Entries by Guest Writer
2022 CFP review: fisheries at a crossroads?
By December 31, 2022, the Commission is required to report to the Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). This is a legal requirement arising from the need to review the derogation to the principle of equal access. Is fisheries at a crossroads? This derogation is embodied in the […]
Ireland’s maritime safety regulations must be reviewed
All Irish legislative procedures are currently frozen due to the absence of a permanent government following the indecisive February election. The legislative paralysis will now be prolonged, even if a government is formed in the foreseeable future, due to the biggest crisis in recent history as we cope with the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic emergency. What […]
Kelp forests: the multi-faceted seaweed in nearshore marine habitats
Kelp forests populate the rocky shorelines of Ireland, hosting a wide diversity of marine life throughout the year. These forests are not only an important habitat in the nearshore environment, they also provide many ecosystem services, some of which have been around for centuries. For instance, the use of potash as a fertiliser and other […]
Ireland has an international responsibility for whales and dolphins
According to the IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services, over one third of marine mammals globally are currently threatened. To date we have recorded 26 cetacean species in Ireland, including new species recorded in 2016 (bowhead whale) and 2017 (Blainville’s beaked whale). This is nearly one-third of the world’s species – in […]
MPI unveils the ‘JetMaster’ prototype at AquaNor 2019
As well as displaying the world’s fastest remote-controlled automated farm cage cleaning robots at this year’s AquaNor exhibition in Trondheim, Norway (August 20th – 23rd), aquaculture cage washing experts Multi Pump Innovation (MPI) have announced that they will also unveil their latest technology, the JetMaster, at this important event in the aquaculture industry’s calendar. This […]
A marine protected area network for Ireland
Children’s climate change protests have swept Europe. Concern about biodiversity loss is one facet of this protest. Biodiversity loss is caused directly by our actions and indirectly through climate change, as recorded in the hundreds of miles of kelp forest declining along the coast of Portugal, Spain and France. In Ireland, many species that were […]
Marine Notice No 11 of 2019
The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has been advised that hydrographic and geophysical surveys will be undertaken in the Irish Sea (off the Wicklow coast) between June and September 2019 to provide bathymetric and subsurface information to facilitate the development of the Arklow Bank Wind Park.
Fisheries control catch reporting turns electronic
The European Fisheries Control Regulation is being revamped. Several recent reports, including from the European Court of Auditors, have drawn attention to the inadequacy of fishery controls in place for the needs of the CFP.