Environmental campaigners have hit out at a Stormont decision to approve sand dredging in Lough Neagh, as the Belfast Telegraph reports. Sand dredging has been practiced in Lough Neagh since the 1930s, with no permission needed until after the lough…

Three northern bottlenose whales were the subject of special rescue operation in Western Scotland yesterday (Thursday 1 October) as boats worked to guide them out to sea ahead of a major military exercise. As the Guardian reports, rescue teams led…

Marine scientists from Ireland will join an international group of ocean experts in a project to map and assess the Atlantic Ocean’s current and future risks from climate change, natural hazards and human activities. Mission Atlantic brings the Marine Institute together…

Irish businessman Pearse Flynn who made his fortune in the tech and telecoms has announced a €10m investment in a green energy project in Cork Harbour that aims to create 80 jobs within two years. Flynn has acquired Crosshaven Boatyard…

Cork based shipping company, Irish Mainport Holdings, has announced its entry into the Offshore Wind Sector with its investment in a 50-metre Survey and Research Ship, the Mainport Geo, and at the same time buying a share of Wicklow based…

Galway City Museum, which hosts Ireland’s first marine science gallery, has been recognised as a Top Tourist Attraction in Tripadvisor’s 2020 Travellers Choice Awards. The annual awards are based on a full year of TripAdvisor reviews, ratings and comments for…

Plans to allow for the culling of seals by fishermen with high-powered rifles have been branded as “insane” by a conservation expert. According to the Irish Examiner, the Government is looking into the granting of licences that would permit fishermen…

Stories of whales attacking boats at sea and sometimes sinking them go back a long way in maritime history, and as often as not it has happened in such a sudden and frightening way that identifying the precise species has…

Iceland has selected Galway as the European landing location for international telecommunications cables. Farice, a company fully owned by the Icelandic Government, currently owns and operates two submarine cables linking Iceland to Northern Europe. It has been undertaking preparatory work…

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), an official advisory body of the European Union, published its opinion on Transport and Tourism in 2020 and beyond. It recommends policy measures to help the boating and nautical tourism sector in its…

The Dubliners' ode to Irish shellfish in their song Molly Malone may have been relying on inaccurate information. New research by University College, Cork (UCC) scientists reports there is “inconsistent” data on the location of Irish cockles in previous studies. Cockles…

Ireland’s “blue economy” and the opportunities for Gaeltacht communities will be debated at a marine “webinar” hosted by State agency Udarás na Gaeltachta on Thursday to mark world maritime day. Offshore renewable energy, standards for sustainable harvesting of both wild…

More than 1,000 people across the island of Ireland took part in a recent Europe-wide citizen survey on the health of our oceans, coasts and inland waters. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Ireland was one of two EU member states…

Government responsibility for offshore islands has been transferred to the Department of Rural and Community Development. The islands had previously been within the brief held by the recently reconstituted Department of Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht. Minister…

SSE Renewables recently hosted a virtual round table discussion with key stakeholders in the wind energy industry, examining their role in delivering on the Irish Government’s ambition for offshore wind energy. Among those taking part was Paul Brewster of the…

The waters off the south coast of Ireland have been selected as the study location for Ireland’s first real-time acoustic monitoring project of large whales, with the aim to relay warning alerts to maritime traffic to reduce the risk of…