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Irish Sea Could Have Own Barrier Reef if UK Acts on Marine Wildlife Zones

28th June 2012
Irish Sea Could Have Own Barrier Reef if UK Acts on Marine Wildlife Zones

#MARINE WILDLIFE - Blackpool could have its own 'Great Barrier Reef' if proposals to set up Marine Conservations Zones in the Irish Sea get the green light, as the Blackpool Gazette reports.

Earlier this month the Lancashire Wildlife Trust launched a campaign to recruit ‘Friends of Marine Conservation Zones’, hoping to inspire locals to support marine wildlife habitats along England and Wales' Irish Sea coastlines, and push the British government to make a firm commitment on all 127 proposed marine conservation zones.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Westminster has postponed making a decision on the network of planned marine sanctuaries till at least next year, and some conservation groups are concerned that fewer than a quarter of the proposed zones will be enacted by law.

"Time is running out for us to save our fragile seas," said Sir David Attenborough, vice president of The Wildlife Trusts, who urged the British government "to designate the full list of 127 sites now, for day by day the wildlife in these sites is being destroyed and damaged."

The Blackpool Gazette has more on the story HERE.

Published in Marine Wildlife
MacDara Conroy

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MacDara Conroy

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MacDara Conroy is a contributor covering all things on the water, from boating and wildlife to science and business

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Marine Wildlife Around Ireland One of the greatest memories of any day spent boating around the Irish coast is an encounter with marine wildlife.  It's a thrill for young and old to witness seabirds, seals, dolphins and whales right there in their own habitat. As boaters fortunate enough to have experienced it will testify even spotting a distant dorsal fin can be the highlight of any day afloat.  Was that a porpoise? Was it a whale? No matter how brief the glimpse it's a privilege to share the seas with Irish marine wildlife.

Thanks to the location of our beautiful little island, perched in the North Atlantic Ocean there appears to be no shortage of marine life to observe.

From whales to dolphins, seals, sharks and other ocean animals this page documents the most interesting accounts of marine wildlife around our shores. We're keen to receive your observations, your photos, links and youtube clips.

Boaters have a unique perspective and all those who go afloat, from inshore kayaking to offshore yacht racing that what they encounter can be of real value to specialist organisations such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) who compile a list of sightings and strandings. The IWDG knowledge base has increased over the past 21 years thanks in part at least to the observations of sailors, anglers, kayakers and boaters.

Thanks to the IWDG work we now know we share the seas with dozens of species who also call Ireland home. Here's the current list: Atlantic white-sided dolphin, beluga whale, blue whale, bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin, Cuvier's beaked whale, false killer whale, fin whale, Gervais' beaked whale, harbour porpoise, humpback whale, killer whale, minke whale, northern bottlenose whale, northern right whale, pilot whale, pygmy sperm whale, Risso's dolphin, sei whale, Sowerby's beaked whale, sperm whale, striped dolphin, True's beaked whale and white-beaked dolphin.

But as impressive as the species list is the IWDG believe there are still gaps in our knowledge. Next time you are out on the ocean waves keep a sharp look out!