The Biologically Sensitive Area (BSA) designation is a multiuse area of protection to the south and west of Ireland. The BSA was established within a political context based on three core ideas, namely: (1) to prevent overfishing, (2) protect hake stocks and (3) protect spawning and nursery areas found in this area. The area was established in 2003 to limit fishing within the area, and replaced the previous larger ‘Irish Box’ which had surrounded Ireland.

Plastic litter, once introduced into the marine environment can fragment into smaller plastic pieces known as microplastics (MPs) due to weathering and degradation. The ubiquitous nature of MPs has led to an increased focus on commercial seafood species as there is potential for this contaminant to enter the human food chain. Several studies to date have reported MPs in the GIT of the Dublin Bay Prawn, Nephrops norvegicus and the surrounding sedimentary environment. The Dublin Bay prawn, N. norvegicus is one of the most commercially important species landed by the Irish Fleet, worth approximately €37 million in 2020. Due to their high economic value, spatial distribution, and ecological relevance N. norvegicus have the potential to be used as a bioindicator for MP contamination and can be used to provide information to guide policy makers and environmental managers. This research focuses on the MP loadings in N. norvegicus and the exploration of a potential relationship with their surrounding sedimentary habitat within six primary N. norvegicus fishing grounds in the North East Atlantic. While N. norvegicus has been documented to ingest MPs, this research builds on the knowledge base through exploring the ingestion and retention times of MPs of varying sizes. This research proposes a pan-European monitoring programme to detect MP abundances and changes in levels through the use of N. norvegicus as a potential bioindicator for MP contamination.

There is an ongoing requirement for high resolution substrate maps that accurately depict the sediment properties of the seabed and improve our knowledge of the marine environment. A Coastal Sediment Sampling Project, funded by the European Maritime Fisheries Fund (EMFF) and led by INFOMAR, was established to conduct intense sediment sampling and environmental data collection (including video) surveys on areas of interest in Ireland’s coastal waters to develop high resolution sediment, substrate and habitat maps, increase the accuracy of these key derived products and support ancillary EMFF projects coordinated by the Marine Institute. Furthermore, this strategic campaign will support Ireland’s Marine Spatial Plan, and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, identified as priority action(s) of the EMFF Operational Programme. This report details the second leg of the EMFF Coastal Sediment Sampling Project which was conducted in offshore coastal waters of the Irish Sea and along Irelands south coast. Five sampling areas were chosen of which three were surveyed, with each area requiring additional sediment data in order to increase the resolution of existing seabed classification charts. The primary aim of this survey was to retrieve sediment samples for Particle Size Analysis from these selected areas to increase the accuracy of relevant substrate and habitat maps.