfill leachate is not a suitable or
safe additive to
Dis-
for a limited period of time
shellfish
(Authorisation)
in the waste water treat-
and that the matter was at
Regulations of 2007 (SI 684
ment plant associated with
an end.
of 2007) specifically dictates
the
that the agency shall not
tion.
grant an authorisation for
lowed
under
a
Water
Discharge
charge
waste
which, the
Water
action
water
in
the
agency,
discharge opinion
will
cause
of a
Westport This
agglomera-
activity
(registration
waters
Unknown to marine users
al-
and without any prior con-
Waste
sultation, MCC subsequently
Licence
applied to the EPA to allow a
number
leachate discharge to be in-
the
is
production
D0055-01) for a defined and
cluded
deterioration in the chemi-
limited
WWTP licence and the EPA
cal status or ecological sta-
treatment of limited quan-
tus (or ecological potential
tities of aqueous leachate,
as the case may be) in the
in
receiving body of surface
sessed as part of the licence
express their shock and on-
water.
application process.
going
this
time
period.
manner,
was
The
as-
in
the
Westport
granted it. Concerned users
the
wrote
fears.
EPA
local to
the
Alan
marine EPA
to
Stephens,
inspector,
replied
by telling Clew Bay CLAMS
in
members that the licence has
waters. There is no mention
protect
been granted; that it was too
of a requirement to monitor
wonder if the EPA inspector
late
to
object
s hel lf ish
40,000 per day for failing to shellfish
waters,
I
the
heavy metals or any of the
is confident that the introduc-
thousands of other persistent
tion
lity
damage
pollutants that can bio-accu-
source
resulting from their decision
mulate in shellfish. We have
designated Quality of Shell-
to allow this discharge.
concerns
fish Waters Area is in keep-
any
future
Separately, official,
that
adja cent
EPA did not accept any liabifor
and
the
another
Derval
EPA
Devaney
in
correspondence refers to leachate under the heading `design capacity'. This obscure reference
was
one
line
of
figures in a subsection of a subsection of a subsection of the original application. This reference gives no indication that leachate would ever be discharged into Clew Bay. The clause ment
licence
contains
requiring of
the
an
impact
a
assessof
the
discharges on the microbiological quality of the shellfish
that
this
allows
of
leachate of
as
pollution
a
Mayo County Council to pol-
ing
lute and partially monitor the
Commissioner
effects.
mas' recent statement:
With Ireland facing fines of
with
`Clean
EU
new
into
a
Environment
waters
Stavros
support
The Clew Bay marine community was grateful that An Bord PleanaÂla accepted and upheld all of the concerns raised during the consultation process and again at the oral hearing
Di-
the
INSHORE IRELAND
November/December 2009
YOURVIEW
Westport Waste Water Treatment Plant, pictured below, which local marine users pointed out to Mayo County Council and the Environmental Protection Agency was not designed to treat landfill leachate
A decade and more waiting for a lobster management plan TREVOR SIMPSON EAST WATERFORD LOBSTER CO-OP
n the early nineties, Irish lobster fishermen began realising lobster stocks were dwindling and that there was no future for their industry. Consequently, a group travelled to Maine in the USA to see the way they did things there. As a result, and surprisingly quickly, legislation was then introduced in Ireland to protect v-notched lobsters. Now, any lobster found with a v-notched or damaged tail has to be returned to the sea. Penalties were introduced that now make it illegal to have in one's possession a vnotched lobster. In 1995, with the help of BIM, lobster fishermen in south Wexford set up a vnotching scheme off the Wexford coast. As many of the fishermen in Dunmore East had gear the other side of the hook, we were very interested in this development. At the behest of BIM, a lobster fisherman from Maine was invited to outline the success of the programme and licensing system in his home state. He met us in Dunmore and BIM funded a facilitator to see if we could set up a scheme here in East Waterford.
I
V-NOTCHING SCHEME
sustainable production of shellfish, as well as enhancing the general state of the coastal environment. The shellfish industry is a significant employment sector in coastal areas and one of Ireland's assets. Ireland should urgently complete the necessary steps to comply with the judgment as soon as possible.'
The EPA inspector feels the statutory time for consultation is closed Ă? maybe he is right. Perhaps we should now consult directly with the Commissioner and ask whether, in his opinion, this is a suitable example of how Ireland plc should protect its quality of shellfish waters areas? Article 8 of the QSW legislation 79/923/EEC clearly states that there can be no
direct or indirect increased pollution in coastal or brackish waters. Minister Browne, in his letter of 17 January 2007, and ABC in their decision of 24 September 2008 have shown they understand it. What part of 'no increased pollution' do the Environmental Protection Agency and Mayo County Council not understand?
* Niall O'Boyle is the owner
of Coastal Zone Services, a company which is involved in environmental monitoring, tourism and leisure, managing EU marine projects and provides services totheaquacultureindustry. He is a member of the Clew Bay Marine Forum, and has been its spokesperson for many years.
7
Following a series of meetings, it was agreed to start up a scheme, and that a 2% levy would be taken from all lobster and crab landings to fund the purchase of lobsters. BIM was to match our levy to pay for the lobsters that we would v-notch and return to the sea. Despite no legal framework existing, we issued members with permits to fish in our area. The South Wexford Lobster Co-op had a similar permit, and we agreed to recognise each other's permit in each area. We then set about trying to make the permits enforceable by law. Soon, similar groups were established around the coast and v-notching became the only hope. Now, all notched females are `potentially' protected, to spawn a couple of time before the v-notch grews out. We were hopeful that all this investment in time and money would result in the establishment of a licensing system. It became clear that all lobster fishermen had to be included in any licensing scheme. Member of the new
defunct National Lobster Association held meetings with successive fishery ministers, all of whom promised legislation to protect lobster fishermen. But, the relevant department always argued that such legislation was probably unconstitutional and subsequently all such plans were sent (we were told) to the Attorney General. Ten years went by and still no licence was put in place. In 2005, a new strategy for shellfisheries saw the introduction of the Species Advisory Groups (SAGs), comprising the department, BIM and fishermen's representatives. Their findings were to be fed into the Inshore Fisheries Review. At the initial meeting on 14 June, 2005, then marine minister, Pat the Cope Gallagher assured us that this definitely was not just a talking shop. He promised that any plan we devised to protect any of the shell fisheries would be made into law, as long as it did not compromise EU legislation and was inclusive. In May 2006, the Lobster Advisory Group produced a draft management plan and, by January 2007, a full consultation plan was ready to present to the industry. Meanwhile, Dr Noel Cawley was appointed chairman of a group invited to investigate and recommend an overall strategy for the whole seafood sector. Their findings were published in Steering a New Course published on 2 December, 2006, and the strategy was welcomed by Govern-
ment and was accepted as policy. The Seafood Strategy Implementation Group (SSIG) was appointed to put the plan into effect, comprising representatives from all sides of the industry: producers, processors, aquaculture, Marine Institute, BIM, Federation of Irish Fishermen, IFO and from the inshore sector. Most importantly, the Government department responsible for the industry was also at the table. Suddenly, the LAG was told that our plan must be approved by the SSIG which had not yet met. After a meeting of all LAGs, we were able to get representatives on the SSIG. Our plans were discussed and were eventually approved by all members; initially we were looking for the principle of limited access to be approved. Everything we have done had to be in consultation with all stakeholders. This is only fair and correct. However, it takes time and, meanwhile, the stocks are dwindling and fishermen are working increasingly harder to maintain the same income. The only reason there is still an industry at all in our region is because of the years of work on the v-notching programme. Time is running out. We really do need some management of our industry. RACE TO EXTINCTION
We believe that the v-notching programme has kept fish on the grounds so far but
without proper management it is only a matter of time before they disappear. All lobster fishermen with a genuine interest in the survival of the industry will support BIM's new proposals. It is the only chance we have and it has taken many years to get to this point. This document was originally written in May 2006. Our industry is racing towards extinction here in November 2009 and still we have no management plan in place. After taking in the results of the consultation process an amended plan was put before the department. What has happened to it? Has it reached the Minister's desk? If not, why not? At one point, we were told that the environmentalists were against it; however, subsequent enquiries negate this claim. Because the environmental lobby wanted action to protect areas for wildlife, where traditionally men fished for cockles, mussels and clams, and to be fair the fishermen themselves wanted to protect their livelihood, statutory instruments were rushed into place this season to regulate these fisheries. There seems no urgency, however, to implement the management plan for lobster fisheries, although the industry has been beseeching the Government to do something as we see a declining pot/ catch ratio and a dwindling return on our investment. Why not a statutory instrument to allow our management plan to get started?
Department response INSHORE Ireland asked the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has become of the draft management plan and the reason for the delay in introducing a Statutory Instrument giving effect to the plan. REPLY:
Detailed work is continuing on the preparation for the implementation of the amended consultation document including drafting of a statutory instrument to provide legal backing for the new arrangements. Consideration is also being given as to how the lobster management plan will operate in light of the new statutory arrangements in relation to fish-
eries in Natura 2000 areas. Work is also underway to have the new lobster authorisations system managed as part of the integrated fisheries database known as the IFIS system. It should also be borne in mind that before the lobster management plan can be implemented, further consultation with stakeholders will be required in each of the proposed management units to consider effort limits and technical conservation measures and other objectives. While these may appear to be simple matters, they are time consuming and a number of issues have to be considered. The Department recognises the desirability of the
lobster management plan being in place for the lobster fishery next year. However, its achievement within this timeline will depend on the availability of resources at a time of a shrinking public service. The Department is hopeful that the successful implementation of the management plan will build on the widely recognised success of the well established lobster v-notching scheme. The success of this scheme is largely attributed to the goodwill and cooperation between the lobster fishermen and BIM. We should look to duplicate this recipe for success in the implementation of the lobster management plan.
8
INSHORE IRELAND November/December 2009
INSHORE FISHERIES
The end of a long road IAN LAWLER
under Article 6 of the Habi-
BIM
tats Directive. While this issue had been
A
dalk
and
fter closing for
considered in the formulation
a period by lo-
of
cal
agreement
there was no baseline infor-
in
January
mation
2007, the Dun-
Waterford
cockle
the
bird
management on
the
plans,
habitats
populations
or
available
for either site. As a result,
fisheries reopened on 21 July
the
under
fish-
not be assessed. In addition,
comprehensive
potential
impact
could
plans .
there was no formal process
The plans were drawn up by
to determine the adequacy of
BIM in conjunction with the
any such assessment in place.
respective industry based Lo-
As a result of the complaint
er ie s
cal
man ag eme nt
Advisory
Committees
and response from DG Environment, the Waterford fish-
(LACs). Given the environmental
ery was closed in November
designations of Dundalk Bay
2007.
as a Special Area of Conser-
closed some time previously
vation (SAC) and Special Pro-
as the agreed TAC had been
tection Area for Birds (SPA),
taken.
considerable made
to
practice ment
efforts
into
the
measures
similar
sites
Progress
were
incorporate
best
manage-
from
other
elsewhere
in
Dundalk
much
had
been
proved
slower
than
to
be
antici-
pated, and it was June 2009 before a comprehensive approach to dealing with the
Europe, particularly in Brit-
appropriate
assessment
of
ain.
fisheries in Natura 2000 sites
Despite this, and the fact
(SACs and SPAs) was devel-
that both fisheries had made
oped and agreed by the rele-
enormous progress in intro-
v a n t
ducing sustainable manage-
departments
ment measures where none
DEHLG) and their agencies
had
a
(BIM, MI, SFPA, NPWS), and
complaint was made to DG
finalised with DG Environ-
Environment
Eur-
ment. In the interim, baseline
the
data on the habitats had been
basis that the management
gathered, and therefore it was
plan had not been subjected
now
to
existed
opean
previously, of
the
Commission
on
g o v e r n m e n t
possible
(DAFF
to
and
begin
the
assess-
process of appropriately as-
ment' to ascertain the poten-
sessing the impact of the fish-
tial impact of the fisheries on
eries.
the
assessment
an
`appropriate
two
sites
as
required
Since
finalising process,
the
BIM,
DAFF and the MI, worked
and the
sessment had to be sent to
which opened the fishery on
specifically towards reopen-
Fisheries Natura Plan (FNP)
LAC to
develop
a
statutory
September
ing the fisheries. The first
setting out the conditions of
made
step was
c o n s u lt e e s
available
for
and
public
30.
following
It
the
was
only
Declaration
biomass
the fishery. These were very
consultation. This was rolled
that
survey of Dundalk Bay and
similar to those in place in
out through advertisements
eries Natura Permits could
Waterford
be sought from eligible ves-
a
cockle
applications
for
Fish-
2007, but with two important
in
out in June by the MI with
differences.
documents were made avail-
sels,
assistance from BIM and in-
Firstly,
able on the www.fishingnet.ie
gatherers giving DAFF a very
website in mid-August.
short time period to get these
Estuary
carried
discussions
with
the SFPA and NPWS at the
dustry.
national
press,
and
the
and
prospective
hand
This revealed that, while
time of drawing up the FNP
At the same time, the fra-
there was a fishable stock in
had highlighted the need to
mework to deal with the ap-
Dundalk, there had been a
verify that vessels were, in
propriate
recruitment failure in Water-
fact, only fishing in the areas
formally
ford in 2008, probably due to
permitted
346
environmental
This meant that GPS tracking devices
Birds) (Sea-Fisheries) Regula-
decision on a suitable track-
tions 2009.
ing system,
factors,
as
there had been no fishing.
fitted
under
would
to
all
the
have
plan. to
vessels
be
in the
assessments
As a favourable outcome seemed likely following the
European
IFTAC meeting, it was then
Communities (Habitats and
possible for BIM to make a
2009,
The
by
ing of the fishery.
SI
of
established
was
processed prior to the open-
identified over
DUNDALK FOCUS
fishery. BIM were given the
Time was now pressing, as
the previous two weeks, for
Efforts then concentrated on
responsibility of finding and
this was the projected open-
the vessels and select a provi-
Dundalk, and with a target
implementing a cost effective
ing date for the fishery and,
der
opening date of mid-August
solution before the opening of
therefore,
support the system.
last, a lot of things had to
the fishery, a period of only
period was kept very short.
happen in parallel. In order to
four to six weeks, otherwise
Once
con-
toring, was selected to put the
assuage fears expressed
the
cluded, the way was clear to
GPS tracking system in place
have the FNP, the appropri-
at a competitive price on time
the
ate assessment and the sub-
for the September 30 opening.
hand
missions received considered
The fishery opened on that
by
Fisheries
date, with all vessels fitted
Technical Advisory Commit-
with GPS tracking devices. These proved extremely effec-
some
agencies
that
by
there
opening
of
the
fishery
could be delayed.
would be a large influx of
Secondly,
there
was
the
consultation
consultations
to
supply,
install
and
Irish company, IDS Moni-
boats into the fishery, which
requirement
for
could result in unsustainable
gatherers
be
fishing pressure on the stock,
through
DAFF introduced a managed
The MI then conducted an
tee
access
appropriate
of
DAFF, BIM, MI, SFPA, envir-
tive.
based on the track record in
the potential impact of the
onmental NGOs and industry
records submitted to and col-
the 2007 fishery.
fishery on the Dundalk Bay
representatives.
lated by BIM allowed the total
regime
Therefore, fied
the
primarily
having
eligible
identi-
vessels,
was then possible
to
a
all
regulated
permit
system.
assessment
site.
the
Inshore
(IFTAC)
comprising
This culminated in a Fish-
it
As required under the fra-
for BIM
mework, the appropriate as-
eries
Natura
(FND)
on
Dec larati on
September
17,
Daily
fishing
activity
catch and catch rates of the fishery to be monitored in real time.
Monitoring the environmental effects of cockle dredging BY OLIVER TULLY & SARAH CLARKE,
bay
show
effects would be short lived,
for the field work. The fishery
show
that it can co-exist with the
and that recovery of the en-
was licensed to operate only
these cockles is low, and the
has been enormous, and was
MARINE INSTITUTE
wild life interests, and that its
vironment would occur rela-
in
survival of these discarded
made all the more difficult by
activity
tively quickly. Nevertheless,
vessels were tracked, using a
cockles is probably high.
the fact that this was the first
this
uncer-
system sourced and funded
T
he
Dundalk
cockle
must,
therefore,
will
long-term
not
have
negative
any
effect.
conclusion
was
certain
areas,
and
the
that
the
damage
to
The programme will also
the
time
preceding
the
eight
weeks
process had been
fishery occurs in an
There are a number of poten-
tain, and based on informa-
by BIM, to show that 'no go'
be
areas were not fished.
quickly the environment re-
At the end of the day, it was
covers from any impact that
a positive result, and all the fishermen involved were re-
able
to
estimate
how
used for such a fishery.
area which supports
tial effects. The fishery re-
tion
internationally important po-
moves cockles which are an
fisheries in Britain and pre-
It was, therefore, possible
pulations of wading birds and
important
for
liminary data from Dundalk
to investigate the abundance
may
wildfowl. These birds feed on
some
cause
Bay in 2008. One of the con-
and diversity of fauna in fish-
the 2009 fishery by repeatedly
lieved
the animals living in the sand
disturbance to birds, and by
ditions of opening the fishery
able areas before and after
surveying these areas during
again. The fishery closed, as
and mud between the low and
disturbing the sand and mud
in 2009, therefore, was that
they were fished and to use
2010. Demonstrating recovery
planned,
high water marks. The Bay is
during dredging, it may da-
the effects of the fishery on
'no go' areas as controls.
from impacts will be an im-
after the average daily catch
designated as a Natura site,
mage
the
the
portant consideration in the
fell below 250kg. In total, 108
which means that special care
that live in the sand and on
tored. The MI, therefore, be-
monitoring
programme
future management of fish-
tonnes of cockles were landed
must be taken to avoid dama-
which birds also feed.
gan a monitoring programme
looked at damage caused to
eries in the site. While the
and 32 vessels participated in
in September 2009, just before
shellfish, including cockles,
fishery opened later than the
the fishery. For further infor-
The
ging the long-term status of
food
birds.
the
It
source may
other
organisms
appropriate
impact of
environment
cockle
be
moni-
A
second
aspect
of
have
occurred
during
to
get on
back
fishing
November
1,
ment
the
the fishery opened, with the
which
the
target date, the level of work
mation
life in the bay.
fishery completed by the MI
assistance of the local fisher-
dredge, but were not retained
by BIM, DAFF, MI and, just
inshore fisheries, please visit
in
men who provided support
on board. Preliminary results
as importantly, the LAC, over
www.bim.ie
2009
the
other
the habitats, fauna and bird Any cockle fishery in the
of
assess-
from
suggests
that
any
were
caught
in
on
BIM's
work
To launch as a stand-alone publication in
January 2010 Be sure to pick up your copy in your local newsagents on: January 28; March 25; May 27; July 29; September 30; November 25 And if you can’t find it, let us know: Gillian Mills (Editor) 01 2354804 / 087 290 2045; Wendy Scott (Features NI) 00 44 (0) 2891 857721/0044 (0) 783 865 6160;
Gery Flynn (Features Editor) 091 844 822 / 085 747 5797; Michael Crawford (Advertising) 074 919 4476
in
INSHORE IRELAND
November/December 2009
9
INSHORE FISHERIES
Bass Ð the original silver surfer NORMAN DUNLOP
bet if a poll were carried out among sea anglers in Ireland and Britain to find their favourite marine fish, the Atlantic Bass (Disentrarhcus labrax) would almost certainly come out well on top. What is it that makes this species so highly prized? Well, for a start, they are a powerful and hard fighting fish, which in my opinion are pound for pound every bit as strong as sea trout or salmon. They are slow growing in Irish waters with a 10lb (4.55kg) specimen possibly as old as 20 years! Bass are also a very handsome species being big scaled and silver-flanked with a blue-black back. They are sight feeders and have big eyes with a fine gold ring circling the iris. Bass have two spiky dorsal fins and the pectorals taper backwards, while the large, slightly forked caudal fin, is supported by a strong wrist. This is where much of the power of the fish is generated.
I
UBIQUITOUS FISH
Bass can be taken by almost every shore and boat fishing method known to man. They are also to be found in virtually every marine situation from offshore wrecks through shallow inshore reefs to roaring surf beaches, busy harbours and quiet backwaters. Trout and salmon anglers fishing the fly in fresh water, several miles up river from the sea, have even recorded bass. At one time, it was thought that bass were, with a few notable exceptions, absent north of an imaginary line from Dublin to Galway. This probably was true 40 years ago but in the last 10 years or so, bass have turned up right around the entire
island of Ireland. I suppose global warming may have something to do with this apparent expansion, or maybe the unique legislation introduced in the 1980s to protect the species from commercial over fishing may also be working. VIABLE TARGET
Then again it might just be that there are more anglers with a greater knowledge of the species fishing in places that seldom saw a rod and line in the past. In any case while probably still not as plentiful as in the 1960s, they do present a viable target species for anglers who are prepared to put in the hours to look for them. I enjoy all forms of bass fishing but standing knee deep in big `smoking surf' at Brandon Bay on the Dingle Peninsula with a bass rod cradled in my arms is the very essence of Irish bass angling. I was very fortunate to have fished these beaches with some of the all-time great bass anglers like Des Brennan and Kevin Linnane who were both employed in the Inland Fisheries Trust (later Central Fisheries Board.) Between them, they were responsible for uncovering Ireland's bass fishing potential. Sadly, both have passed on now but I learned so much from them and every time I step onto the sand at Stradbally, Kilcummin or Fermoyle, I swear I can still feel their presence. As I write, the rain is lashing down and high winds are forecast from the North. It's a typical start to another dank and dismal Irish winter's day. So roll on the long days of summer, with warming south westerlies, and bass running in the breakers of a Kerry Strand.
Fishing in the surf in Brandon Bay.
Norman Dunlop Ð background Norman Dunlop, who retired
Fish Committee and holds the
gling survey reports for the
 ilte Irein conjunction with Fa
this year, was the national sea
prestigious awards for 10 spe-
Shannon
Waterville
land he also wrote Sea Angling
angling adviser with the Cen-
cimen fish and 10 species of
area and Waterford Harbour,
In Ireland, an in-depth guide on
tral Fisheries Board, Dublin for
specimen fish.
and
on
all
at
sport-fishing.
31 years.
Has written for a number of
T
Mike
and
Thrussell,
shore
fishing
aspects
of
Irish
marine
Wexford
Norman has also appeared
tions, and produced sea an-
and on boat fishing at Arthurs-
in a number of television and
Anglers, and a founder mem-
gling guides to the northern;
town, Ballyhack, Co Wexford.
video productions, and acted
ber
north-western; southern and
Irish
of
Federation
SALC
(Sea
of
Angling
Irish
and
Liaison Committee of Britain
eastern
and Ireland).
Ireland.
overseas
fisheries
publica-
regions
of
Kilmore
Quay,
Co
co-
as technical adviser on sev-
Angling
eral films, including the award
published by Gill and McMillan,
winning From Source To Sea.
With
Peter
authored
the
Green,
Sea
he
He served as a member of
Norman was also co-author
covering boat and shore fish-
the Irish Specimen and Record
with Peter Green of sea an-
ing around the Irish Coast and
and angling water in the southwest tional activities. Once established in a water body, this highly invasive plant competes with and takes over from native plants, resulting in damage to the native habitat. It is a very hazardous invasive species, which has destroyed the native aquatic habitat in a number of other European countries. Its presence can also lead to a reduction in dissolved oxygen levels in the water. Under certain conditions, this may adversely affect fish stocks. Accordingly to Dr Joe Caffrey, senior research scientist with the CFB said that following a visit to the sight area, an eradication strategy was now being drawn up.
with
Sea
He was also the first PRO of the
Alien species threatens fisheries he presence of a new and dangerous nonnative invasive plant, Ludwigia grandiflora (Creeping water-primrose) has been confirmed by the Central and Regional Fisheries Boards in a pond in Co Kerry. This is the first time that this non-native invasive plant has been recorded in Ireland. A native of South America and some US States, Creeping water-primrose is a waterbased herb with deep roots and tough stems. It forms dense tangle mats that are strong enough to impede the passage of boats, and its presence also prevents angling, swimming and other water-based recrea-
boat
Estuary,
"Non-native invasive plants have the capacity to rapidly out-compete native Irish species and damage our natural habitats. They can impact negatively on tourism, and damage the recreational and amenity value of the waters in which they inhabit. ``It is vital that all efforts focus on eradicating these aggressive non-native plants if we wish to prevent the ecological and economic devastation caused by them. If this invasive species Ludwigia grandiflora were to spread throughout Ireland, the economic and ecological cost to the country would be too great to quantify." Dr Caffrey added that it
has been `a cause of concern' that many of these non-native invasive species can be purchased from retail outlets nationwide. "Imminent legislation however will soon make it illegal to import or sell such highly invasive species, and this development is to be strongly welcomed," he said. If you think you have located a non-native invasive species, please contact the Central and Regional Fisheries Boards, the National Botanic Gardens or Invasive Species Ireland. For further information on invasive species please visit www.cfb.ie/fisheries_research/aquatic_plants/invasive_weeds.htm
Norman lives with his wife Mary in Glasnevin, Dublin.
Inland Fisheries Ireland to replace Central Fisheries Board THE Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has published the Inland Fisheries Bill, 2009, setting out the statutory basis for the establishment of a new national inland fisheries body that will subsume the existing Central Board and seven Regional Fisheries Boards. Making the announcement, Minister of State Conor Lenihan said he expected the new structures would be in place by next spring, following the passage of the legislation through the Oireachtas to enactment. ``The restructuring is necessary to ensure that our inland fisheries sector thrives, brings about a better
use of existing resources and delivers value for money. ``I look forward to working with all stakeholders as we enter this new era for the management of the sector. ``Dr Ciaran Byrne has been appointed as CEO designate of Inland Fisheries Ireland, and will lead, what I am sure will be, a smooth transition to the new structures.'' The Bill consolidates and restates provisions of existing fisheries legislation deali ng wi t h l e g a l ma t te r s concerning inland fisheries. It updates monetary penalties applicable for offences under the existing fisheries legislation to bring them in line with current values.
10
INSHORE IRELAND November/December 2009
FRESHWATER FOCUS
Redressing the balance with a wildlife pond GILL MCNEILL CASTLE ESPIE
THERE are many benefits to including a wildlife pond in your garden, including attracting additional wildlife, such as frogs, and the visual appeal. Very importantly, in your own small way, you will be helping to redress the balance of diminishing wetlands. So how do you get started? Firstly, select a place that is sited in the lowest part of your garden or outdoor space. The end of your garden is sometimes a good option. It should also be away from dense foliage and overhanging trees. Mark it out with a guide line to help when digging the space. It's a good idea to keep your pond as natural as possible; however, if you prefer a more formal style, perhaps to suit your existing garden layout then, that's fine too. Dig to a depth of no less than 70cm at its deepest
point, with a depth of 1m to 1.5m being ideal. A few ledges around the edges allow for planting at different levels. For example, water lilies need to be placed in the deepest part of your pond, but some varieties of aquatic plants like their roots in water but prefer shallower areas.
SMOOTH SIDES
Make sure there are no sharp stones on the pond base and walls. Put a layer of sand in place, and install a good quality liner with at least a 20year guarantee. Place a few large rocks or small boulders around the edge of your pond to let the liner bed-in. How you plan to finish the area Ð either as hard landscaping or a more natural softer edging, with marginal plantingÐ is personal choice. But remember, softer lines and a natural progression from the rest of your garden
There are many benefits to including a wildlife pond in your garden,
Lagarosiphon is now regarded as a dangerous and aggressive alien
including attracting additional wildlife, such as frogs, and the
species that can take over the habitat of native Irish plant species
visual appeal.
very quickly.
into your pond will encourage more wildlife. If possible, let your pond fill naturally using rainwater, but if you already have a water butt connected to your pond, then this will be a great way to fill and refill/top it up Ð it's also very useful for fluctuating water levels in hotter weather. Tap water may be used, but will need to be left for a few days before planting begins to allow chlorine to dissipate. When digging and fitting your liner, inevitably displaced soil will fall into your pond. Don't worry if the water is a bit murky, as this will clear when the sediment has settled on the bottom. Most garden soil is high in nutrients, which can be released into the water when disturbed, encouraging algal growth and resulting in greenish water.
The key is to be patient until the water clears.
PLANT SELECTION
Planting a good oxygenating plant, such as curled pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) or spiked water milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) will help by consuming some of the pond water nutrients and depriving them of algae. Remember, native oxygenating plants look more natural, but don't plant invasive species, such as Azolla, Crassula or Pennywort, as they will tend to swamp other plants and reduce light levels entering the pond. For a diversity of wildlife and good water balance, it's best not to stock your pond with fish, as they will tend to eat all the plants, insects, tadpoles, and many microscopic animals known as zoo-
plankton that `graze' on the algae, helping to keep your pond in check. Fish are best kept in a separate ornamental pond.
Your wildlife pond will evolve over time and will settle in over two to three years. It will become a sanctuary for wildlife and for you.
Editor's note
movement of fish, angling boats and cruisers. On the surface, Lagarosiphon produces dense vegetation, often growing to depths of four metres and more. It blocks out sunlight and the native water plants beneath it soon die off. With these go the invertebrate communities that depend on them for food and shelter. Next to go are the trout that feed on the invertebrates. These are replaced eventually by coarse fish, such as roach, bream and pike, so there is a complete change in the fish community of the lake.
or curly weed, now widespread in Lough Corrib, is believed to have been unwittingly introduced to Ireland some years ago as an ornamental plant for garden ponds and aquaria. It is now regarded as a dangerous and aggressive alien species that can take over the habitat of native Irish plant species very quickly. IT can significantly alter the ecology of any watercourse it infects. Growing rapidly, it displaces native aquatic plants and insects. The density of its growth can restrict the Lagarosiphon,
Award for Castle Espie CASTLE Espie Wetland Centre has been awarded the NIEA Sustainable Building of the Year 2009 award. ``There is no doubt that sustainability is our future,'' remarked James Orr, centre director. ``The building is an excellent example of `slow' architecture and includes passive solar gain, renewable technologies, low embodied energy materials, treatment wetlands, composting toilets, rainwater recycling and a partial green roof. ``This radical approach is such that the centre can be profitable, business-focused and successful, while creat-
ing a landmark for both sustainability and biodiversity,'' he said. Everything from the buildings to the habitats and wetlands at the centre embrace a sustainable approach to design. The most significant habitat improvement of its kind in Ireland, the restoration extends to saline lagoons, limestone grassland, salt marshes, reed beds and grassland for herbivorous wildfowl. Species improvements include kingfisher banks, tern islands, otter dens, bat boxes, dragonfly and damselfly pools, wader scrapes and wader roosts.
Comedian Nuala McKeever presents the award to Liam Murphy of Glasgiven Contracts, James Orr, Castle Espie Wetland Centre and Eugene McKenna, Geda Construction (category sponsor).
To launch as a stand-alone publication in
January 2010 Be sure to pick up your copy in your local newsagents on: January 28; March 25; May 27; July 29; September 30; November 25 And if you can’t find it, let us know: Gillian Mills (Editor) 01 2354804 / 087 290 2045; Wendy Scott (Features NI) 00 44 (0) 2891 857721/0044 (0) 783 865 6160;
Gery Flynn (Features Editor) 091 844 822 / 085 747 5797; Michael Crawford (Advertising) 074 919 4476
INSHORE IRELAND
November/December 2009
11
FRESHWATER FOCUS
3,000 top prize set to attract international pike anglers
L
BRENDAN CONNOLLY
ough Ree and the River Shannon near Athlone are renowned for trout and course angling. Such is the quality and variety of fishing in this area that one of the most spectacular fish inhabiting these waters is at times ignored The king of the predators, pike or Esox lucius, has rows of razor-sharp teeth, and with savage bursts of speed hunts other fish. You may observe a pike motionless in the water. However, if you hook one and see it explode out of the water and tail-walk across the surface, your adrenalin will be pumping and your knees knocking. Reputedly introduced by the Normans for food, pike are not found all over Ireland but as an angling fish is more popular than one might realise. There are approximately 100 clubs affiliated to the Irish Federation of Pike Angling Clubs, representing around 700 members. Europe-wide, pike is much more popular than it is in Ireland, particularly in The Netherlands, Germany and France. Overseas visitors to Ireland who fished during their stay spent an estimated 90m during 2008. In Europe, there are over 25 million anglers who generate a socio-economic value of over 25bn. While more prestige would be attached to pike fishing in the rest of Europe than in Ireland, an exciting new initiative by holiday operator Dave Houghton in conjunction with FaÂilte Ireland, is about to lift the status of Irish
pike angling to a new level. A three-day International Pike Angling Festival is planned on Lough Ree for April 14 to 16 next, with a guaranteed top prize of 3,000 and other prizes each day. In order to test the quality of pike angling on Lough Ree and on the river Shannon, 34 angling journalists from six countries were invited to fish over three days in October. The Inshore Ireland representative was delighted to accept this generous invitation, and together with French angler Alban Choinier stepped into the boat of local angler Stephen Quain.
BOATS
The flotilla of boats passed through the lock and headed downstream from Athlone. First a jointed plug and a large brown trout lure were trolled. Within the first 10 minutes, the plug caught a pike of about 2lbs. Some time later, the brown trout lure enticed a very respectable pike of about 6lbs. As the pike was played closer to the boat, it trashed at the surface, sending foam flying into the boat. The landing net was not used as Alban had a `Lip Grip' to handle the fish, and in this way avoiding foul hooking the net and time consuming untangling, an important point during competitions. Inshore Ireland's `man on the ground' decided to rig up a dead bait with a trolling float. The bait used was an orange koi carp that had died in Stephen's garden pond and was decorated with two triple hooks and a wire metal trace. As the boat drifted, the float and the dead bait were fed out the back, while the two an-
glers were casting spinners out the front. Alban, working the reed fringe with a spinnerbait, caught another four pike in the course of the next couple of hours. Alas, the Inshore Ireland man who tested a number of different baits was unable to improve on his first small pike. At lunchtime, Stephen heated a pot of Irish stew on a small gas stove. It was the first time that Alban, an experienced international angler, had eaten a plate of steaming Irish stew during a day's fishing! After lunch, the rod with the dead bait was almost pulled out of the boat. A strong pike cruising beneath the surface which zipped the line through the water. This was a big fish, certainly 15lbs, maybe bigger. For about 15 minutes the fish was repeatedly played to the boat, but to only lunge down again. Then, as the huge fish turned in the water, the line shot up into the air. It was cut clean off just above the metal trace. The mouth of this pike was big enough to reach beyond the metal trace! In one boat, five pike were boated and released and two fish were lost, including a large one. This was a very respectable day's pike fishing and augurs well for the international festival next April. Further information about the Lough Ree Pike International can be had from: * Dave Houghton, +-353-(0)719642743, +-353-(0)88-0546060, dave@activeirishbreaks.com. * Marie McCormack, FaÂilte Ireland, +353-(0)44-9350116, + 353-(0)87-1343735. * Mark Rowlette, FaÂilte Ireland, +353-(0)44-935-0110, +353(0)87-2342869.
Alban Choinier with a fighting pike.
FaÂilte Ireland supports Irish angling
F
A big bait for a big pike.
a i l t e I r e l a n d ' s Sports Tourism Initiative is aimed at attracting major sporting events with tourism potential. One such event is the International Pike Competition on Lough Ree, 14 to 16 April, 2010. Angling is an important part of Irish sports tourism. In 2008, approximately 250,000 angling visitors spent 90m during their stay. This represents a very significant sports sec-
tor, with a high number of active participants compared with other sports. The single largest group of overseas anglers is from the UK. Irish angling takes place in the most scenic parts of Ireland, ranging from spectacular and rugged sea cliffs, white foamed surf lined beaches, to mountain lined trout lakes, salmon rivers and quiet deep and mysterious coarse fishing waters.
Boatman Stephen Quain releases a pike.
12
INSHORE IRELAND November/December 2009
FRESHWATER FOCUS
Peak salmon catches occurred two weeks later KEALAN O'HIGGINS CFB
T
he Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Fisheries Statistics Report presents an in-depth analysis of the salmon and sea trout catches from both the commercial and recreational fisheries on a river-by-river basis and makes comparisons to previous years catches since 2001. The report is used by fisheries scientists and policy makers in determining what rivers will be open, closed or opened on a catch and release basis for future season. It also contributes to implementing future policies and strategies for the conservation of salmon and sea trout stocks in Ireland. The reported salmon angling catch (including salmon caught and released) was 31,457, representing an increase of 6.51% on the 2007 season. Approximately 16% of the reported national angling catch was taken on the Moy River system.
Catch and release figures show that 38% of all salmon caught were released, representing a 6% decrease over the 2007 season. This is a worrying trend, as the central and regional fisheries boards are actively promoting the catch and release of salmon through the catch and release incentive scheme. The salmon and sea trout statistics shows peak salmon catches are occurring approximately two weeks later on a year-on-year basis, however, the report also shows salmon are being caught throughout the season.
ROD LICENCES
During 2008, a total of 20,061 salmon rod licences were sold; this was a slight increase over 2007 figures. This is the first time we have seen an increase in rod licence sales since 2002, when they hit an all-time high of 35,024 licences. About 62% of licences sales were sold to anglers from the Republic of Ireland; 14% from Britain and 12% from Northern Ireland. An analysis of the distribu-
tion of the salmon catch indicates that 6,002 angler's tagged salmon in 2008, and 2,369 anglers caught and released salmon in 2008. Licences were sold to anglers from fifty different countries worldwide.
NEW MANAGEMENT
2008 was the second year of the new salmon management regime that saw an end to mixed stock fisheries at sea, and a move to single stock management of salmon and sea trout fisheries. The Wild Salmon and Sea Trout Tagging Scheme is such a great success due to good co-ordination from the management and staff of the Central Fisheries Board, the Regional Fisheries Boards, the Standing Scientific Committee of the National Salmon Commission and all stakeholders in the sector. Anglers may find the report useful for identifying the salmon catch trends and capture methods used per river. For further information and to download the salmon and sea trout statistics logon www.cfb.ie.
A world away for a day WINTER 2009 Rathlin Depart 08.00* 08.30*** 09.00 12.00 15.00 16.00
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08.30* 09.00*** 10.30 13.30 16.00 16.30
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The salmon and sea trout statistics shows peak salmon catches are occurring approximately two weeks later on a yearon-year basis
Anglers' haven within each reach of the capital BRENDAN CONNOLLY
Rathlin...
Fishery District Map.
FRIDAY 20 November marked the official opening of Tinnahinch Fly Fishing Centre by well-known broadcaster and avid angler, Derek Davis. Tinnahinch, historically an old coaching inn on the Powerscourt Estate near Enniskerry, was at one time the residence of Henry Grattan. Nestled in the picturesque valley of the Dargle River, the surroundings of the fouracre lake aptly demonstrate why Wicklow is called the garden county. Owner Hugh Duff has developed a high-quality, rainbow trout fly-only fishery. The rainbows are already in the alkaline waters of the lake for more than a year, and range from 2lbs to 12lbs. Designed with islands and promontories and not taking more than 10 anglers at a time, Tinnahinch is a peaceful haven just outside Enniskerry, within easy reach of Dublin. Preceding the official opening, fly-fishing expert and
author, Peter O'Reilly, gave a master class in fly-fishing theory and casting. Many invitees were experienced fly anglers but nevertheless learned from Peter's presentation. The opening was sponsored by the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in nearby Powerscourt, and was supported by the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board. After the official opening, the lake was put to the test. Some 15 anglers cast small flies and nymphs into the clear waters of the lake. Within 10 minutes of the first fly being cast, six fine rainbows of between 2lbs and 4lbs were landed! Using deep nymph fishing techniques, typically used in reservoir fishing, rainbows were hooked and landed at regular intervals for the rest of the afternoon. This is a quality all-yearround fly-only fishery costing 30 for three hours on a catch and release basis. Should you wish to treat yourself to fresh rainbow trout for Sunday dinner, a 3lb + fish is 20. Booking is by telephone, 01-2766089.
Serene beauty with quality fishing.
INSHORE IRELAND
November/December 2009
13
ISLAND LIVING
The calico turf race 2009
Rathlin welcomes its new ferry! MARY O'DRISCOLL
A tribute to Johnny SheaÂin Jeaic Mc Donnchadha ANNA MCCORMICK he calico turf race to Kinvara got underway at half flood tide on in mid-August, under an overcast sky and a freshening southerly wind. Three Galway ba d mo r hookers took part in this unique race, so named because they compete against one another using authentic calico cotton sails rather than the modern terylene equivalents. The boats were Star of the West (Cian de ButleÂir, Cararroe); Tonai, (Martin O'Brien, Carraroe, easily distinguishable by her new white sails lacking the Stockholm tar used to bark the hooker's traditional tan coloured sails), and Capall (Dara Bailey, Lettermore). I had the privilege of sailing on Capall, which has been in the Bailey family for six generations. Although I have crewed on a traditional gaff rigged Shetland Longboat for
T
years, nothing really prepared me for the awesome magnificence of being on a fully rigged Galway hooker pressed under full sail in competition with its equals. SAILING SKILLS
With wind against tide in very blustery conditions, the racing commenced, with some very close quarters tacking up the estuary to Kinvara under the watchful eye of Seamus Breathnach of BIM who was race officer of the day. No quarter was given by any skipper as they skillfully maneuvered to gain distance on their competitors, using inherited sailing skills handed down through generations of West of Ireland fishermen. There were some great characters on the boat. Among them was veteran fisherman, Paddy Dundass, who kept up a running commentary of tactical advice in Irish to the Capall's skipper all the way to the finish line,
The powerful mainsail drives the heavy timber hull through the water.
PICTURE: Anna Mc Cormick
and who seemed to know every local counter current and dangerous rock in the ever narrowing channel. The closer the boats got to the shelter of the land at Kinvara pier, the flukier the wind became, and it was a very close run finish, with Tonai managing to cross the line just ahead of Capaill, with good natured banter being exchanged between the crews. The turf was landed with alacrity by the competing crews to auction for charity, and with a light drizzle falling, the precious cotton sails
were rapidly stowed below by Capall's crew for drying until the next Calico Race. For me, it was a memory that I shall always cherish, so thank you to Dara Bailey and the crew of the Capall for an unforgettable experience in my first year in Galway. Two weeks later, however, the tragic death of highly experienced Carna sailor and fisherman, Johnny SheaÂin Jeaic Mc Donnchada, who had participated in the Kinvara race, cast a shadow over the event, reminding us all that the sea can be as treacherous as it is benign.
RATHLIN Express came into service on 18 July and on the first crossing had her maximum capacity of 97 persons onboard. A good start. `Tosach maith leath na hoibre.' It certainly proved to be an attraction, despite the lack of summer weather, and we enjoyed a very busy six weeks. In September, it was officially named in the presence of Minister Conor Murphy. The boat was cast off from Ballycastle by Alex Morrison, who at 92 is the oldest Rathliner still with us. On arrival in Rathlin, she was greeted by Arah McMullan, the youngest island resident, and Loughie McQuilkin, the oldest, who celebrated his 86th birthday on board Rathlin Express. Reverend Barney McCaherry and Reverend Patrick Barton blessed the boat with holy water from St CiaraÂn's well on Cape Clear. The children of St Mary's Primary School performed a very beautiful Celtic blessing and Teresa McFaul brought the blessings to a close with Fir a BhaÂta. The boat was designed by
Marine Design, Glasgow, and was built at Tyrells Boatyard in Arkow. Its twin Scania engines drive her at 18 knots, and it can do the crossing in 20 minutes. This fast ferry will give visitors an opportunity to visit Rathlin as part of the Causeway Coast and Glen experience. So, maybe it will become the Causeway Coast, Island and Glen route. A first for Rathlin Island Ferry Limited (RIFL) to mark the launch we used Blue Tooth Media in the terminal, which meant that all visitors were able to download information about the day. Currently, passengers can download the winter timetable at the terminal; RIFL are working with Rathlin Development Community Association to have the Rathlin code downloaded, while awaiting the ferry at Ballycastle. The Rathlin islanders will hold a Christmas fair in the ferry terminal in Ballycastle on Saturday 12 December from 10.30am to 4pm. We are looking forward to a busy season for 2010. Meanwhile, Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd will have a stand at Kings Hall Holiday Fair in January.
?FFB LG N@K? 8 DFEJK<I G@B< CFL>? I<< @EK<IE8K@FE8C G@B< =<JK@M8C% 8GI@C (+K? $ (-K? )'('% Here's your chance to reel in a monster pike and win a first prize of €3,000. There are also lots of daily prizes on each of the three days of the Lough Ree International Pike Festival. For full details of the festival, accommodation, packages and entry fees visit www.pikefishinginireland.com. You can also email contact@pikefishinginireland.com or phone +353 (0) 71 9642743.
For more, check out
;@J:FM<I@I<C8E;%@<& C8B<C8E;J
14
INSHORE IRELAND November/December 2009
SPECIAL REPORT
Cauterets Ð a special place at any time of year! WENDY SCOTT INSHORE IRELAND
H
ow often have you dreamed of sitting and looking out over snowcapped mountains, with a glass of mulled wine, after a great day's skiing, before heading for a relaxing soak in thermal waters, followed by French cuisine and excellent wine? This year, despite the credit crunch, you could make this dream a reality Ð Cauterets is a beautiful quaint ski and spa resort in the high Pyrenees, offering many activities at very reasonable prices. Cauterets has two main winter activity areas, Cirque de Lys and Pont Espagne. Cirque de Lys is located between 1,730 metres and 2,450 metres. While it may not reach the heights of the Alps, neither do queues or prices! The ski domain comprises a beginner's area, a freestyle area, five green slopes, seven blue, seven red and two black You can spend your day skiing, cross country skiing, snowboarding or tobogganing
pistes Ð all surrounded by the summits of the beautiful snow-capped Pyrenees. Individual and group ski and snowboard lessons can be arranged, starting from four years of age. The beauty of skiing in Cauterets is that it is not difficult to co-ordinate for families Ð you can ski while the kids are entertained in the club located on the slopes. The other winter activity area is Pont Espagne, located in the heart of the Pyrenean National Park. To get there, you can either take a bus from Cauterets or go by car, through a spectacular drive up the mountain (approximately 10 minutes) past numerous waterfalls until you arrive at the entrance to the national park. This is a spectacular part of the world at any time of year. In the winter you can spend your day skiing, cross country skiing, snowboarding or tobogganing. It is an excellent area for young families and beginners, with few crowds and a refuge right at the side of the children's tobogganing run, which provides all the necessary amenities. In summer, there is hill walking or, for those who like to experience the summits but not the climb, a chairlift can take you up to Lac de Gaube, where you can walk on the flat for 15 min-
utes and arrive at a magnificent lake with a coffee shop beside it, serving the highly recommended Gaà teau Basque.
ACTIVITY PACKED
Cauterets has plenty of other activities on offer, such as the thermal spas and wellbeing centres, and the swimming pool, ice rink, cinema and casino. You can watch the local sweets, known as `berlingots', being made, or visit the museum, the library or the bee emporium. You can take a trip around the town on a horse and cart, or just sit, people-watching in one of the local restaurants. Why not sample the local produce in the numerous shops around the town? Regardless of which time of year you visit this region, there is always so much to do. Once you have experienced Cauterets in one season, I guarantee you will be back for more!
INFORMATION
For further information about Cauterets, check out the website at www.cauter ets.com.
RIGHT: Lac de Gaube in winter and (FAR RIGHT) in summer. BELOW: The children's ski area at Cirque de Lys.
INSHORE IRELAND
A day in the Pyrenees * Take the telecabine to Cirque de Lys for a great day's skiing in glorious sunshine, stopping to have your lunch on the sun terrace. Lunches start at as little as 3.50. * Once you have finished skiing, head down into the town for a hot chocolate in the Le Refuge des Sens. * Follow this with a massage or a `hydrojet', jets of warm thermal water that ease tired muscles. * Then head back to your accommodation and get ready for an aperitif in the Ski bar or the Regent before eating in one of the many restaurants, where the dress code is relaxed. * There are many dining options, ranging from takeaway pizza, a creperie, bar snacks and restaurants ser-
ving quality food. My favourite restaurants are L'Assiette Gourmande and A La Bonne Franquette, which serve French food from the Savoyarde region. For a totally different experience, try La Reine Hortense. There are plenty of excellent restaurants to choose from, depending on what you want. * After your meal, take a walk around Cauterets and enjoy the local bars, or try your luck in the casino before heading back for an excellent night's sleep. * If you are looking for a break in a spectacular area with good skiing, food and not too exorbitant prices, look no further than Cauterets. C'est magnifique Ă? this is what memories are made of!
Getting there CLOSEST AIRPORTS
Lourdes/Tarbes (21 miles); Pau (48 miles); Toulouse or Biarritz (approx. 100 miles) Bordeaux (approx.150 miles). Getting to Cauterets by hire car is easy. The roads are excellent and well signposted.
FROM PAU AIRPORT:
Getting to the train station is a bit more expensive by taxi Ă? it costs about 30, for a relatively short journey. Take the train to Lourdes where, on your arrival, a bus will be waiting outside the railway station to take you to Cauterets.
LOURDES/TARBES:
This is a new route for the winter season from London Stanstead with Ryanair. Enquire from the tourist
office in Cauterets for details about the shuttle bus: www.cauterets.com.
TRAIN SERVICES:
The train services running from Biarritz and Toulouse are excellent. When you arrive into Biarritz airport, take a taxi to the train station ( 5). At Toulouse airport, there is a bus outside the airport that takes you to the train station. The trains arrive into Lourdes, and a bus will be waiting for you outside the train station to continue to Cauterets. Remember, `aller simple' is a single ticket or `aller retour' is a return.
TIMETABLES & PRICES
* Check timetables and prices at www.voyages-sncf.com
November/December 2009
15
SPECIAL REPORT
Visit magnificent Cauterets
Grands Sites de Midi- Pyrenees
www.cauterets.com
16
INSHORE IRELAND November/December 2009
INTERVIEW
Stakeholders must be central to a r Q&A GERY FLYNN FEATURES EDITOR he EU Commission decision in April, to adopt a Green Paper on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), has been welcomed, if cautiously, by the Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF). Proceedings from the organisation's review seminar in October notes starkly: `Ire-
T
land had put considerable effort into previous CFP reviews, but
the
outcome
never
met
expectations, which led FIF to think
a
new
approach
was
needed when structuring'.
Sean O'Donoghue, CEO of the Killybegs Fishermens Organisation and FIF's current chairman.
A key player representing Ireland in the complex intracommunity horse-trading well underway is Sean O'Donoghue, CEO of the Killybegs Fishermens Organisation, and FIF's current chairman. A veteran of fisheries management, who worked in the Department of the Marine and for BIM for over 20 years before taking over the KFO helm in 2000, few would match his grasp of the complexities of the CFP reform discussions. O'Donoghue is also instrumental in other issues, such
as technical conservation measures, fleet restructuring, quota management, annual TAC and quota negotiations among other Common Fisheries Policy issues. He is also chairman of the European Association of Producer Organisations; executive committee member on three Regional Advisory Councils and is chairman of Working Group 2 in the Pelagic RAC. O'Donoghue also sits on the EU Commission's Advisory Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, and is a member of the Seafood Strategy Implementation Group. Speaking to Inshore Ireland, O'Donoghue teased out the challenges faced by the industry today, as well as some of the key issues he hopes will be addressed in the CFP review. Sean O'Donoghue teased out the challenges faced by the fishing industry today
WHAT are the flaws in the Common Fisheries Policy?
From the FIF perspective, the biggest flaw is the centralised approach Ð there's no bottom-up approach. Every decision, from the minutiae to the macro, has been decided at the Fisheries Council up to now, and that has been a huge problem. At our own national level, we have a huge problem with stock management, and the percentage share of quotas we have ended up with since 1983.
WHAT has the CFP achieved?
For the most part, it has achieved very little of what it set out to achieve. One result from the 2002 CFP, however, was the establishment of Regional Advisory Councils, which overall are a success.
WHATchangesdoestheFIF propose to reform the CFP?
The FIF has gone through an exhaustive exercise in terms of looking at the current CFP and looking at the changes. That exercise is almost com-
Round table debate on state of fish stocks in European waters WENDY SCOTT BRUSSELS
rainy Brussels day in July was the setting for a heated discussion on the state of fish stocks in European waters between industry representatives and scientists from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), and the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF). Local Regional Advisory Councils were represented by Dick James (Northern Ireland Fish Producers Organisation; Gerard O'Flynn, SeaÂn O'Donoghue, and LorcaÂn O'Cinneide (Federation of Irish Fishermen). With the European Commission basing their annual TACs and quotas on the information gathered and disseminated by the two scientific organisations, it is understandable that ques-
A
tions were asked after the scientific information was presented. Over 30 species of fish are examined in European waters (Mediterranean, Bay of Biscay, Baltic Sea) and closer to home in the English Channel, Celtic Sea, North Sea, Irish Sea and West of Scotland. Area after area, species after species were presented and a large proportion of the findings suggested that the species was either overfished or were referred to as status `unknown'. STOCKS
The industry representatives were very keen to discover how ICES and STEFC are in a position to advise on stocks if they have insufficient information. The Irish Sea is deemed as the most researched piece of water where management plans have been in place for over 10 years, yet the stocks
are still being classed as overfished. Barrie Deas, CEO of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, asked whether the management plans had failed, or whether the mortality rates, as a result of other factors, were not being taken into consideration. When questioned further, it was suggested that perhaps the use of the term `unknown' was misleading. The scientific organisations did have information, but it was insufficient regarding catch, landings and stock biomass to make informed decisions and to make accurate assessments on the state of the stock. Willy Vanhee of STECF said it was clear, even with the rebuilding programmes in place, that many species remained unsustainable. RAC representatives sought clarification about Irish Sea plaice quotas, nephrop stocks, and discards,
and whether the Commission had asked ICES to change the parameters of assessing the stocks to provide a certain outcome. SUSTAINABILITY
It was argued that if fishermen were adhering to the quotas outlined by ICES to ensure stock sustainability, then why were they now being asked to accept reduced quotas again? Could ICES predictions be deemed accurate? Lengthy debate followed, with inputs from the Commission, ICES and from various industry representatives. A consensus from the floor was that the conference had been extremely beneficial; however, it was pointed out, again, that fishermen's experience `on the ground' must be considered alongside the scientific information when decisions are being made.
A rainy Brussels day in July was the setting for a heated discussion on the state of fish stocks in European waters between industry representatives and scientists from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), and the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF).
INSHORE IRELAND
November/December 2009
17
INTERVIEW
reformed Common Fisheries Policy pleted. But to put it in broad terms, we obviously have five or six major items in relation to the Irish situation, which we believe should be fundamentally changed. First of all, stakeholders must be directly involved in the decision-making process. We must get rid of the centralised approach to decisionmaking, and it must be based either on a decentralised or regional approach to fisheries. We also have a big problem with relative stability or the percentage share of the quotas we have in our own waters. We would see this in particular regarding certain white fish stocks. This can be changed via the Hague Preference, which gave Ireland additional quota back in 1976. We feel that this must now be fully enshrined into the CFP, to recognise our coastal peripheral nature and the dependence of our coastal regions, in relation to that. Another area we will be looking at Ð and this is a huge issue for us Ð is the
scientific advice and the provision of scientific advice. There needs to be a radical change in the structure and in the methodology to include fishermen's experience in the scientific assessments. We must achieve a matching of minds between the scientists and the stakeholders.
objective. Obviously, the market situation and the price for fish is a huge driver or incentive for fishermen. So if we can get a decent price for fish, it eliminates people trying to catch more to try and achieve the same price.
The key issue here is that we need to approach fisheries management by looking at it in the long-term. If we do, then we feel that we can eliminate a lot of these aspects. Discarding, for example, is a highly complex issue to actually resolve. It is very easy to have the soundbite of `ban all discards', not knowing what the actual consequences of this will be. I think through a range of technical measures Ð closed areas, real-time closures Ð we can actually reduce discards to an absolute minimum. This would be our
do see eye to eye on what sustainability is. How you actually achieve it is where the issue really arises. We have a big difficulty for certain stocks, as we believe the scientific advice is just plain wrong for these stocks. I'd point to mackerel being one of those that we have now resolved finally. As stakeholders, we continuously argued that the scientific advice wasn't reflecting the reality on the ground. Now, we have reached a consensus in relation to that; however, we still have a number of stocks Ð particularly herring here in the Northwest and Celtic Sea cod being another Ð that we fundamentally disagree on with the scientists. But having said that, we do agree on about 20 or 30 other stocks.
WILL fishermen and scientists ever see eye to eye on WHERE does the FIF stand the meaning of sustainabilondiscardingandhighgrad- ity? ing? That isn't really the issue. We
O'Donoghue is instrumental in issues such as technical conservation measures, fleet restructuring, quota management and quota negotiations. He is chairman of the European Association of Producer Organisations
DOES the FIF foresee a resolution to the ongoing problems with the EU/Norway fisheries negotiations?
We do see a resolution, particularly in relation to mackerel. Having said that, however, we are extremely annoyed and feel very aggrieved that Iceland, Norway and the Faroe Islands have declared quantities of mackerel for themselves in 2009 that were not agreed to in the Coastal States Agreement (between the EU, the Faroe Islands and Norway). These are far above what the scientists are advising. As a consequence of such illegal activity, it is now quite likely that we will have a 5% to 10% reduction in the mackerel TAC for next year. If such irresponsible behaviour wasn't going on, we would be looking at probably a 5% increase.
MCCARTHY advocates the abolition of BIM, with its functions to be absorbed into a Government department. What is the FIF view on this?
We are totally against the abolition of BIM. Moving the functions Ð particularly into a Government department Ð is certainly a death knell for a development agency. In no way whatsoever could we support such a move. When you analyse the savings of 7.3m suggested by McCarthy, 6.8m is actually money that would be going to the industry in terms of development. So in actual fact, by abol-
SEMINAR
Unanimous view that the current fisheries policy is not working BRENDAN CONNOLLY
s part of the public consultation process ahead of the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy in 2012, the Federation of Irish Fishermen (FIF) hosted a seminar in which Irish and international stakeholders were invited to put forward their recommendations. The event was chaired by Sean O'Donoghue, current chairman of the FIF, and was opened by Tony Killeen, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The speakers included Andrew Kinneen, Sea-Fisheries Protection Agency; Paul Connolly, Marine Institute and Michael Keating, BIM; Reinhard Priebe, the EU's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, DG MARE; Barrie Deas, the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, NFFO, England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Alan McCulla, Northern Ireland's Anglo-North Irish Fish Producers
A
Organisation, ANIFPO; Jacques Pichon, Pecheurs de Manche et d'Atlantique, France and Javier Garat, Confederacio n Espan Ä ola de Pesca, CEPESCA, Spain. The overwhelming consensus was that the CFP in its present format was not working, and Minister Killeen cited the example of the uncertainty brought on by unpredictable quota cuts each December. Reinhardt Preibe stressed that Fisheries Commissioner Borg wished to engage in a wide ranging consultation process that would result in improved compliance with fisheries regulations. Stakeholders from other member states reiterated the need for reform of the CFP by means of co-operation and increased
involvement of fishermen, as fishermen felt removed from EU policy makers, and felt helpless in the face of seemingly endless fleet reductions. Andrew Kinneen noted that fishermen faced a ``minefield'' of legislation, comprising no less than 624 EU Acts. From the biologists' point of view, Dr Paul Connolly stressed that new and radical change was needed, which would see better information exchanged between fishermen and fishery scientists. The afternoon session, chaired by Lorca n O'CinneÂide, IFPO and FIF, was a panel-led discussion open to the floor. One contributor pointed out it was a bad indictment of the CFP that after 25 years
The consensus was that the CFP in its present format is not working, and Minister Killeen cited the example of the uncertainty brought on by unpredictable quota cuts
of quota cuts, many fish stocks were still in an unhealthy state. Appointed to oversee the reform consultations, Dr Noel Cawley summarised his role as one of listening and allowing proposals to be exposed to an ``evolutionary'' testing process. He called for practical proposals that were ``key points'' rather than a myriad of details. He reiterated that he had no axe to grind, and was solely concerned with overseeing the consultative process. The seminar achieved its aim of engaging a wide range of stakeholders in the discussions. The exchange of views was informative; however, they tended to get bogged down in the intricate details of EU fisheries regulations, and how ineffective and, at times, counterproductive these are. Remarks on actual reform ideas were general and tentative, without clear guidelines or general strategies being decided upon.
ishing BIM, you are really only saving 500,000. We are quite convinced that BIM can easily come up with the required savings identified in the McCarthy Report without abolishing it. We think this is merely a financial exercise.
that still haven't come to fruition, and we are hopeful progress can be made on these next year. But it does require cutting our cloth to our measure. Some of the tables that are in the Cawley Report will have to be changed to match the reality of the financial situation we are in.
findings haven't changed, but the implementation and the financial resources now available have changed. We have to match the reality of the present day situation to what are the core principles of Cawley, which have to be redefined and refocused. We have already begun that process in a certain way in the Implementation Group in that we have identified the areas in which, given our current economic climate, we can progress in a manner, and those that will have to wait for another day.
Killybegs is the largest fishing port in Ireland, accounting for approximately 60% of all landings of mostly mackerel, herring, scad, horsemackerel and blue whiting. We suffered some severe setbacks on pelagic species in the early 1990s, as a result of which we lost close to 1,000 jobs. We are now at the stage where we are down to the core, and if the industry declines any further, we could see its total demise. But we are very hopeful that with correct management centred on stock sustainability, coupled with achieving Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification this year for the mackerel fishery Ð and provided Iceland, Norway and the Faroes are prevented from fishing illegally Ð then we have a sustainable future, which could generate additional jobs in Killybegs.
DOES the FIF continue to supportthecorerecommendations of the Cawley Re- IS the current crisisin comport? mercial fishing impacting on Killybegs? In simple terms, yes. The core
DOES the FIF believe that Cawleywillbeimplemented fully and, if so, when?
Without doubt, not all of the recommendations will be implemented, because the financial resources are not currently there. There are a number of big issues, such as quota management and licensing policy,
Antarctic Fishing Company
Supporting
Sean O’Donoghue & The Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation Antarctic Fishing Company, Killybegs, Co. Donegal, Tel 07 497 31896
18
INSHORE IRELAND November/December 2009
AQUACULTURE NEWS
Organic public procurement
M
GILLIAN WESTBROOK ICSA
customer feedback and sup-
note allows for a restriction
seems the most appropriate
eggs and cheese. Management
ambition
plier practicalities will be
for organically grown food-
Government agency to under-
Catering, part of the Compass
this is surely a step in the
considered.
stuffs to be expressed in the
take the pilot.
Group, which holds the cater-
right direction.
of
Public procurement is a
State at the
mechanism whereby public
De partment
bodies must advertise an in-
of
vitation to tender for goods or
inister
Agricul-
ture,
Fish-
services.
In general, there has been
terms of the contract.
ORGANIC
chef,
ing possible markets through
ment bodies to make use of
Frances Ryder, is providing
the public procurement pro-
For example, when a Govern-
the organic aspect of public
feedback on the use of organ-
cess has the potential to give
ment agency advertises for a
procurement, and so the pilot
ic food.
the organic sector the much-
commercial caterer to pro-
scheme is of significant im-
Sargent TD, has launched a
is permitted, and even the
vide canteen meals, it would
portance.
pilot project that promotes
extent
re-
be permitted to require that
It assists in providing a
organic food through the pub-
quired before a tender can
either all or a percentage of
means of measuring the up-
lic procurement process with
be awarded to a certain sup-
the food is organic.
take from staff, as well as
the Marine Institute.
plier.
Food,
of
advertising
I firmly believe that reveal-
Inst itute
Strict criteria govern what
and
motivation,
very little uptake by Govern-
Trevor
eries
ing contract for the Marine
and
It would not, however, per-
identifying the practicalities
and
their
To date, Frances reports a
needed
boost
it
requires,
highly positive and welcome
especially if producers can
response to this initiative.
reduce their transport costs
AMBITIOUS
by supplying a local outlet for
The target contained in the
Much work remains to be
their product.
Irish
of increasing the use of or-
Programme for Government,
done in this area. The Fora Âs
what is allowed within public
organic produce only Ð just
ganic food within the food
which states that 5% of utili-
Orga  nach group, with ICSA
procurement agreements are
the organic aspect is allowed.
service sector for Govern-
sable agricultural land area
representation, will continue
(ICSA) as part of their invol-
available to public bodies; of
With over 80% of exported
ment bodies.
should be under organic pro-
to develop and promote the
vement
National
specific interest to the organ-
Irish farmed
mar-
The organic menu items
duction by 2012, may at first
possibilities of introducing
Organic Steering Committee.
ic sector is Guidance Note 16,
keted as organic, the Marine
include locally produced sal-
instance
organic food into public pro-
During the pilot scheme,
sub 4.2.2. The scope of this
Institute in Galway certainly
mon, beef, lamb, vegetables,
however, as success relies on
This initiative was devel-
Guidance notes relating to
oped by the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmer's Association with
the
mit
a
restriction
to
salmon
seem
ambitious;
curement contracts.
Farmed fish: efficient converters of inedible to edible protein DONAL MAGUIRE & VERA HEFFERNAN BIM
ible species, such as anchovy,
as salmon, cod, sea bass and
horse mackerel, menhaden,
sea bream, are carnivores,
capelin and
That
and in the wild, their counter-
these fish are rendered into
parts eat a varied diet of fish
WELL practised fish farming
fishmeal at all proves the
and other aquatic organisms.
provides a much-needed sus-
point that they are not suita-
Therefore, feeding farmed
tainable and renewable sea-
ble for direct human con-
salmon a diet that includes
f o o d
sandeel.
sumption; fish used directly
fishmeal is in keeping with
Figure 1: Calculations based on the actual conversion of fishmeal to farmed salmon indicate that it
fact,
for seafood are always more
the food sources they con-
actually only takes 1.2kg to 1.5kg of wild fish to produce 1kg of farmed salmon. Interestingly, by
there is a common miscon-
valuable than fish used for
sume in the wild.
comparison, it takes 10kg to 15kg of wild prey fish to produce the same amount (1kg) of wild salmon and
ception that the aquaculture
meal.
r e s o u r c e .
Notwithstanding
this
Most importantly, the fish
MULTI-FUNCTIONAL
used for fishmeal production
as a source of raw material
To put this in context, fish-
managed fisheries Ð the Chi-
for the food fed to farmed
meal has been used for thou-
lean anchovy fishery, for ex-
fish,
sands
ample, is one of the most
industry is somehow putting pressure on wild fish stocks
particularly
salmon.
of
years
by
many
cultures. In northern coun-
on two easy to make mis-
tries, fish oil was used as a
takes.
fuel in oil lamps.
highly regulated worldwide. In fact, the output from the world's so-called `industrial
In Norway, by-products of production,
fish sector' has been stable
tion suggests that if these
fish-oil
essen-
for more than 30 years, in-
wild fish had not been used
tially fishmeal, were used as
dicating that it is indeed a
to feed farmed fish, that they
fertiliser and animal feed.
sustainable fishery and fully
would have been available for
Fishmeal was fed to sheep
renewable.
human consumption.
and other ruminants in Scot-
Aquaculture
has
not
land and Norway long before
caused any more fish to be
fish oil and fishmeal are pro-
it
caught than before. It has
duced from harvesting stocks
protein
of fish that are simply not
poultry and pigs today.
The fish used to produce
became
well-known
ingredient
rise
simply made more use of this resource than other food sec-
consumption, and also from
aquaculture output since the
put any extra pressure on the
trimmings left over from pro-
1980s, fishmeal eventually be-
world's wild fish supply, but
cessing regular fish for sea-
came a key ingredient for this
it has made better use of it.
food.
emerging food industry.
direct human
global
to
tors. Simply put, it has not
for
the
fed
in
suitable
With
the
hunting and they grow more slowly.
are caught in sustainably-
This misunderstanding relies
The first incorrect assump-
about 5kg of wild prey fish to produce 1kg of wild codfish. In the wild, these fish have to use up energy
This leads us on to the
The whole fish are predo-
It should also be under-
second easy to make mistake:
minantly small, bony, ined-
stood that farmed fish, such
the idea that a big part of the
world's fish catch is landed
utilises a protein source that
source of the Long Chain
just to produce the fish oil
cannot be directly eaten by
Polyunsaturated
and
for
humans, it utilises it much
Fatty Acids, EPA and DHA,
aquaculture. This is not the
more efficiently than other
which are now recognised
case.
farmed animals can Ð and
worldwide as a key factor in
EFFICIENCY RATIO
it's even more efficient than
human health.
In fact, for world aquaculture
Figure 1 demonstrates this
fish oil production, the EPA
as a whole, every tonne of
high level of efficiency in
and DHA contained in these
wild fish (which is not suita-
relation to land farmed ani-
fish can be returned to the
ble for human consumption)
mals. The reason why salmon
human food chain via farmed
put into the system results in
are so much more efficient is
fish, such as Atlantic salmon.
1.92 tonnes of usable product
that fish don't need to use up
So, far from depriving peo-
for
valuable energy to counter-
ple of fish to eat or putting
fishmeal required
human
consumption
being made available.
its own wild counterparts.
Omega-3
Thanks to fishmeal
and
act gravity as land animals
pressure on the world's wild
In the particular case of
do, and they are cold-blooded,
seafood resources, aquacul-
farmed Atlantic salmon, the
and therefore don't need to
ture generally, and salmon
efficiency ratio is some what
burn calories to stay warm.
farming in particular, is ac-
less, whereby one tonne of
It is also worth knowing
tually making health-giving
system
that the `industrial fisheries'
seafood more available and
results in 0.6t of salmon com-
from which fish oil and fish-
making the best possible use
ing out the other end.
meal are derived consist of
of a sustainable and fully
oily fish, and are a major
renewable resource.
wild
fish
into
the
Farmed salmon not only
To launch as a stand-alone publication in
January 2010 Be sure to pick up your copy in your local newsagents on: January 28; March 25; May 27; July 29; September 30; November 25 And if you can’t find it, let us know: Gillian Mills (Editor) 01 2354804 / 087 290 2045; Wendy Scott (Features NI) 00 44 (0) 2891 857721/0044 (0) 783 865 6160;
Gery Flynn (Features Editor) 091 844 822 / 085 747 5797; Michael Crawford (Advertising) 074 919 4476
INSHORE IRELAND
F
November/December 2009
19
AQUACULTURE NEWS
IFA investigates SAC `discrimination' ollowing talks with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over wast e-wa ter discharges , which revealed that local authorities are carrying out appropriate assessments to allow them pump treated and untreated sewage into Marine Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), IFA is seeking an immediate reversal of the discrimination against the aquaculture industry,
which has held up licensing and grant aid to the sector for over two years on the issue of Appropriate Assessments. ``It is bizarre and grotesque that county councils can get licences to pump human waste and leachate from landfill into SAC of Conservation, yet we cannot get a licence to grow a mussel or a salmon in exactly the same areas. Minister John Gormley has given the EPA full permission to go ahead with the very lightweight assessments
used to back up these licences, yet his own Department has put every obstacle possible in the way of agreeing assessments for aquaculture licencing.
SCANDAL
It is an absolute scandal and raises questions about other licensed activities, which should require AAs in marine and freshwater SACs, Richie Flynn told I n s h o r e Ireland. He added that in France,
Appropriate Assessments for Aquaculture are published on a regional and generic basis and that these are fully accepted by Brussels. ``In Scotland, aquaculture Appropriate Assessments are simple and uncomplicated documents, and have led to a situation where just one farm has had to be moved out of a total production of 150,000 tonnes. ``What right does the Commission or the Irish Government have to treat us more
IFA responds to CFP review
I
FA Aquaculture has written to Minister Killeen and Dr Noel Cawley, with its views on the current debate on reforming the Common Fisheries Policy. The Association said that CFP reform was an opportunity to create a `more useful and responsive common policy that recognises the role and importance of European aquaculture in providing safe, secure and sustainable seafood, while creating vital jobs and economic activity in peripheral coastal and rural regions'. The IFA document points out that the CFP must recognise and encourage aquaculture's important role in providing indigenous seafood security during a time of
diminishing wild catches and increasing reliance on third country imports. Aquaculture in Europe must move in line with global trends to provide over half of the available seafood supply by 2020. The CFP can encourage this through policies that set community-wide output targets supported by funding for marketing, organisation and modernisation.
DOCUMENT
The document adds that the CFP `must provide the mechanisms to ensure the highest standards of seafood safety and quality are seamlessly provided from farm to fork and protect European consumers from either infer-
Oyster virus regulation due by January
N
egotiations will continue in Brussels during December on a new regulation to control movements of oysters suffering mortality and where the herpes virus has been detected. It is hoped that the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCOFCAH) will publish the regulation in January.
CONTACT
IFA Aquaculture has had direct contact through the European Mollusc Producers Association and the Marine Institute to ensure Irish oyster producers are not adversely affected by trade embargoes, while
also protecting the health status of our stocks. The executive committee of the Irish Shellfish Association has welcomed the latest draft that will ensure trade in seed from France and half-grown and large oysters for relaying can continue between areas previously hit by mortalities, and a fair system of testing is set up where producers wish to import seed into non-infected areas. ISA has also asked Minster Killeen to consider a scheme to assist Irish farmers hit by the 2009 mortalities following the agreement by Brussels to sanction a French scheme in October.
ior or lower-standard imports'. It also suggests that improved labelling rules that are adequately enforced, coupled with campaigns to improve consumer knowledge at national and community level, will be required. The document continues:
quality assurance schemes, organic production and environmental management systems. The CFP must ensure that the aquaculture industry develops efficiencies through R&D and implements marketing programmes and quality and environmental policies in
Central to the CFP benefit-
a collective manner. This requires a more fo-
ing both industry and the
cused, adequately funded and
European consumer should be
farmer-friendly system of pro-
a focused rolling campaign to increase seafood consumption
ducer organisations, with a shift in focus from market
by emphasising its proven
intervention to improved mar-
health benefits.
keting to suit non-quota pro-
The CFP must ensure maximum socio-economic benefits
ducts and provide platforms for collective action at na-
of EU policies and legislation
tional, regional, local or spe-
in areas impacting upon the aquaculture and seafood sec-
cies level. The CFP reform process
tors such as marine spatial
must take into account (and
planning, transport and envir-
the Commission and Parlia-
onmental conservation. Built into the CFP and its advisory
ment must ensure delivery) all of the recommendations
structures such as ACFA,
contained in the Communica-
must be a requirement for
tion on Sustainable Aquacul-
socio-economic impact assessment of regulations and poli-
ture (COM(2009)162/3) published in May of this year.
cies brought in by the EU
The reformed CFP must
institutions. The CFP reform process
include a funding mechanism to replace the current Eur-
must focus on encouraging
opean Fisheries Fund with
efficiencies of scale and redu-
additional financial protection
cing regulatory burdens on sectors and businesses that
for aquaculture producers who are on the frontline in
participate in recognised and
the event of pollution or other
audited practices, such as
environmental hazards.
stringently than other countries or more rigorously than sewage factories? There is a clear case of discrimination here, and someone must be benefiting from it, politically or financially, because our industry certainly isn't.'' IFA Aquaculture will be taking the case to the Government and the European Commission before Christmas to get the discrimination against the industry reversed.
Richie Flynn.
New Bill will clear the way for aquaculture licensing
I
FA Aquaculture has welcomed the publication of the Foreshore (Amendment) Bill by Minister Brendan Smith to transfer licensing powers for non-food related foreshore activities to the Department of Environment.
INAPPROPRIATE
``IFA has pointed out since the break up of the old Department of the Marine that it was inappropriate and a diversion of scarce resources for DAFF to deal with underwater pipelines, marinas and infrastructure. ``It is not before time that these incompatible responsibilities are moved out of the Department, to allow the Minister and his officials to concentrate on the important task of developing jobs and exports in the seafood sector. Licensing of commercial activities such as dredging, energy exploration, harbours, marinas, have no place in a food-focused department, and the many legal cases
associated with these developments have distracted from the main task of licensing aquaculture and fisheries,'' commented IFA Aquaculture executive secretary, Richie Flynn. He added that commercial non-food licensing can have a impact on the environment near fish farming areas. ``Therefore, the Department of Environment, when considering licensing, must continue to take into account potentially negative effects, particularly where developments could affect the quality or safety of seafood that is grown or fished nearby,'' Flynn said.
MEMBERS
IFA Aquaculture members in the fish and shellfish farming industries are anxious that the necessary legislation passes quickly through all stages in the Oireachtas to ensure that an efficient, transparent and workable aquaculture licensing system is up and running.
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INSHORE IRELAND November/December 2009
AQUACULTURE NEWS
IFA 10-point plan to save industry
I
FA Aquaculture has submitted a 10-point plan to Government and opposition parties that aims to save existing jobs in the sector, create new employment and spur national seafood exports. The plan, endorsed by the governing bodies of the ISGA and ISA, sets out clearly the main issues affecting the majority of aquaculture producers in Ireland. ``This is our clear manifes-
to and members should take it to their local politicians and demand urgent action to save the sector,'' said Richie Flynn. 1. The Inter-departmen-
tal Marine Co-ordinating Group, set up by An Taoi-
seach, must take a more active and transparent role, with input from industry, to deliver its key objectives to protect and generate employment, transpose and implement EU Directives and deal
The plan, endorsed by the governing bodies of the ISGA and ISA, sets out clearly the main issues affecting the majority of aquaculture producers in Ireland
with safety and surveillance, legislation issues, protecting the marine environment and developing indigenous resources and harbours. 2. DAFF must deliver a simple, cost-effective, transparent licensing system for aquaculture with clear deadlines, rules, procedures and processes to process new licence applications, improve industry output and competitiveness, renew existing licences to attract investment and restore confidence and allow for the efficient transfer of licences to encourage best use of resources. 3. Government must open the co-funded Operational Programme for Fisheries 2007-2013 to aquaculture with a minimum of 10m per year to back industry investment
IFA Aquaculture has submitted a 10-point plan to Government and opposition parties that aims to save existing jobs in the sector.
in modernisation, environmental management and quality assurance. 4. DAFF and DoE must fast-track the Appropriate Assessment process for aquaculture projects in Natura 2000 areas to protect vital jobs and exports and bring the assessment process for the industry into line with procedures in the EU and other licensed activities. 5. BIM must develop an inward investment programme to complement indigenous investment by attracting international capital into Ireland to bring new resources, knowledge and markets into a sector with huge potential for high-value, top-quality farmed products in Europe and the world. 6. Government must improve public service productivity by: * Focusing on-farm inspections to a single agency to carry out cross-regulatory vis-
its and audits and remove the need for up to eight different public servants to travel long distances to remote areas. * Setting specific deadlines for turnaround of licencing requests. * Fast-tracking the licensing of new therapeutants, which have passed licensing procedures in other States. * Developing a customerfriendly licensing support service in line with proposals put forward by IFA. * Providing up to date economic information on the sector through BIM and the Marine Institute, including national and international cost-benchmarking. * Ensuring resources are available to respond to events in the marine environment that pose a risk to aquaculture producers. * Ensuring a pristine environment by giving priority to waste-water treatment plants near designated shellfish pro-
duction areas. 7. DAFF must modernise the licencing of marine finfish farming as requested by IFA to bring it into line with international best practice, using standing biomass as the main licensing criteria in conjunction with more pro-active environmental monitoring. 8. DAFF must use the results of the UISCE carrying capacity project for the shellfish sector to ensure fair and most efficient use of marine food resources and space for producers. 9. DAFF must reform licence fees, in particular for finfish farmers, bringing them into line with actual production rather than capacity to produce. 10. Bord Bia and BIM must invest in the Irish aquaculture quality assurance marques to encourage maximum participation at producer, processor and retail level.
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INSHORE IRELAND
November/December 2009
HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE FUTURE OF THE COMMON FISHERIES POLICY The European Commission wants your views on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy - whether you are fishermen, fish processors, retailers, environmentalists, consumers, taxpayers - in fact whatever your interest is. By filling out this online consultation at www.euireland.ie/fisheriespolicy your views will be heard. The online consultation forms part of the EU Commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Green Paper on the future of the EU Common Fisheries Policy and looks at current policy and possible improvements. The survey is open until the end of 2009 and will lead to a new Commission proposal on fisheries to be presented to the European Council. This online consultation closes on 31 December 2009 and the Commission will sum up its results in the first half of 2010. After further consultation with stakeholders, the Commission will then prepare an impact assessment report and develop a proposal for a new basic regulation. It is intended that these will be presented to the European Council and European Parliament in 2011. So please log on to: www.euireland.ie/fisheriespolicy and have your voice heard.
For additional information please contact the:
European Commission Representation Ireland European Union House 18 Dawson Street Dublin 2 Telephone: 01-634 1111
21
22
INSHORE IRELAND November/December 2009
SEAFOOD DESK
New system to revolutionise sea urchin ranching?
S
GERY FLYNN FEATURES EDITOR
ea urchin roe produced using a new culture technique, which have been undergoing taste trials recently, are the first cultured and out-of-season sea urchin roe to be available here. The roe were produced by Dunmanus Seafoods Ltd at its hatchery in Durrus near Bantry using Gourmet Marine's proprietary UrchinPlatter System, which has been in development for a number of years. Facilities at Dunmanus Seafoods include a successful hatchery with an annual production and sale of over one million juvenile sea urchins. Sea urchin ovaries, also called roe or corals, have been a delicacy in Asia, and increasingly in Europe for more than 20 years. Dunmanus Seafoods began in 1994 producing juvenile sea urchins to be on-grown at sea. The business developed to the point in 2004 when, for the first time, more than a million juvenile sea urchins were successfully grown to over 25mm. Dr Gerry Mouzakitis of Gourmet Marine Ltd, the company behind the Urchin Platter System, believes the new technique will revolutionise the farming of the native sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus in Ireland and probably worldwide. He speculates that through the UP System, Irish-farmed sea urchins are likely to be farmed Ð not only for sale in Japan Ð but also to supply local ranching and re-stocking programmes here at
home in order to return the species to areas where it has been completely over-fished. Mouzakitis claims that the UP System's versatility could see it being adapted to farm abalone and other high-value shellfish species. ``I would describe the UP System as being Irish technology for a global market,'' Mouzakitis explains. ``It will have a worldwide application, and for that reason we have had to be secretive about it until it was fully protected by patent. We know that the UP System works, and we have now moved beyond the laboratory to the next phase, which will be all about showing that the technology will work on a commercial scale.'' Mouzakitis points out that sea urchin farming will succeed only if there is a dependable feed supply in the form of quality seaweeds. He revealed that the Galway-based Irish Seaweed Centre (ISC) is already involved with his company to ensure that research relating to sea urchin and seaweed farming are synchronised and developed in tandem. ``Potential abalone and sea urchin farmers must be convinced that a reliable supply of the right types of highgrade seaweeds will be available to feed their stocks,'' he says. ``There is natural synergy, therefore, between us as we try to develop certain projects together. We need the ISC to provide the right feeds, and if sea urchin and abalone aquaculture really takes off here, as I expect it will, seaweed farmers will be assured of a ready market for their produce.''
ABOVE: Pictured receiving the award are John and Katie Fitzgibbon, Aherne's Seafood Restaurant, Youghal, Cork with Geraldine Lane, trade development executive, BIM and Georgina Campbell. RIGHT: Geraldine Lane, trade development executive, BIM, presents Tricia Kealy, Kealy's Seafood Bar, Greencastle, Donegal with the Georgina Campbell Ireland Award for `Seafood Circle Bar of the Year', sponsored by BIM.
Recipients of BIM Seafood Circle awards RECIPIENTS of the Georgina Campbell Ireland `Seafood Bar of the Year' Award sponsored by Bord Iascaigh
Mhara (BIM). The BIM Seafood Circle recognises and awards hospitality and retail businesses
that consistently deliver the highest standards of seafood and service across the three membership categories of
Ballylongford Oyster Festival THE 17th annual Ballylongford Oyster Festival in August, supported by BIM, centred around a banquet of the best local produce of oysters, mussels, salmon and crab and was enjoyed by a large gathering of seafood lovers who had travelled far and wide to sample the local produce, which had been prepared under the guidance of Noreen Kennelly.
PARADE
The weekend began with a children's fancy dress competition, followed by a parade lead by the oyster pearl and the ladies/gents oyster eating competition. Sunday's activities included a car boot sale, family fun day and barbecue. ``This year was considered to be one of the most successful in the history of the Ballylongford Oyster Festival and the organising committee did outstanding work to ensure the success of the weekend,'' remarked Catherine Butler BIM.
Tom McLaughlin, RIP
Catherine Butler, BIM and Kathy Nugent, RTE.
BIM launches new eco-assured scheme BIM has launched a pilot scheme to create an eco-assured standard for wild fisheries. The initiative is a `call to action' to fishermen to apply and get involved. Step one is to build a critical mass of
fishermen/co-ops and when enough have reached the high standard required, the label will be applied to the relevant products, vessels etc. Consumers can be assured that any product displaying the label has been caught using responsible fishing practices and that the relevanta vessel is adhering to an environmental management system. A high level of interest has already been recorded, and BIM is hoping to progress the programme throughout 2010.
hospitality, seafood specialist and supermarket seafood counter. There are now 155 members nationwide.
The oyster festival was a resounding success thanks to the efforts of the Ballylongford community.
IT was with great sadness we learnt of the death of our friend and esteemed colleague Tom McLoughlin on 20 September. Tom died peacefully following a long illness in Germany. Tom joined BIM in 2001 and worked as the German market advisor in DuÈsseldorf. He was passionate about his work and a thorough professional in developing new opportunities for Irish seafood companies on the German and the Eastern European markets. Tom had a keen interest in the organic seafood sector and pioneered the participation of Irish companies at the BioFach organic trade fair. Tom was a great ambassador liaising effortlessly with industry, agencies, media and trade buyers. He will be remembered for his larger than life personality, his infectious good humour and optimism. He bore his illness with great fortitude and dignity and was an inspiration to us all. We, in BIM, will miss him dearly and we offer our deepest sympathies and condolences to his family and many friends in Germany and Ireland. May he rest in peace.
INSHORE IRELAND
November/December 2009
23
SEAFOOD DESK
Innovation and added value central to seafood centre strategy
T
GERY FLYNN FEATURES EDITOR he country's first dedicated seafood development centre was officially opened by Tony Killeen, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in Clonakilty on 27 October. The centre will be co-ordinated by Dr Susan Steele of BIM, who told Inshore Ireland that the agency's main aim will be to foster innovation, facilitate new ideas and assist companies in developing structured business plans to ascertain if these ideas are
the right course of action before they commit to capital investment. ``Innovation is now recognised as the single most important ingredient in any modern economy, and for those working in the seafood sector, new ideas and new ways of doing things is nothing new,'' she said. ``Specialised fishing gear, boat designs integrating GPS and different types of fishing equipment are just some examples of how the industry have used innovation to enable their businesses to operate more effectively. ``We now need to concentrate on the market and move from bulk commodity to deli-
vering added value.'' Susan said that in order to change and to facilitate a switch to adding value, the industry will need assistance. ``We are looking forward to helping companies to achieve this. With all innovation, there will be ideas that do not succeed, and it takes time and a very structured process to follow ideas through to launch.''
FACILITIES
The facilities at the 768m2 unit comprise wet fish processing areas, business incubation units, a graduate laboratory, a product development kitchen and an innovation and product concept
room. Noting that 85% of total seafood produce is sold as commodities, a BIM spokesperson at the opening pointed out that while this fits with the market demand for some species, it does not deliver for others, as they can be dependent on fluctuating global markets, which leaves them open to predatory pricing by larger international trade players.
Dr Susan Steele at the launch of Ireland's first dedicated seafood innovation centre in Clonakilty, Co Cork.
KUSH SEAFARMS LTD Ð JOHN HARRINGTON
JOHN Harrington cofounded Kush Seafarms Ltd in 1986 to farm mussels atArdgroomharbouronthe Beara Penninsula. He also sources product from other producers locally, which he exports to the French market.Thecompanyistheonly ropemusselproducerinIreland to have achieved ISO65 organic certification.
(L-r) Jason Whooley, CEO BIM, Rose McHugh, chair BIM and Tony Killeen, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
FOOD FOCUS Ð GEORGE HOWLETT
GEORGE Howlett established Food Focus in 1998 to provide food businesses with services designed to increase their technical complianceandcommercial performance.
Even I sometimes struggle to know what exactly is meant by innovation. Very simply put, however, innovation translates a new idea into something that can be used Ð a product or a new process, or simply a new way of doing things to be more cost-effective. It's important to ask the question, why is the seafood sector no more innovative today than it was 15 years ago? What are the barriers to making this sector more innovative? There are three broad categories of innovation that may apply to you: * Incremental: Just doing what we do a little bit better. That could be extending a particular line, for example. If you are doing smoked salmon, you might try a different variation of that, or you might reformulate an existing product, maybe even using new packaging. These are small, incremental steps. * Radical: Something in terms
of functionality of the food products perhaps. There's an awful lot of research going on inthis area at the moment,and funding is flowing into it. * New: Ideas in terms of packaging, new processes and products. How do we become more innovative? The process has three steps. Whether you are looking at a new product, a new process or new packaging, it starts with generating the new idea, and moving from there. The next step is probably the most difficult Ð picking that winner likely to be successful in the marketplace. The final step is ultimately implementing that new idea or concept. Ideas can come from anywhere, any time. Set up an `ideas bank' to record them as they arise for possible future use, because if you do become more innovative over time, you'll need more ideas. In summary, keep it practical and keep it realistic. Have a plan for what you want to do. Know your market, and know what the consumer wants. Build your networks, use external expertise where applicable, and develop your own in-house skills.
Marie Burke at the opening.
TNS WORLDPANEL Ð MARIE BURKE
MARIE Burke is the head of the Irish section of TNS Worldpanel, a market researchgroupprovidingcontinuous market research to measure and understand consumer spending across the Irish grocery market.
Ireland's take-home seafood market is worth 209m at grocery level, for both fresh and frozen product. The sector is in decline, and despite volume holding up, value is down 6.6%. The frozen market is down 11% and the fresh market is down 8%. We are not seeing any growth coming into this market of late. Consumer sentiment is at an all-time low, and with spending coming under increasing pressure, consumers are looking for a lot more value in terms of the market. The Irish seafood market is still very dependent on the Easter/Lent periods for sales, when there is always high demand. Over the summer,
however, demand for fish drops again. In addition, 55% of Ireland's fish market runs from Wednesday to Friday. We must examine that trend to see, for example, if it's purely due to product availability. With nearly 10% of grocery sales now on Sundays, is fish available on that day too Ð and indeed, on all other days as well? Each of Ireland's two million households is consuming 400g less fish per annum. To get even 200g of that back per household would mean a significant increase in terms of growth in the seafood market. The big question now is what's driving this decline. One of the biggest challenges the seafood market faces is the fact that fish is not getting into younger households. If young people are not buying fish now, obviously, as they get older, this market is going to suffer even more.
I'm speaking as a small commodity producer who is trying to break out of that loop, if possible. As anyone in this sector knows, surviving the rope mussel experience is difficult. We are now trying to move to the next stage beyond production. The first thing I want to see is professional management in place. And certainly, I think that BIM have delivered heavily there, by appointing Dr Susan Steele as centre manager. It's great to see BIM putting the brightest star of the younger troops forward into such a key role. She did an outstanding job in the Training Centre in Castletownbere. To see her now heading up the SDC is a positive sign straight away that this is going to be a very successful centre. We also want confidentiality. There's competition out there, and when you are involved in new product development, you don't necessarily want your competitors to know what's going on until you are ready to launch. That is crucial. We will need technical advice. I know nothing about processing, so I'll be looking for processing know-how. One thing that we need is for everyone to be singing off the same hymn sheet. So, for new product development, it's going to be crucial for all the relevant agencies to talk to one another. Not only must they know what's going on between them, they must also know what's going on inside the various companies in the sector.
They must also try to give a company a clear run at something, and if two companies are doing something similar, they have to be able to bring them together and make them co-operate on the issues affecting them both. There has to be co-ordination, because in the past, there has been unnecessary competition, which has actually made life much more difficult for the ordinary producer on the ground. We have super mussels. They are grown in Special Areas of Conservation, and I have no doubt in my mind that the cleanest mussels in the globe come from the western-most point of Ireland, which happens to be Kenmare Bay. I am hoping to see the following emerging: a production sector to produce the mussels, a processing sector to process, and finally, a sector that doesn't exist so much yet Ð a marketing sector. More product development is going to be the key.
John Harrington
24
INSHORE IRELAND November/December 2009
LATE DESK
Engineering solutions are not the answer to flood threats AN EU-sponsored initiative to examine the threats posed by climate change to coastal regions in Western Europe will involve scientists from universities in France, Spain, Portugal and NUI Galway. The Atlantic Network for Coastal Risk Management (ANCORIM) has received a grant of 1.9m, and been given three-years to bridge the gap between climate change scientists and coastal zone decision-makers. The ANCORIM team will look at managing and preventing the risks associated with climate change regarding shoreline erosion, rural and urban coastal land planning, and economic activities, such as fish farming. NUI Galway's contribution is being driven by geographers from the Environmental Change Institute (ECI). It will involve local communities in the western region through Mayo County Council and UÂdaraÂs na Gaeltachta. ``As a nation, we need to realise the importance of `climate-proofing' our policies, and the ANCORIM project is about supporting the futures of coastal communities all along the Atlantic rim of Europe,'' explains Dr Martina Prendergast, Development Manager of the ECI.
``The support of the community is key to the success of this project, and locally we will be making the most of our close links with the Gaeltacht,'' she adds. Commenting on the tasks ahead, Professor MicheaÂl OÂ CinneÂide says that such work was important `because it is well-known that societies around the world tend to underestimate risks associated with many natural phenomena such as floods, droughts and earthquakes'. Prof OÂ CinneÂide added: ``It is unfortunate that the risks to coastal zones associated with the changing climate are currently incorporated in decision-making that is largely on an ad-hoc basis only in many countries. He points out that planning
guidelines incorporating the risks of climate change need to be put in place. Dr Kevin Lynch, a coastal geomorphologist with the ANCORIM team at NUI Galway, believes that, although coastal erosion and flooding are increasingly being seen as a major threat in Ireland, the response, for the most part, has mistakenly been to solely provide engineering solutions, such as building sea walls and using filled gabions to stabilise the shoreline. ``Engineering solutions have been shown to be unsustainable due to high costs and detrimental impacts on our natural heritage. Alternative solutions need to be advanced to combat impacts of climate change on our coastlines,'' he said.
N18 flooded at Gort, Co Galway.
Picture by Shane Fennelly
Packed agenda for media trip to Brussels WENDY SCOTT
A delegation of Irish journalists were invited by the European Commission and European Parliament offices in Ireland to visit Brussels, the heart of European Union decision-making. Speaking to Inshore Ireland, Ruth Deasy, European Commission Representation in Ireland, said that media visits were an important part of the Representation's work: ``The people we bring over really appreciate meeting senior officials face-to-face. It gives them a chance to talk about the issues their readers or listeners are most concerned with Ð people right at the heart of policy making. ``I also think it's great for them to actually see people of all nationalities working together on the common problems we all share Ð the economy, future energy sources for Europe, negotiating with other big trade blocks at WTO, what to do about climate change, and so on.'' A packed itinerary included meeting with Irish MEPS. Questions were asked on topical issues such as NAMA, Common Agricultural Policy, food labelling, human rights and climate change. As the consultation process for the Common Fisheries Policy reform ends on the 31 December, Inshore Ire-
Two-day packed agenda in Brussels for journalists across the Irish media.
asked Pat the Cope Gallagher MEP what major changes he felt may occur within the policy. He said: ``Joe Borg has said to come to the table with an open mind and that all options would be considered and that is exactly what we will do. ``Obviously, what works for large fishing vessels in one part of Europe does not work for the sole fisherman off Donegal. How can you tell a fisherman from a small community in Ireland, who relies on fishing, that he can't fish? There should be more emphasis on regional policy to make sure everyone is considered,'' he said. Meetings were also arranged with Heidi Hautala MEP (Finland), chairperson of the subcommittee on Human Rights, David Martin land
MEP (UK), David O'Sullivan, Director General for Trade, Gwenda Jeffreys-Jones, Desk Officer Middle East Process, Catherine Day, SecretaryGeneral of the European Commission, Charlie McCreevy, Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services, Michael Mann, Spokesperson for Commissioner for Agriculture Mariann Fischer Boel and Anthony Whelan, Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Kroes, Commissioner for Competition who spoke on the banking crisis and competition issues, a topic which was at the forefront of many of those journalists present. The trip was extremely well organised and Inshore Ireland would like to thank all those involved for an extremely worthwhile trip.
Sustainable Energy Ireland supports the development of Ocean Energy in Ireland. For more information log on to www.sei.ie/oceanenergy
INSHORE IRELAND
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY IRELAND
November/December 2009
25
Target to achieve 40% renewable electricity by 2020 Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) is the statutory authority charged with promoting and assisting the development of sustainable energy in Ireland. Its mission is to take a central position in facilitating Ireland's transformation to a society based on sustainable energy structures, technologies and practices. SEI is funded by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan, with programmes part-financed by the European Union. Inshore Ireland spoke to Eoin Sweeney, head of Low Carbon Technologies (Ocean), to learn how this transformation would take place
Q&A How big an impact will low carbon technologies have on the Irish economy?
Ireland currently imports 90% of its energy needs. The development of our own resources, which happen to be clean and renewable and within our own territory, is vital for security of energy supply. Fortunately, Ireland is blessed with access to renewable energy resources, particularly in the form of wind and wave energy. The wind and wave climates off the west coast for example are among the best in the world within reasonable distance of energy markets. These resources remain largely untapped as harnessing these sources of energy is technically very challenging, as is delivering the energy produced. Ireland has a minimum target for renewable electricity of 40% by 2020 (15% by 2010). Should this target be achieved, we will certainly be
a world leader in green electricity production and consumption and the experience gained would be held in high regard internationally. Ireland has already carried out research and studies, which lead the world in many respects. As we operate an isolated grid, we have had to confront issues of integrating large amounts of intermittent renewable generation before other countries, who have been able to interconnect easily with their neighbours. There is debate ongoing as to what the technical limit for connecting intermittent sources of electricity generation to the grid might be, but whether the figure is 40% or 60%, the available resource far surpasses the demand for electricity in Ireland. Therefore, research is ongoing on how the resources can be maximised through the use of storage, conversion and interconnection for export.
There is scepticism about renewable technologies being value for money, i.e. wind power because of the unpredictability and high development/maintenance costs of some technologies. Can SEI give reassurance that renewable energy is the way forward for Ireland? Will it deliver cheaper, cleaner energy in the future?
As with any capital intensive project, finance is required. In the current climate, renewable energy is seen as a means to assist in a sustainable economic recovery. Currently, wind farms are connected to the grid and the energy is used as it is produced. If we are to have high penetrations of renewable energy in the electricity sector, there will be times when there is more energy being produced than is needed. Research is ongoing in the areas of transport (e.g. electric vehicles) and heat where it is possible to store energy for later use. With interconnection to Britain and possibly mainland Europe, Ireland could become an exporter of renewable energy if the demand existed. The key challenge is developing the infrastructure needed to transport the electricity around Ireland and beyond in an efficient manner. Sustainable energy and clean technology can create jobs. Meeting the EU's ambition of energy efficiency gains of 20% by 2020 could create one million jobs, according to a European Commission report published in 2005. In Ireland, a recent study estimated that meeting our current target of 40% renewable electricity by 2020 will create more than 10,000 jobs.
Navigation Buoy being deployed off the Mayo coast in early November 2009.
The key issue for consumers is continuity of supply and cost. Both of these are threatened by the continuing use of fossil fuels. As scale effects from renewable energy generation (e.g. ocean/wind energy) begin to develop, Irish consumers will be assured continuity of supply and reasonable costs.
What is the next stage for SEI in moving the whole process forward?
We must focus first of all on our obligations and targets for our own consumption up to 2020 and beyond. Ireland's target is to supply 15% of electricity demand from renewable sources by 2010. The key challenge in meeting targets would be the delivery of the necessary grid. EirGrid and ESB Networks now have the huge task of designing and developing the grid in the most efficient manner possible (both economically and electrically), while minimising environmental impact and satisfying
applicant generators. Ireland has already started the transition towards an enterprise sector ready to capture new industrial opportunities emerging from low-carbon and sustainableenergy imperatives. There is already strong entrepreneurial activity whereby State bodies, such as the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, are actively pursuing opportunities and supporting businesses in this area. SEI itself is leading a programme designed to ensure that Irish companies are among the leaders in harnessing ocean energy resources. These are the foundations of a process of change and business growth that could
emerge to be the most significant ever experienced in the State. While some of the climate change agenda implies cost, it also clearly implies opportunity. Most importantly, the agenda aligns with the imperative of preparing Irish society and enterprise for a new environment focused on clean, low-carbon technologies and behaviour. SEI intends to work with all concerned to examine these issues to support the national agenda of realignment towards a new, clean, low-carbon economy that can deliver domestic needs as well as exploiting new global opportunities.
Research is ongoing on how the resources can be maximised through the use of storage, conversion and interconnection for export
26
INSHORE IRELAND November/December 2009
MARINE R&D
StudysaysIreland'smapping project is value for money
A
GILLIAN MILLS
ccording to G a r e t h Hetherington of PricewaterhouseCoopers, who carried out an options appraisal report into the INFOMAR mapping programme, their analysis over a 20-year period of the current value of benefits is estimated at 440m. ``This, in ratio to cost, is about 4/5:1, so the return on the capital employed is quite good. We're looking at industry as an exercise or project that can help generate economic activity in light of the recession. [These] are basically the types of projects which all governments say they want to fund,'' he emphasised. ``If the private sector was left to undertake the seabed mapping study, the cost associated [to deliver] a project of this nature would be so disproportionate to the financial benefits, it wouldn't be worth their while.'' Gareth Hetherington was speaking at the ten-year celebration seminar of the Irish National Seabed Survey (INSS) and INFOMAR.
Integrated Mapping for the Sustainable Development of Ireland's Marine Resource is Ireland's national marine mapping programme and successor to INSS (1999-2005) and is a joint venture of the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) and the Marine Institute (MI). The scope of the INSS ( 27m allocation) was to map the entire Zone III (water depths 200m to 4,000m) and as much of Zone II (water depths 50m to 200m) as possible. The focus of INFOMAR is to create a range of integrated mapping products of the physical, chemical and biological features of the seabed in the near-shore, or Zone 1 (0m to 50m) area and remaining Zone II area, thus completing the mapping programme of all of Ireland's off-shore waters. Against this background and to fulfil the `NDP Value for Money Reporting Requirements for Large Capital Projects (> 30m), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) were commissioned by the Department of Communications, Energy and National Resources (DCENR) to undertake a detailed appraisal of the INFOMAR project.
Mapping Ireland’s inshore territory: - prioritised suite of integrated marine mapping surveys - delivery of integrated knowledge, products, services and competencies
Bantry / Dunmanus entry
Galway Bay lidar coverage
www.gsi.ie
www.marine.ie
According to Hetherington, while INFOMAR has a very broad scope in terms of the information it is trying to capture, ``if the private sector was left to do it, their scope would be very narrow. ``As a result, there would be major gaps in the information collated Ð and that's assuming the information would be shared. So, this is major rationale for the Government to step in.'' Hetherington explained that the study also underpinned the need to develop policy: ``One of the central tenets of having good policy is having very good baseline information on which to base that policy. The study provides information in terms of identifying what opportunities are out there; how to prioritise those opportunities and how to develop policy around managing this very significant resource.''
INFLUENCING POLICY
As well as developing opportunities internally, it can also be used to develop external policy, such as influencing EU fisheries policy: ``So, if Ireland can go with an evidence base around fishing quotas or habitats information, then that is a very robust evidence base on which you can help influence policies that impact on Ireland.'' Hetherington also noted the range of legislative and marine conventions that Ireland has signed up to and to which has obligations, such as the Water Framework Di-
rective. ``Under the EU Habitats Directive, States are required to identify and designate SACs. This can only be done with information that this exercise can help deliver,'' he said. Regarding benefits, Hetherington said that the ``vast majority'' were commercial in nature. Focusing on the fishing industry, he said that while habitat mapping would allow fishermen target areas, it would also provide information on areas to avoid, such as spawning/breeding grounds. ``This would have a major benefit in terms of stock sustainability,'' he stressed. Secondly, he identified the reduced time at sea, and detection of coral. ``You can't exactly put a financial/economic value [on this] but in terms of destroying coral and stock sustainability, then there are major environmental benefits. Based on the size of industry, we estimate a potential 2% increase ( 14m per annum) in the activity of the sector could be achieved.'' Hetherington added that if an industry is in decline, such as fishing, and you can provide information that halts that decline and keeps it at a steady state, ``then it's quite legitimate to incorporate that as an economic benefit in terms of where you could be and where you actually are.'' Turning to aquaculture, he said seabed mapping could help identify key areas where
it could flourish, and could also influence licensing. ``Again, our research shows that a lack of information is a constraint to licences being issued Ð and to growth. The growth potential could be estimated at 4%, resulting in economic benefits of 5m per annum.'' Development of the seaweed sector is also identified as another commercial benefit. ``The information provided would allow for significant increase in the use of commercially exploitable seaweed and with developing that whole sector, such as health, snack food products and body care. A 10% increase would be worth about 1m per annum to the sector,'' he said. Turning to offshore renewable energy, Hetherington said the sector was a key area for economic development for Ireland in the 21st century. ``Some of the research we saw indicates that the sector could grow by a factor of 20 over the next 20 to 30 years. In terms of the bathymetry and sediment information required, this would be provided by INSS/ INFOMAR Ð and that's important in two aspects: finding the best location to generate the most energy and which will have minimal impact on the environment. He added that just a 20% impact on the value of this sector from firm figures in 2002 would bring about 3.6m of benefit per annum to the Irish economy. On the knowledge econo-
RV Keary was officially named by Barbara Keary, wife of the late Ray Keary at the Poolbeg Marina in the heart of Dublin.
my, Hetherington said Ireland was ``technologically advanced'' and was a leading light on the world stage. As for the unknown, he said that with this ``massive [free to end user] dataset'', we can only start to begin to understand how we're going to use this information. ``Inevitably, if organisations are innovative, they will take this information and use it for purposes, we don't know yet, such as identifying niche markets.''
A vital investment for Ireland's economic future JOHN JOYCE MARINE INSTITUTE
``IT is good to see, for a change, a Government agency being praised for sensibly investing public money instead of wasting it,'' remarked Senator RonaÂn Mullen on 21 October. He was speaking to a motion by Senator Cecilia Kea ireann veney that Seanad E ``commends the Government's continued support of the national marine mapping programme INFOMAR and that it ``supports the policy of carrying out this vital infrastructural work which is underpinning key and economically significant offshore development in renewable energy, environmental protection, detection of our shipwreck heritage, improvement of fishing efficiency and safety of maritime transport.'' That such a motion should  irbe proposed at Seanad E
eann and be supported in the current climate of recession is perhaps the highest tribute to the work on INFOMAR and the Irish National Seabed Survey (INSS) by the GSI and the Marine Institute over the last 10 years.
BACKING
The decision to continue the project was backed up by the findings of an independent economic study undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which itemised the full economic benefits from INFOMAR to commercial sectors, including fishing, aquaculture, biodiversity, renewable
A full transcript of the Seanad EÂireann debate can be found online
energy, energy exploration and the aggregate industry, as well as to research and in terms of savings on non-compliance fines regarding EU regulations. ``Investment in innovation, research and development is fundamental to Ireland's efforts to address the economic crisis we face now and, more importantly, to generate high quality jobs and provide employment for a new generation of graduates,'' continued Senator Mullen during the debate. ``When I was in secondary school, I was told that Ireland had no natural resources. The INFOMAR project kills that myth once and for all.''
COLLABORATIONS
Speaking at the Seabed 10 conference earlier that month, Marine Institute CEO Dr Peter Heffernan looked to the potential development of Ireland's marine resources through strategic
collaborations between industry and science based on information from INFOMAR and the INSS. Examples he gave included organic and sustainable food production from aquaculture and fisheries, the development of `functional foods', including health giving ingredients sourced from marine animals and plants and the development of new medical treatments using `bioactive' compounds from deep sea animals. He also predicted enormous strides in the generation of electricity from wave power and the further development of SMART technology to monitor the marine environment Рall underpinned by an enlightened attitude to sustainable marine development as part of government policy. A full transcript of the  ireann debate can Seanad E be found on the website: http://debates.oireachtas.ie
INSHORE IRELAND
State's marine research capability
THE State's latest research vessel, RV KEARY, a dedicated inshore mapping launch, was officially named during the two-day SEABED 10 seminar by Barbara Keary, wife of the late Raymond Keary, a distinguished Irish marine geologist who had the vision of the national marine mapping project. Speaking at the ceremony, Conor Lenihan, Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources said that the RV Keary would allow for ``cost effective mapping of Ireland's shallowest waters and is a valuable addition to our national research capability''.
Norwegian company behind 3D seabed mapping imagery PETER BENNETT
KONGSBERG Maritime is proud to have supplied the RV Keary with the multibeam and single beam acoustic echo sounder systems used to gather the seabed mapping imagery being collected as part of INFOMAR. The vessel is fitted with a dual head EM3002D multibeam system, which provides full coverage and 3D imagery of the seabed along with backscatter reflectivity information to assist in seabed classification. The system is electronically stabilised to ensure the vessel can gather the highest quality hydrographic data over a range of weather and sea state conditions, maximising the productivity of the vessel and minimising the survey costs. The seabed bathymetry, imagery and reflectivity are available and utilised from the production of navigational charts for the safe navigation of vessels through to the monitoring of environmental habitat and change of habitat for marine environmental conservation. The EM3002D multibeam system is one of a range of acoustic systems provided by Kongsberg Maritime. The range goes from the high frequency shallow water systems to the lower frequency full ocean depth systems.
Multibeam visualised.
3D multibeam visualisation of Rubble Bank, Plymouth.
November/December 2009
27
MARINE R&D
28
INSHORE IRELAND November/December 2009
MARINE R&D
Corkreportsrobustcruisebusin JOHN HEARNE BRENDAN Keating took an atypical route to his stewardship of the Port of Cork Company. A native of Galway, he completed his secondary education in Rockwell College in Tipperary before taking a B Comm in University College Gal-
Q&A
way. He then embarked on acareerinlocalgovernment which saw him move from MeathtoCork,wherehewas assistant city manager, before moving north to Limerick, where he became city manager in 1999. Returning to Cork in 2002 to become chief executive of the port company, he says lisation programme which saw the elimination of the casual dock labour system. That was done in association with the stevedores and of course the various different port customers. That has allowed us to be much more cost effective and to be responsive to the needs of our customers.
big news last year was HOW is the Port doing? THE An Bord PleanaÂla's rejecIs there any indication that tion of your to the downturn may be run- develop new application port facilities ning out of steam? in Ringaskiddy. Was this a In the circumstances, we're big disappointment for the doing okay. Trade is down company? 18% on average, but despite that, we're of the view that the climate may have bottomed out for the most part. The figures are finally beginning to hold, but we're only looking
at
the
last
two
months of data, so it's difficult to give a definitive position right now. We're still confident that the worst of it is over.
We were very surprised and extremely disappointed because Ringaskiddy had been identified in the Cork County Development Plan as the location for future port development. Equally, it had been identified in the Cork Area Strategic Plan in 2002 and before that in the Cork Land Use
and
Transportation
ARE there any particular areas doing better than others?
Study, which was initially
Let's put it this way: The load
tive, we found we had little
on/load off business appears
choice but to advance propo-
to have bottomed out. We
sals for Ringaskiddy.
advanced in 1973-76 and was further revised in the early eighties, so from our perspec-
would always have had a
But the decision is the
very strong export business,
decision and we have to live
so that side of the house is
with it. Following the rejec-
holding up okay.
tion, we undertook a very
We have a strong industrial base in this region, that being Cork/Kerry and the mid-west, and the Port of Cork has established itself as the export port for the majority of the goods. We're also very dependent on the agricultural sector and the vo-
comprehensive evaluation of the material we submitted. We brought in independent consultants who spoke directly to the board with regard
to
the
process,
and
arising from that, we're very confident that we can overcome the issues.
that all those years in local governmenthave provedinvaluable. ``The environment is different in that you're operatinginacommercialworldin theportbusiness.Butfroma managerial perspective, many of the issues remain the same. The experience I had has stood me in good stead in this business.'' criteria have you been looking at? We have to assess suitability from a number of perspectives, the priority being depth of water, but also land connections and the road/rail issues. We have to ensure that they're all
evaluated
and that appropriate weighting is attached to all the relevant issues, including environmental issues. Engagement
with
local
communities is also key to
Cargo handling at the Port of Cork.
ensuring that any issues or fears among communities are listened to and dealt with. In that context, each heading is looked at and the board ultimately chooses the most appropriate site. After all of that, the next stage would be to advance a planning application, which we hope would be successful.''
SO the commitment to redevelopment is as strong as ever.What'sthemaindriver here? We have to develop. Ships are getting bigger all the time, requiring deeper water all the time. We have to be able to turn them efficiently and while we're able to handle them very well in our existing container terminal in Tivoli,
we
are
anticipating
challenges down the road and we want to be prepared for what the next generation of shipping will bring our way.
YOU invested heavily in cruise terminal facilities at Cobh two years ago. Is that investment paying off?
Port of Cork schools initiative helps the port to communicate its message to primary school children.
HOW many arrivals are you into the future. expecting for 2010? THE reinstatement of the We expect to handle 50 vesCork/Swansea ferry is ansels, just a marginal reducother major boost to the tion on last year, but it region? changes on a monthly basis; you lose some, you pick up others. The great advantage the Port of Cork has is that we
To that end, we've started a
Yes. We've been very encour-
major review of our strategic
aged with the growth in the
HAVE you had to lay off workers?
plan, and we're now evaluat-
cruise business that we've
ing a number of sites in Cork
enjoyed in 2008 and 2009. We
harbour to ensure that the
had 51 calls in 2008 and 54 in
Yes, we've had to lay some
site, when selected for this
2009.
people off, plus we've not
new facility, will have been
Obviously, we always had
cruise business is hugely ben-
filled vacancies as they arose.
subjected to a robust selec-
confidence that there was
eficial to the south west re-
We've always been very con-
tion
significant growth potential
gion.
scious of managing our costs,
round, it will stand up to
in
and
Between direct and indir-
but more particularly in 2009
scrutiny from bodies such as
we're delighted that our con-
we have had a very strong
Bord Pleana  la.
lume of trade it generates for the region.
drive towards managing our cost base and ensuring at all times that our costs are reasonable. In March of this year, we had a major rationa-
process.
Next
time
INrejectingtheapplication, An BordPleanaÂla citedroad and rail infrastructure issues. In choosing the site for the next application, what
can handle the larger vessels t h a nk s
to
our
dedicated
cruise facilities in Cobh, plus the draft availability Ð we can take vessels drawing in excess of 8m of water. The
Yes. Fastnet Lines are in the throes of a major fundraising venture. They need to raise about 2.5m to put the necessary working capital in place so that the vessel can operate efficiently. While they are challenged by the process, there's a confidence that it will sail and be operational in March 2010.
the Port of Gijon in northern Spain, with whom we have established a partnership. There are a number of people examining the proposition at the moment, and we expect we will have a decision on it by the end of the year. If that goes the right way, we're hopeful that there will be a new service operating in late January or early February next year. We're also hoping that we can establish a relationship with ports on the western coast of France,
ect spend, we reckon it's
THERE'S been a lot of talk tooaboutanewferryservice serving northern Spain Ð what's the latest on that?
fidence has been vindicated
worth in excess of 45m to
We've been trying to promote
would also be opportunities
by the increase in business.
the region, and it's an area in
this service for quite some
for taking fresh fruit and
This year, a total of 103,273
which we see considerable
time. We identified a gap in
vegetables up to Cork from
passengers and crew visited
additional
for
the market, and we have been
Spain. There's quite a level of
Cork, a record number for
growth and one we're going
promoting that with the ship-
interest from hauliers in this
the Port of Cork.
to continue to give priority to
ping companies and also with
particular region, who feel
the
cruise
sector,
potential
but
the
Spanish
service
should open up the potential for servicing the food markets
of
Spain,
and
there
INSHORE IRELAND
November/December 2009
29
MARINE R&D
nessdespiteeconomicdownturn
Queen Mary II during her visit to Cobh, Ireland's only dedicated cruise berth.
Port of Cork chief executive, Brendan Keating.
Brendan Keating receiving ISO 14001 Certification from Phil Cork's Container Terminal in Tivoli.
Robson of Bureau Veritas.
that they're challenged on a
gion. We feel, however, that
set down in black and white
Yes,
ment to ensuring that activ-
earlier years. We've found
continual basis by the road
no
take
that the expansion and devel-
number of proposals right
ities
are
that as a consequence of en-
bridge through Britain. If it
place in the docklands until
opment of the Port of Cork
now. We're committed to par-
undertaken in a sustainable
gaging with the general pub-
g oe s
service
there's agreement on the re-
will be facilitated and encour-
ticipating in the development
way and that, where we can,
lic, particularly through the
would have the effect of redu-
location of the Port of Cork.
aged. There are, however,
of the leisure business in
we minimise the impact of
different business associa-
cing the volume of trucks
And from where we sit, that
other aspects such as the
Cork Harbour.
our activities on the commu-
tions in Cork and the south
trundling through Britain.
involves the acquisition of
timing of the construction of
We see it as an element of
nities which we operate adja-
west region.
the City Quays.
bridges that we haven't al-
the business. It has some
ways been able to agree on.
commercial
ahe a d ,
this
THERE have been issues with Cork City Council over the pace and scale of developments in the docklands Ă? how are those being worked out? There have been issues with Cork City Council over the docklands, but first and foremost, let me state that the Port of Cork Company is very supportive of the redevelopment of the Cork docklands region. We feel that it offers a very
development
can
Once there's agreement on
will
nomic capability of the re-
port
cent to. For example, we've im-
Having said that, there was
more particularly it helps us
proved
to support the cruise business
methodologies for handling
vision of replacement facil-
docks area plan and in that,
and also to support commu-
dusty cargo. That's not to
ities. While we are wholly
Cork City Council agreed
nities within the harbour
say we haven't room for im-
owned by the state, we are a
that, on the issue of bridges,
who would want to develop
provement, but we have a
limited liability company,
that there would be a process
their leisure activities and
framework for doing that
and we exist for the purpose
which would involve first, the
relationships with the water.
now, and we have an accred-
of facilitating trade, so there-
provision of one bridge, then
Cork Harbour is the second
itation process to ensure it is
fore any assets assigned to
the relocation of the Port of
largest natural harbour in
sustained.
other uses will have to be
Cork, then the provision of
the world, with very signifi-
replaced so that the trading
the second bridge. From our
cant potential for increased
capability of the company is
perspective, that's a satisfac-
leisure activity.
not compromised.
tory outcome.
Well, in their development
and
the
a review recently of the south
also
proposition
but
in
proceed to invest in the pro-
serve to strengthen the eco-
sustainable redevelopment
potential,
at a
that, the Port of Cork can
DO you think the City Council understand and accepts this?
strong and environmentally
we are looking
plan, Cork City Council has
GIVEN the growth of the marine leisure sector in recent years, you also have development plans in that area?
YOU were awarded the ISO14001 environmental accreditation last year Ă? how has this impacted the Port's activities? It re-enforces our commit-
s i g ni f i c a nt l y
our
IS there much sympathy locally for the port and its activities?Isthereanunderstanding of how important you are to the economic success of the region? I think there's a greater understanding of it in 2009 than there would have been in
Business people are in absolutely no doubt as to the critical nature of an efficient deep water port serving the region. We also reach out to primary
school
children
through our Schools Initiative, whereby we try to educate them on commercial port activity while also raising awareness of our natural harbour and its many benefits. There are community groups who would be concerned with the scale of developments that a major port brings with it, but we will engage and consult with them as best we can, to identify their fears and seek to allay them.
30
INSHORE IRELAND November/December 2009
COASTLINE NEWS
Banish winter blues and get onto the water!
W
ith Christmas just around the corner, why not consider one of the many boats on offer at McCready Sailboats in Holywood? With such an extensive range available there will be a boat suitable for most ages and abilities! * Bug: As covered in the last feweditionsof Inshore Ireland, the Bug is the newest addition to the Laser Performance family. Constructed from triple layer polyethylene, the Bug is aimed at young newcomers to sailing, and comes with a choice of a training rig which can be reefed around the mast, or a Performance rig with a mylar sail. One of the design features is the option of an integrated wheel with extendable aluminium carry handles that extend from the transom ports. This makes the bug a breeze to manoeuvre round the dinghy park. Another feature is that the Bug can be transported on the roof of your car.
PICTURE: Richard Langdon Ocean Images * Pico: The Pico is a rotomoulded boat that can be sailed by everyone. It's ideal for beginners and is equipped with a removable jib and reefing mainsail for easy rigging. The Pico has a spacious selfdraining cockpit and a high boom and is popular with sailing schools and families alike. * Laser: The world's most popular adult racing class.
Every Laser worldwide is identical. This strict one-design class rule ensures that this remains true, making it the sailor that wins the race, not the boat. The Laser is a challenging boat that rewards athleticism, subtle steering and trimming techniques, as well as tactical excellence. It is a single-handed Olympic class boat, also sailed at club, national,and internationallevel,
and at both junior and adult level. The Laser has a choice of sail size options: Laser, Laser Radial, Laser 4.7, and can be changed easily by changing the sail and the lower mast section. The different sail areas allow different weights of sailors to compete. * Bahia: The Bahia was designedwithstability, safety, and performance in mind. It was created for leisure and ease of use, but not at the expense of performance. * This is a family boat with a crew capacity of up to five people. A stable sturdy hull design makes it easy to motor orrow.TheBahiacomeswitha single line reefable mainsail and a roller jib for added sailing comfort in a breeze. All these boats are available from Northern Ireland dealers, McCready Sailboats. Check out their special winter deals on 0044 2890 421 821 (Brian or Wic) or you can send an email to: sail@mccreadysailboats. co.uk
Inshore Ireland uses new marketing tool! WENDY SCOTT
A
t the recent Tall Ships event in Belfast, Inshore Ireland trialled a new bluetooth marketing tool created by BlueAge Media. The system operates via a bluetooth function on mobile phones. If enabled, whenever you are within 35 metres of a server, referred to as a `bluetooth hotspot zone', your mobile will receive free advertising content and information. With approximately 40 million bluetooth phones in the UK and Ireland, the promoters say this has potential to become an important form of marketing. Simon Miskimmin explained to Inshore Ireland why companies would select bluetooth marketing over other conventional forms. ``There are many advantages over outdated traditional methods such as flyers, billboards and mass emailing. The potential customer will be asked by prompt if they wish to receive
Inshore Ireland now available on bluetooth.
the content; i.e. `Do you wish to receive data from Inshore Ireland?' The customer can then select YES or NO. ``This not only allows you to send your info to customers who actually want it, but also allows you to measure how many people received your advert, as all the responses are logged on the bluetooth server. ``Other advantages are that this type of marketing is both free to the consumer to receive and free to the sender to send, as there are no transmission costs involved with Bluetooth technology. ``The technology also provides an environmentally friendly alternative to flyers as there are no printing costs or wastage.'' Bluetooth marketing can be used to send content such as animated gifs. (which look similar to a rolling slide show of information); electronic business cards; ringtones; discount coupons; jpegs; barcodes; web links and applications (which are similar to interactive mini-websites where the consumer can navigate around to view various sections containing content Ă? without needing internet access). BlueAge Media provides a complete bespoke service which takes into account the individual customer's needs Ă? from planning a campaign to deployment, management and providing complete campaign statistical results and analysis. The whole campaign is re-
motely managed from their offices. BlueAge Media have installed servers around Ireland and Scotland in pubs/ restaurants; conference centres/entertainment complexes, shopping centres, universities, hospitals, city centre locations and tourist attractions. * For further information
contact info@blueageme dia.com or on 0044 (0) 28 9048 0257 www.blueageme dia.com or turn on your bluetooth at the Ireland An gling 2010 show at the National Show Centre in Dublinon13and14Februaryto find out more about Inshore Ireland via bluetooth proximity marketing.
Stylish and contemporary hotel in the centre of Belfast THE Ramada Encore, Belfast's newest hotel, gave Inshore Ireland a wonderful prize of a two-night break for two lucky readers during the Tall Ships event in August. The winners, Alice and Alison Clare (pictured) had a great time. ``We had a lovely time. The hotel was lovely and the staff were very helpful,'' remarked Alison. Located in the fashionable Cathedral Quarter area of the city, overlooking the new European style piazza, St Anne's Square, this stylish and contemporary three star hotel is a completely new hotel experience. It comprises 169 modern bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and power showers; flat screen televisions with satellite, and pay movies, tea/coffee making facilities and generous work station. Double, twin and family rooms (for up to two adults and two children under 12 years) are available on request. The SQ Bar & Grill restaurant, overlooking the square, offers a range of affordable
European style dishes. Whether it's a relaxed lunch or intimate dinner, the menu expresses a passion for traditional dishes and local ingredients with a modern twist! For an informal meal or light bite, the Hub Lounge offers a selection of sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes, as well as an old favourite of beer-battered haddock with thick cut chips. And after a long day you can relax with a cocktail or a bottle of wine from their extensive wine list in the Hub Cocktail Bar. The hotel offers free WIFI and onsite car parking, making Ramada Encore the perfect choice for leisure or business travellers choosing to travel around Northern Ireland by car. Located just off the M2, and only three miles from the George Best City Airport, getting to and from the hotel couldn't be easier. Further information from www.encorebelfast. co.uk or contact the hotel directly on 00 44 (0) 2890 261800.
Another Queen visits Cobh JEHAN ASHMORE
COBH celebrated another maritime milestone in October with the inaugural call of Queen Mary 2, the world's only designated liner. Weighing in at 148,528 GT, QM2 was on a cruise to UK ports and to Cobh to celebrate the French-built vessel's fifth year in service and 170th anniversary of the Cunard Line. QM2's call to Cobh marked the vessel's first docking at an Irish port, whereas in 2005, the vessel made an anchorage call off Dunmore East. The visit follows last year's visit of Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) which too made a first and only docking to Cobh while on a farewell tour before her sale to owners in Dubai. During Queen Mary 2's visit, an ecumenical blessing ceremony was held at the town's peace memorial monument to SS Lusitania, the Cunard liner that was sunk
by torpedoes from German UBoat U-20 off the Old Head of Kinsale in 1915 with the loss of 1,198 lives. Survivors were taken ashore to Cobh (Queenstown) where 170 vic-
tims are buried. Wreaths were laid at the memorial by Captain Bernard Warner, master of Queen Mary 2. The ceremony was also attended by Peter Shanks, president of
PoC tug boat Gerry O'Sullivan assists QM2 in her approach to Cobh.
Cunard Line; the Port of Cork Company, Cork & County Royal Naval Association; the Royal British Legion; local dignitaries, townsfolk and some of the passengers.
PICTURE: Jean Ashmore
INSHORE IRELAND
November/December 2009
31
OUTSIDE IRELAND
CFP in Europe: small-scale fishers demand fair treatment, not protection
T
BRIAN O'RIORDAN ICSF
he European Union's Common Fisheries Policy discriminates unfairly against small-scale fisheries. A radical change of approach is therefore required to ensure that the social, economic and environmental services provided by this sector are recognised and valorised in the new regulation. This was one of the key messages transmitted by the 70 participants who attended a workshop in Brussels organised by the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) on CFP reform and small-scale fisheries, entitled `Common Fisheries the
Policy
European
Reform Union
in
and
Small-Scale Fisheries: Paving the way to sustainable livelihoods
and
thriving
communities
fishing
.' (http://eu-
ssf.icsf.net/). The event was organised in partnership with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), in co-operation with the FederacioÂn Galega de ConfrarõÂas de Pes``The important thing is to define the rights of fishing communities and to convert these rights into laws''
Ð ARTHUR BOGASON
cadores (Spain), the FundacioÂn Lonxanet (Spain), and Peà che et De veloppement (France). This is probably the first time that such a diverse group from Europe has met with the specific objective of discussing small-scale fisheries in the context of the CFP. This says a lot about the CFP's bias towards the larger-scale sectors, and the myopia at national, regional and European level towards the sector. It is time for policy makers and functionaries to open their eyes to the realities and significance of smallscale fishing in the European Union. Xoan Lopez, secretary of the Galician Federation of Fishermen's Cofrarias said: European fisheries policy must take full account of small-scale fisheries, because this sector is the only viable one, and the only one with any long-term future. Deprived of its subsidies, the large scale-sector can't survive. But we are not here to wage war against other sectors; they have their problems as we have ours.'' He added that each sector ``must sort out its own problems in an appropriate way. Although, the official analysis of the CFP does not include our perspectives, there is some hope. For once, the Green Paper states that we are in need of special treatment. We have until 31 December to defend our position on this against pressure groups.'' From Iceland, Arthur Bogason, President of the Small Boat Owners Association, in-
ChristmasShopping Clothing for keeping dry Clothing for keeping warm For both dinghy and keelboat sailors both afloat and ashore 2010 Calendars Special offers on Lasers, Pico, bug, Bahia (beat the vat increase!) Opening hours: weekdays 10 am-6 pm Saturday 9am -4.30 pm
2 Priory Park, Holywood. Phone: + 44 28 90 421 821. e-mail: sail@mccreadysailboats.co.uk
formed the gathering that the Association is to fight against Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs). He said: ``If we had not formed the association, there would be no small boats fleet today. Although we lost the battle against ITQs, we won the war, because our share of the quota has increased. It took the large trawler fleet only 44 months to buy up 70% of the quotas. ``Then, following the Human Rights Committee's finding that the ITQ system contravened fisher's human rights, the new Government responded by opening up the cod fishery in the summer months for hand lining and jigging to all vessels with licences. ``The important thing is to define the rights of fishing communities and to convert these rights into laws,'' he said. Participants learned that, in Britain, vessels under 10m include some 5,000 vessels, but that this fleet only has access to 3% of the quota. Despite their significance in fish landings and employment, the Government has ignored this sector and its importance, and has refused to record its landings. So when the track record based quota system was introduced, this segment of the fleet lost out. They are now pursuing their case in the courts. It was further observed that small-scale fishing as a term is inadequate to describe the variety of artisanal, subsistence, beachcombing and gleaning, shellfish gathering, and semi-commercial small-scale fishing and gathering activities. Across the EU Member States, the terms artisanal, small scale, manual/shore based (`aà pied'), petite peÃche, have quite different and distinct meanings. These terms need to be understood and incorporated into the regulatory frameworks at the most appropriate levels. The Green Paper makes no mention of women in fisheries, and Katia Frangoudes of the AKTEA European Women in Fisheries and Aquaculture insisted that the reform process ``must explicitly take account of the role of women in fisheries, and the services they provide to the fisheries sector and in the wider community. This must be reflected in the status accorded to them, as collaborating spouses, as economic actors, and through the social and economic services they provide, '' she said. Small-scale fishing representatives now have until 31 December to have their say in the public debate on the reform process being organised by the European Commission.
Fishing Harbour in Galicia, north Spain.
PICTURE: Antonio Garcia Allut
Workshop participants looking for change
P
articipants included diverse small-scale fishing interests, NGOs, scientists, DG Mare officials, small-scale fishing representatives and fishermen from Iceland, the Azores, Madeira, Canary Is-
lands, Galicia, Cantabria, Asturias, Basque Country, the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of France, the south and southwest of England, Wales, Ireland and the Netherlands. Women workers from the Spanish
shellfish sector, gear riggers, French shellfish farmers, and collaborating spouses were also present. * Further information: http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/reform/index_en.htm
Hunt For Your Punt and help save lives at sea
Do you, your family or friends have old Irish money lurking in your couch or attic, under your bed or in a jar in the shed? Please support the RNLI by donating your old Irish money Freephone 1800 789589 to arrange collection.
Charity number CHY 2678 in the Republic of lreland and registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SC037736)
rnli.ie
Making more of Irish Seafood
To add value to your business: Contact: BIM Seafood Development Centre Clogheen Road, Clonakilty Co. Cork. Email SDC@bim.ie Tel 01 2144280
www.bim.ie