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  • Global warming will change the thermal structure of Lough Feeagh, a sentinel lake in the Irish landscape, by the end of the twenty-first century

    Ayala, Ana; de Eyto, Elvira; Jennings, Eleanor; Goyette, Stéphane; Pierson, Don C. (Royal Irish Academy, 2023)
    Recent developments in impact modelling of global warming on lakes have resulted in a greater understanding of how these vital ecosystems are likely to respond. However, there has been little quantitative analysis of this in an Irish context, despite the importance of lakes in the island's landscape. Here, we explore the impact of global warming on the hydrodynamics and thermal structure of a sentinel Irish lake under future climate scenarios. A 1D lake model, Simstrat, was calibrated and validated using water temperature data collected from Lough Feeagh, a site of long-term ecological research in the west of Ireland. Once validated, the model was then driven by daily climate model projections to generate informative thermal metrics for the time period of 2006–2099. Despite the moderating influence of the Atlantic, projections indicate that global warming will have a marked effect on the thermal structure of Feeagh, with surface water temperatures set to warm by 0.75°C under a more stringent mitigation pathway (RCP 2.6) and 2.42°C under a non-mitigation pathway (RCP 8.5). While warming was projected to be greatest in summer in the epilimnion, winter warming was greater than in other seasons in the hypolimnion. Stratification is projected to become more stable and earlier, and the growing season to be longer by 11 to 47 days, depending on mitigation pathways. Future studies could use a similar modelling workflow to investigate the possible implications of global warming on other Irish lakes, particularly those of specific societal importance or those of conservation interest.
  • Science Communication: Stakeholder perceptions of Real-time Incentive Fisheries Management

    Pedreschi, D.; Vigier, A.; Höffle, H.; Kraak, S.B.M.; Reid, D.G. (Marine Institute, 2021)
    In these changing times, with political and environmental uncertainty surrounding us, fisheries management needs to become more adaptive in order to respond to the changes in our natural environment and changing management frameworks. Based on close to real-time information updates, and harnessing modern technology, Real-Time Incentive (RTI) fisheries management is designed to evolve with the fish stocks, enabling managers to respond more quickly and efficiently to management issues as they arise. Through the use of a credit system that makes use of regularly updated fine-scale information, incentives can be incorporated as rewards to encourage desirable actions such as data collection or ‘fishing-for-litter’ activities. However, in order for a new system such as this to be useful and become accepted, stakeholders must be involved in the development and design process. This paper details the consultative process carried out with Irish demersal fishery stakeholders in an effort to identify their likes and dislikes of the system, and work towards tailoring the RTI system into a practical solution that works for them. In this process, we achieved a detailed understanding of the fishery, the complexity of the system, and the challenges faced by the stakeholders, all of which must be considered when attempting to implement a new management system such as RTI. A range of proposals were made by stakeholders, including new ideas for the future development of the RTI system. Most striking were the numerous ideas and approaches to tackling key issues currently facing the industry, many of which also have relevance to existing fisheries management. Given the freedom and support to do so, fishing industry stakeholders are eager to contribute to solving many of their own problems.
  • Herring larval surveys in the Celtic Sea and division VIIj in 1983/1984

    Cullen, A.; Barnwall, E.; Grainger, R. J. (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, 1984)
    Surveys for herring larvae in the Celtic Sea were conducted for the sixth ~ successive season between October 1983 and February 1984. The modifications made to the survey grid in the previous season to take account of the amalgamation of the Celtic Sea and Division VIIj for assessment purposes and to ascertain if larvae drift into the Irish Sea were also adopted for the 1983/84 surveys. A drift of larvae towards the Irish Sea was apparent in 1983/84. The larval abundance index for 1983/84 based on a standard survey area was almost three times higher than any previous value. A continuous increase in larval indices since 1978/79 indicates a recovery of the spawning stock.
  • The age Distribution of the Herring Stocks around the Irish Coast during 1993

    Barnwall, E.; Molloy, J. (1994)
    The age distribution of stocks is usually considered as an indication of how healthy a stock may be. In general stocks which are lightly exploited will contain a much larger proportion of older fish than a stock which is heavily exploited. A stock which is heavily exploited will probably be dependent on one year class which will recruit to the fishery and which will immediately be subjected to fishing effort. Obviously in such a fishery failure of recruitment or poor recruitment will have drastic effect on the catches. Herrings can be aged accurately until are about 10 years old and generally recruit to the adult stocks during their third year. During this year, the majority of fish will spawn for the first time.
  • Fluctuations in the Stock of Herrings on the North Coast of Donegal

    Farran, G. (Conseil International pour l'Exploration de la Mer (ICES), 1930)
  • Donegal Bay Herring Investigations, 1967/68

    Bracken, J. J.; Phillips, D. (University College Dublin, 1968)
  • The Reproduction of Calanus finmarchicus off the South Coast of Ireland.

    Farran, G. (Conseil International pour l'Exploration de la Mer (ICES), 1927)
  • On the Size and Number of the Ova of Irish Herrings

    Farran, G. (Conseil International pour l'Exploration de la Mer (ICES), 1938)
  • Note on the Growth-Rate of Herrings in the Irish Sea

    Farran, G. (Conseil International pour l'Exploration de la Mer (ICES), 1928)
  • On the Mesh of Herring Drift-Nets in Relation to the Condition Factor of the Fish

    Farran, G. (Conseil International pour l'Exploration de la Mer (ICES), 1936)
    It is well known to herring fishermen that, in order to get the best returns, the mesh of their nets must correspond to the size of the fish on the grounds, but that this correspondence must take into account of both the length and the weight or condition of the fish has not, I think, been clearly pointed out. I have tried in this paper to express in definite figures a relationship between the size of the mesh and the condition and length of the fish taken together.
  • The Herring Fishery in Éire, 1921 - 1941.

    Farran, G. (Department of Agriculture, 1944)
    In the following pages an attempt has been made to give a concise summary of the herring fishery in the years from 1921 to 1941, or approximately the period between the two European wars. The abnormal conditions in 1914-1918 were prolonged locally by abnormal transport and generally unsettled conditions until 1923 but, except for increased demand for herrings for export, higher prices and the absence of English and Scottish boats from our shores, the years 1940 and 1941 did not differ markedly from the preceding period.
  • Dunmore East Herring Investigations, 1965/66

    Molloy, J. (Department of Lands, 1966)
  • Herring Investigations at Dunmore East - 1962/63

    Bracken, J. J. (Department of Lands, 1963)
  • The Dunmore East Herring Fishery, 1958-59

    Bracken, J. J. (Department of Lands, 1959)
  • Racial analyses of Dunmore East Herring stocks by means of the Otoliths

    Foster, M. (Fisheries Division, Department of Lands., 1963)
    Einarsson (1951) has shown that it is possible to separate in a mixed fishery the winter/spring spawned fish from summer/autumn spawned fish on the basis of the appearance of the nuclei of the otoliths. In general, the winter/spring spawned fish have small hyaline and opaque nuclei, whereas the summer/autumn spawned fish have large hyaline nuclei. Otoliths from herrings taken at Dunmore East in the period 1960 to 1964 were examined and classified using Einarsson's method.
  • The Herring Fisheries off the North coast of Donegal

    Farran, G. (Department of Agriculture, 1937)
    The herring fishery which takes place every spring and early summer off the North Coast of Donegal is one of the most regular and uniform on the coast of Ireland, and, as it has been under close observation from a scientific point of view since 1921, a short account of it will serve to illustrate the aims of modern methods of research and the extent to which these methods can lead to results of practical value.
  • Herring larval surveys in the Celtic Sea in 1981/82

    Barnwall, E.; Cullen, A.; Grainger, R. J. (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, 1982)
    The distributions of herring larvae sampled on ten cruises off the south coast of Ireland during the 1981/82 spawning season are described. A new larval abundance index, which is based on the abundances of <10mm larvae prior to 15 December and on <11mm larvae afterwards,has been calculated for the last four seasons. This index shows an increase each year since 1978/79 indicating that the spawning stock biomass has also increased.
  • Reports from the FSS mini-symposia 2004-2005

    Codling, E.; Kelly, C.; (eds) (Marine Institute, 2006)
    The mini symposia documented in this publication were meetings organised in October 2004 and August 2005 by the 'Modelling and Simulation' team in Fisheries Science Services (FSS) of the Marine Institute, Ireland. Both symposia took place at the Harbour Hotel in Galway, Ireland. Each meeting consisted of a number of presentations (given as talks or posters) followed by a round-table informal discussion session. The two meetings were attended by participants from FSS and the Marine Institute, BIM (Bord Iascaigh Mara - Irish Sea Fisheries Board), FRS (Fisheries Research Services) Aberdeen, and universities in both Ireland and UK. The Appendix contains a full list of the participants at each meeting, while contact details for those who gave presentations are given at the start of each summary paper.
  • Irish Sea Young Herring Survey

    Molloy, J. (An Roinn Iascaigh agus Foraoiseachta, 1979)
    Corrected proof

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