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  International Blue Whiting Spawning Stock Survey (IBWSS) Spring 2021

  Marine Institute; Wageningen Marine Research; PINRO; Faroe Marine Research Institute; Danish Institute for Fisheries Research; Spanish Institute of Oceanography; Institute of Marine Research (Marine Institute, 2021)

  Coordination of the survey was initiated at the meeting of the Working Group on International Pelagic Surveys (WGIPS) in January 2021 and continued by correspondence until the start of the survey. During the survey effort was refined and adjusted by the survey coordinator (Norway) using real time observations. The survey design was based on methods described in ICES Manual for International Pelagic Surveys (ICES, 2015). Weather conditions were regarded as exceptionally poor and all vessels experienced multiple days of downtime, with the exception of the Spanish vessel working in the Porcupine Seabight. This considered, the stock was covered comprehensively and contained within the survey area. The entire survey was completed in 19 days, below 21-day target threshold.
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  Shellfish Stocks and Fisheries Review 2020: an assessment of selected stocks

  Marine Institute; Bord Iascaigh Mhara (Marine Institute, 2021)

  addition, data on the fleet and landings of shellfish species (excluding Nephrops and mussels) are presented. The intention of this annual review is to present stock assessment and management advice for shellfisheries that may be subject to new management proposals or where scientific advice is required in relation to assessing the environmental impact of shellfish fisheries especially in areas designated under European Directives. The review reflects the recent work of the Marine Institute (MI) in the biological assessment of shellfish fisheries and their interaction with the environment. The information and advice presented here for shellfish is complementary to that presented in the MI Stock Book on demersal and pelagic fisheries. Separate treatment of shellfish is warranted as their biology and distribution, the assessment methods that can be applied to them and the system under which they are managed, all differ substantially to demersal and pelagic stocks. Shellfish stocks are not generally assessed by The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and although they come under the competency of the Common Fisheries Policy they are generally not regulated by EU TAC and in the main, other than crab and scallop, are distributed inside the national 12 nm fisheries limit. Management of these fisheries is within the competency of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM). A co-operative management framework introduced by the Governing Department and BIM in 2005 (Anon 2005), and under which a number of fishery management plans were developed, was, in 2014, replaced by the National and Regional Inshore Fisheries Forums (NIFF, RIFFs). These bodies are consultative forums, the members of which are representative of the inshore fisheries sector and other stakeholder groups. The National forum (NIFF) provides a structure with which each of the regional forums can interact with each other and with the Marine Agencies, DAFM and the Minister. Management of oyster fisheries is the responsibility of The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE) implemented through Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI). In many cases, however, management responsibility for oysters is devolved through Fishery Orders or Aquaculture licences to local co-operatives. The main customers for this review are DAFM, RIFFs, NIFF and other Departments and Authorities listed above
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  Lance -the Miniboat

  Dow, Kaitlyn (Kaitlyn Dow, 2017)

  The illustrated story of Lance was presented to the Marine Institute during the author’s visit to Ireland. Kaitlyn Dow tells the story of the adventures of the Lancer the miniboat, that was launched from the USA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research vessel Neil Armstrong. The miniboat project was completed as part of her secondary school project, Waterford CT Highschool from Connecticut, USA and supported by AORA-CSA who had formed a partnership in 2016 with Educational Passages mini-sailboats in the USA. The Lancer boat was fitted with a GPS tracker to monitor how it might get caught in the Atlantic's ocean currents and ended up sailing into Droim, Leitir Móir, Galway where it was found by primary school student Méabh Ní Ghionnáin. The boat was repaired by Méabh and her family and relaunched from the Marine Institute's research vessel RV Celtic Explorer on the 22nd April 2017, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
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  An Ocean of Stories! An Anthology of Children’s Ocean Stories, by children for children

  Madigan, Carmel T. (The Loophead Summer Hedge School, 2021)

  An Ocean of Stories - An Anthology of Children’s Ocean Stories, by children for children include over fifty stories selected, from fourteen participating classes, with a selection of at least three contributions from each class. Over 300 children from County Clare and County Limerick produced stories, artwork and poems that were inspired by the ocean, as part of the Explorers Education Programme’s project in 2020-2021. The stories chosen for the final anthology were selected on the basis of good writing, diversity of personal ocean based experiences and imagination. The stories are truly beautiful, expressive, engaging, intriguing, thoughtful, succinct, and make for wonderful insightful reading, whatever your age. These stories are the children’s own, their lived experiences intertwined with creative thinking, even fantasy at times, while some are pure fact or pure fiction. All these stories are lovely to read and the reader will feel enriched having read them.
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  Blue Carbon and Marine Carbon Sequestration in Irish Waters and Coastal Habitats

  Cott, Grace; Beca-Carretero, Pedro; Stengel, Dagmar (Marine Institute, 2021)

  Atmospheric CO2 is rising globally. Opportunities for reducing this trend include energy sector adjustments and management of both land and ocean resources. Improved management of coastal and oceanic ecosystems is therefore poised to contribute to, and enhance, climate mitigation and adaptation. This report outlines the emergence of blue carbon as a concept for the integration of coastal carbon dynamics into policy and management frameworks and defines blue carbon ecosystems. It also emphasises the importance of marine carbon sequestration and highlights its potential role in climate adaptation. Ireland is estimated to store at least 9.2 Mt of carbon in its saltmarsh and seagrass habitats, which cover an estimated minimum area of 162 km2. Estimates of carbon stocks in potential blue carbon ecosystems such as macroalgae beds are hampered by lack of data on extent, productivity and actual contribution. Irish coastal blue carbon ecosystems and their carbon sequestration capacity are currently threatened by anthropogenic factors such as land reclamation and poor water quality. The possibility of including saltmarsh and seagrass habitats in Ireland’s National Inventory Report on GHG emissions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and including Ireland’s potential blue carbon ecosystems in Ireland’s Nationally Determined Contributions is highlighted. The critical knowledge gaps and future research priorities are outlined, so that Ireland can advance the pace of scientific discovery whilst harnessing the climate change potential of its coastal and marine environment.

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