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Marine Institute Open Access Repository
Welcome to the Marine Institute Open Access Repository
The Marine Institute Open Access Repository facilitates full text access to the publications of the Marine Institute in accordance with copyright permissions. The aim of the Repository is to collect, preserve and provide open access to the publications of the Marine Institute, including the research publications supported by National and European funded marine research programmes.
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Transitioning Ireland’s maritime sector to carbon neutrality: Alternative fuels, infrastructure, and policy pathwaysThis report explores the transition of Ireland’s maritime industry towards carbon neutrality by 2050, focusing on alternative fuel adoption, socio-economic impacts, and implementation pathways. Conducted under the Marine Institute’s Research for Policy Awards, the study evaluates regulatory drivers such as the EU Green Deal, FuelEU Maritime, and IMO Net Zero Framework, alongside their implications for Irish ports and shipping companies. Using a core fleet analysis and stakeholder consultations, the research identifies high-priority corridors for Green Shipping Corridors (GSCs), assesses alternative fuels—including biofuels, methanol, ammonia, hydrogen, and electrofuels—and analyses port infrastructure requirements such as Onshore Power Supply (OPS). Findings highlight significant cost challenges under a business-as-usual scenario, with penalties projected to exceed €1.3 billion annually by 2050, underscoring the urgency of fuel transition strategies. The report proposes a phased roadmap: immediate OPS deployment by 2030, preparation for FuelEU revisions in 2027/28, and long-term GSC development on high-emission routes. Recommendations emphasise regulatory alignment, flexible fuel strategies, and collaborative task forces to mitigate risks and ensure Ireland’s maritime sector achieves net-zero emissions while maintaining competitiveness.
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Characterisation of Coastal Reef Habitats: Scoping of Methods for Quantitative Monitoring ProgrammesThis report looks at different ways to study and monitor coastal reef habitats, which are important for marine life and environmental health. It reviews tools and techniques—like underwater surveys, aerial photography, and satellite images—that can help scientists track changes in these habitats over time. The goal is to find reliable and practical methods that can be used regularly to understand how reef areas are changing, especially in protected zones. The report also suggests how these methods can be used in national monitoring programmes to support marine conservation and policy decisions.
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Climate Action Roadmap 2025Is é an Plean 2025 (CAP25) an tríú nuashonrú bliantúil ar Phlean na hÉireann um Ghníomhú ar son na hAeráide. Leis an Sainordú gaolmhar um Ghníomhú ar son na hAeráide 2025 tugtar tacaíocht do chomhlachtaí san earnáil phoiblí, lena n-áirítear Foras na Mara, chun dea shampla a thabhairt maidir le gníomhú ar son na haeráide agus tá sé mar aidhm aige an gníomhú riachtanach ar son na haeráide a spreagadh sa tsochaí i gcoitinne chun astaíochtaí gás ceaptha teasa (GCT) na hÉireann a laghdú 51% agus éifeachtúlacht fuinnimh a laghdú 50% faoi 2030. The Climate Action Plan 2025 (CAP2) is the third annual update to Ireland’s Climate Action Plan. The associated Climate Action Mandate 2025 supports public sector bodies including the Marine Institute in leading by example on climate action and aims to inspire the necessary climate action in wider society to reduce Ireland’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 51% and energy efficiency by 50% by 2030. As set out in this Marine Institute Climate Action Roadmap 2025, the Marine Institute is committed to delivering the relevant outputs and activities outlined in CAP25 and the Climate Action Mandate 2025
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Performance of eDNA Filtration Methods for Monitoring Fish Diversity in a Hyper‐Tidal EstuaryEnvironmental DNA (eDNA)-based monitoring has become an established and efficient method for surveying biodiversity inaquatic systems. However, there is a need to compare and standardize sampling methods across different ecosystem types, par-ticularly complex ecosystems such as estuaries, where unique challenges exist for monitoring fish populations due to fluctuatingenvironmental factors. Here, we compare species richness obtained from eDNA metabarcoding data using four different eDNAfiltration methods: three manual filtration methods with different pore sizes (0.45, 1.2, and 5 μm) and a newly established pas-sive method, the metaprobe. The study was applied across a salinity gradient in a hyper-tidal estuarine ecosystem. Overall, 44fish species were detected across the four methods used. The 0.45 μm filter recovered the highest richness (39 species), then themetaprobe method (35), followed by the 1.2 μm (34) and 5 μm (33) filters. Filter performance between salinity gradients revealedthat the 0.45 μm and the 1.2 μm methods recovered the highest species richness across all sampled zones. The 0.45 μm also hadthe most consistent detection probabilities using representative species from each zone. While the 0.45 μm method appeared tobe the optimal method, each of the methods can be considered a viable and comparable option for biomonitoring in dynamicecosystems such as estuaries and rivers. In particular, the passive metaprobe (used in a freshwater system for the first time here)performed well in comparison to the manual filtering methods despite a short deployment time. This study provides criticalinsights for optimizing fish diversity assessments using eDNA metabarcoding in estuarine ecosystems, providing a valuableframework for future monitoring efforts in similar systems worldwide.
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Population Genomics of the Blue Shark, Prionace glauca,Reveals Different Populations in the Mediterranean Sea and the Northeast AtlanticPopulations of marine top predators have been sharply declining during the past decades, and one-third of chondrichthyans are currently threatened with extinction. Sustainable management measures and conservation plans of large pelagic sharks require knowledge on population genetic differentiation and demographic connectivity. Here, we present the case of the Mediterranean blue shark (Prionace glauca, L. 1758), commonly found as bycatch in longline fisheries and classified by the IUCN as critically endangered. The management of this species suffers from a scarcity of data about population structure and connectivity within the Mediterranean Sea and between this basin and the adjacent Northeast Atlantic. Here, we assessed the genetic diversity and spatial structure of blue shark from different areas of the Mediterranean Sea and the Northeast Atlantic through genome scan analyses. Pairwise genetic differentiation estimates (FST) on 203 specimens genotyped at 14,713 ddRAD-derived SNPs revealed subtle, yet significant, genetic differences within the Mediterranean sampling locations, and between the Mediterranean Sea and the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. Genetic differentiation suggests some degree of demographic independence between the Western and Eastern Mediterranean blue shark populations. Furthermore, results show limited genetic connectivity between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic basins, supporting the hypothesis of two distinct populations of blue shark separated by the Strait of Gibraltar. Although reproductive interactions may be limited, the faint genetic signal of differentiation suggests a recent common history between these units. Therefore, Mediterranean blue sharks may function akin to a metapopulation relying upon local demographic processes and connectivity dynamics, whereby the limited contemporary gene flow replenishment from the Atlantic may interplay with currently poorly regulated commercial catches and large-scale ecosystem changes. Altogether, these results emphasise the need for revising management delineations applied to these critically endangered sharks.