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Displaying items by tag: Angler

An angler who drowned in Lough Mask in Co Mayo over a year ago was not wearing a lifejacket, the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) has found.

A report by the MCIB published yesterday (Tues, September 1) has been unable to establish the cause of the incident in which a 78-year old experienced angler drowned in March 2019.

However, it says that the fact that the man’s boat was found in an upright position would suggest that he fell overboard and was unable to get back into the vessel.

The man, who lived locally near Lough Mask, left Cushlough slip near Ballinrobe at approximately 12.30 on March 8th, 2019.

Weather conditions deteriorated during the day from westerly force four to force six, with wind gusts of force seven.

The alarm was raised at 7.23 pm after the man failed to return at 6 pm and his mobile phone was off.

A local person travelled to his house to see if he had returned home and then contacted the gardai at Ballinrobe.

An air and coast search by the Irish Coast Guard Rescue 118 helicopter and Corrib Mask Search and Rescue found nothing, but the vessel was located the following day on the eastern shore of Lough Mask, about 1.5 nautical miles north of Cushlough slip.

The vessel was reported to be in “good order”, according to the MCIB report, with the outboard engine in the lifted position and the port side oar in the shipped position.

The report says the vessel’s starboard side oar was subsequently found in the water nearby, along with the angler’s cap.

A personal flotation device (PFD), fishing gear, supplies and rod were in the stowed position in the vessel.

A PFD stowed in forward part of the lake boat under the gunwale Photo: MCIBA PFD stowed in the forward part of the lake boat under the gunwale Photo: MCIB

The search was hampered by prolonged bad weather periods. The man’s body was located on March 30th near where the vessel had been found. He was not wearing a PFD.

“The casualty was considered locally to be an experienced angler,” the report says, and “had been angling on Lough Mask for many years, and had entered numerous fishing competitions”.

However, it says that “even an experienced angler would have found the conditions challenging”.

An inquest on November 28th, 2019, recorded the cause of death as asphyxia due to drowning.

The MCIB report notes that Lough Mask has “no navigation marks to warn water users of danger”, and “with water levels at the time of the year when the incident occurred, awareness of hazards below the water would be all the more difficult”.

Water temperature at the time of the incident was 8°C, and the report notes that cold water shock is a factor in water temperatures below 15°C.

“This, combined with the casualty not wearing a PFD, would have considerably reduced his chances of survival”, it states.

The MCIB recommends that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport issue a marine notice, reminding mariners of their obligations to comply with the “Code of Practice for the Safe Operation of Recreational Craft”.

It says special emphasis should be placed on the need to be aware of the current forecast for the area; the requirement to wear a PFD, and the need for a boarding ladder, or “other effective means of quickly re-boarding a vessel”.

It says “clubs should be requested to bring this notice to the attention of their members”.

Published in MCIB

Irish sea anglers are invited to participate in an Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) online survey which will help to inform how activities relate to stock levels.

The online survey “seeks to collect information on the behaviours, attitudes and catch preferences of all Irish sea anglers”, the State agency says.

The work which is supported by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) will be analysed by IFI researchers.

IFI head of research and development Dr Cathal Gallagher said there are approximately 126,000 sea anglers in Ireland and “we hope that they will help us to find out how often people go fishing, what they catch and what they release”.

“Sea angling is an important activity here in Ireland and we want to ensure the future of marine fisheries resource,”he said.

“The data collected will help us to make informed decisions on how to best estimate sea angling catches in Ireland. This catch data will inform management decisions and will prevent the use of worst case scenarios, which can happen when there is a degree of uncertainty surrounding information,”he added.

The survey will take approximately 10-20 minutes to complete, IFI says.

Participants will receive an Angling Ireland neck buff and line clipper for taking part, and tackle vouchers valued up to 200 euro are also on offer in a draw.

The survey is here

Published in Angling
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RTE news reports that a kayak angler has captured on camera his "epic tussle" to catch a shark off Malin Head in Co Donegal. Sea angler Graham Smith battled for more than three hours on Saturday to land the 136kg porbeagle shark. Porbeagles carry little threat to humans and typically reach 2.5m.
After landing the huge fish, Mr Smith released it.

The experienced angler says it was "above and beyond" anything else he has experienced.

Published in Angling
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The search has resumed this morning for an angler who was seen falling from the Tawe Lock gates into the River Tawe last night.

A 999 call was received by the UK Coastguard from a member of the public at 00.18 this morning. Mumbles Coastguard Rescue Team and the Coastguard helicopter from St Athan were sent to the scene and the Mumbles RNLI all weather lifeboat was requested to launch. Police, ambulance and the Fire and Rescue Service also attended the scene.

After an intensive search of the area in the early hours of this morning, the search was suspended. The search was resumed at 8.00 this morning with the Mumbles and Port Talbot Coastguard Rescue Teams, Police search teams and the Mumbles RNLI all weather lifeboat.

Pete Summers who is the Coastguard Area Commander and currently on scene with the coastguard rescue teams says:

“We are very concerned for the safety of this man. The weather last night was challenging with a moderate to rough sea, rain and winds gusting up to gale force. The coastguard rescue teams’ search this morning will be land-based, whilst the lifeboat will be searching the Swansea Bay area.

Published in Coastguard
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#marinewildlife – The recent discovery by a local angler of the decaying remains of an exotic fish specimen in the River Suck at Correen Ford in the Midlands has raised further concern of the threat to our native wildlife from aquarium releases by otherwise well-meaning individuals. This latest discovery followed by that of a Yellow-bellied Slider turtle on the River Maigue, in Co. Limerick last week.

Despite the partially decomposed state of the fish, Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) staff, in consultation with international experts, believe the six inch-long, sharp-toothed specimen to be a Dragonfish (also known as a Violet or Dragon Goby). This fish is native to North and South America and can be purchased in Ireland for private aquariums.

As it is regarded as a warm water species, the Dragonfish is not considered to be able to survive in the wild in Ireland. However, according to Dr Joe Caffrey, Senior Research Officer with IFI, "There are many exotic species of potential concern sold in the aquarium trade in Ireland. These include non-native freshwater fishes, crayfish and aquatic plants. If these are released to the wild they could seriously threaten our native biodiversity and ecosystem function, and the continued conservation of internationally important native species in our rivers and lakes. It is imperative that the public and all stakeholders are aware of the potential damage that exotic animals or plants which are deliberately introduced to the wild can inflict upon our unique wildlife and habitats."

In recent years, human-mediated introductions of non-native species such as Asian Clam, Australian Swamp Stonecrop, South African Pondweed and Zebra Mussel into Irish waterways have resulted in detrimental impacts to native species and habitats, degraded the amenity value of areas that become infested and required costly control measures to be implemented to mitigate these impacts.

Under the European Communities Birds and Natural Habitats Regulations 2011, the unlicensed release to the wild of any animal species, which is not ordinarily resident in Ireland or a regular visitor to the country, in a wild state is an offence.

Any sightings of exotic plants or animals found in or around our waterways can be reported to IFI through the 'IFI Invasive Species' smart phone app which is available to download from the Google Play and iTunes App stores.

The app aids users to report and identify exotic species and take geo-referenced photographs that can immediately be sent to IFI scientists for review. If the sighting is of something new or particularly worrying, this will trigger an immediate on-site survey by IFI staff. IFI want as many people as possible to use this app and help it in its ongoing battle against aquatic invasive species.

Published in Marine Wildlife
An angler was rescued from the sea this afternoon after he fell from a cliff.

At just after 1pm Liverpool Coastguard received a 999 call from a member of the public who had witnessed the person fall in to the sea from cliffs adjacent to the historic St. Ninians Chapel. They immediately sent the Coastguard Rescue Team from the Isle of Whithorn, the Royal Navy rescue helicopter from Prestwick and the RNLI Lifeboat from Kirkcudbright.

As the Whithorn Coastguard team arrived on scene, members of the public were just bringing the person ashore. He is believed to have sustained a broken leg and head injuries in the fall. He was winched on board the helicopter and taken to Crosshouse Hospital near Kilmarnock.

Tony Topping Liverpool Coastguard Watch Manager said:
"We're not really sure how the angler ended up falling from a ledge in to the sea but cliff edges are dangerous places and we would ask people to take particular care.

"If you are walking along coastal paths make sure that you are properly equipped. In particular remember to wear sturdy shoes or boots and check the weather forecast before you set out. Do not attempt to climb up or down cliffs unless you are properly equipped and trained to do so. Do not attempt to climb cliffs as a short cut back to the top. Do not attempt self rescue. If you get into difficulty, call 999 and ask for the coastguard.

Published in Coastguard
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30th November 2010

Angler Rescued from Lough Erne

At 17.05 pm last night Belfast Coastguard received a 999 call from an angler reporting that he was in difficulty.
The man who is on holiday in the area was out angling on Lough Erne in his 2.4 metre open boat, when he got into difficulty and ended up in the water. His boat which was powered by an electric outboard hit ice on the lough and the man who is in his 30's ended up in the water.
He managed to get himself out of the water and made it safely ashore to a small island called Belle Island which is in the upper Lough Erne, County Fermanagh.
Belfast Coastguard called out Erne Coastguard Rescue team, requested the launch of Carrybridge RNLI inshore lifeboat and scrambled the Irish Coastguard rescue helicopter R -118.
The man who was well equipped for angling is suffering the effects of the cold water and sub zero temperatures.
He has been recovered by the Carrybridge lifeboat from a remote and inaccessible part of the island and taken to his accommodation on the Island to warm up.
Steve Carson, Watch Manager, Belfast Coastguard said:
This man was fortunate in this incident.
Unfortunately, with the adverse weather that we are experiencing, people are still taking unnecessary risks. The weather and the forecasted weather has been widely publicised in the media. In past years when this Lough has frozen, we have had calls about people venturing onto the ice, on foot and in vehicles. This is madness, and will end up in disaster if people do not heed the warnings.
Please do not place yourself at risk anytime, but with the extreme weather we are experiencing, that message is highly important.
Published in Coastguard

Ireland's Offshore Renewable Energy

Because of Ireland's location at the Atlantic edge of the EU, it has more offshore energy potential than most other countries in Europe. The conditions are suitable for the development of the full range of current offshore renewable energy technologies.

Offshore Renewable Energy FAQs

Offshore renewable energy draws on the natural energy provided by wind, wave and tide to convert it into electricity for industry and domestic consumption.

Offshore wind is the most advanced technology, using fixed wind turbines in coastal areas, while floating wind is a developing technology more suited to deeper water. In 2018, offshore wind provided a tiny fraction of global electricity supply, but it is set to expand strongly in the coming decades into a USD 1 trillion business, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). It says that turbines are growing in size and in power capacity, which in turn is "delivering major performance and cost improvements for offshore wind farms".

The global offshore wind market grew nearly 30% per year between 2010 and 2018, according to the IEA, due to rapid technology improvements, It calculated that about 150 new offshore wind projects are in active development around the world. Europe in particular has fostered the technology's development, led by Britain, Germany and Denmark, but China added more capacity than any other country in 2018.

A report for the Irish Wind Energy Assocation (IWEA) by the Carbon Trust – a British government-backed limited company established to accelerate Britain's move to a low carbon economy - says there are currently 14 fixed-bottom wind energy projects, four floating wind projects and one project that has yet to choose a technology at some stage of development in Irish waters. Some of these projects are aiming to build before 2030 to contribute to the 5GW target set by the Irish government, and others are expected to build after 2030. These projects have to secure planning permission, obtain a grid connection and also be successful in a competitive auction in the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS).

The electricity generated by each turbine is collected by an offshore electricity substation located within the wind farm. Seabed cables connect the offshore substation to an onshore substation on the coast. These cables transport the electricity to land from where it will be used to power homes, farms and businesses around Ireland. The offshore developer works with EirGrid, which operates the national grid, to identify how best to do this and where exactly on the grid the project should connect.

The new Marine Planning and Development Management Bill will create a new streamlined system for planning permission for activity or infrastructure in Irish waters or on the seabed, including offshore wind farms. It is due to be published before the end of 2020 and enacted in 2021.

There are a number of companies aiming to develop offshore wind energy off the Irish coast and some of the larger ones would be ESB, SSE Renewables, Energia, Statkraft and RWE.

There are a number of companies aiming to develop offshore wind energy off the Irish coast and some of the larger ones would be ESB, SSE Renewables, Energia, Statkraft and RWE. Is there scope for community involvement in offshore wind? The IWEA says that from the early stages of a project, the wind farm developer "should be engaging with the local community to inform them about the project, answer their questions and listen to their concerns". It says this provides the community with "the opportunity to work with the developer to help shape the final layout and design of the project". Listening to fishing industry concerns, and how fishermen may be affected by survey works, construction and eventual operation of a project is "of particular concern to developers", the IWEA says. It says there will also be a community benefit fund put in place for each project. It says the final details of this will be addressed in the design of the RESS (see below) for offshore wind but it has the potential to be "tens of millions of euro over the 15 years of the RESS contract". The Government is also considering the possibility that communities will be enabled to invest in offshore wind farms though there is "no clarity yet on how this would work", the IWEA says.

Based on current plans, it would amount to around 12 GW of offshore wind energy. However, the IWEA points out that is unlikely that all of the projects planned will be completed. The industry says there is even more significant potential for floating offshore wind off Ireland's west coast and the Programme for Government contains a commitment to develop a long-term plan for at least 30 GW of floating offshore wind in our deeper waters.

There are many different models of turbines. The larger a turbine, the more efficient it is in producing electricity at a good price. In choosing a turbine model the developer will be conscious of this ,but also has to be aware the impact of the turbine on the environment, marine life, biodiversity and visual impact. As a broad rule an offshore wind turbine will have a tip-height of between 165m and 215m tall. However, turbine technology is evolving at a rapid rate with larger more efficient turbines anticipated on the market in the coming years.

 

The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme is designed to support the development of renewable energy projects in Ireland. Under the scheme wind farms and solar farms compete against each other in an auction with the projects which offer power at the lowest price awarded contracts. These contracts provide them with a guaranteed price for their power for 15 years. If they obtain a better price for their electricity on the wholesale market they must return the difference to the consumer.

Yes. The first auction for offshore renewable energy projects is expected to take place in late 2021.

Cost is one difference, and technology is another. Floating wind farm technology is relatively new, but allows use of deeper water. Ireland's 50-metre contour line is the limit for traditional bottom-fixed wind farms, and it is also very close to population centres, which makes visibility of large turbines an issue - hence the attraction of floating structures Do offshore wind farms pose a navigational hazard to shipping? Inshore fishermen do have valid concerns. One of the first steps in identifying a site as a potential location for an offshore wind farm is to identify and assess the level of existing marine activity in the area and this particularly includes shipping. The National Marine Planning Framework aims to create, for the first time, a plan to balance the various kinds of offshore activity with the protection of the Irish marine environment. This is expected to be published before the end of 2020, and will set out clearly where is suitable for offshore renewable energy development and where it is not - due, for example, to shipping movements and safe navigation.

YEnvironmental organisations are concerned about the impact of turbines on bird populations, particularly migrating birds. A Danish scientific study published in 2019 found evidence that larger birds were tending to avoid turbine blades, but said it didn't have sufficient evidence for smaller birds – and cautioned that the cumulative effect of farms could still have an impact on bird movements. A full environmental impact assessment has to be carried out before a developer can apply for planning permission to develop an offshore wind farm. This would include desk-based studies as well as extensive surveys of the population and movements of birds and marine mammals, as well as fish and seabed habitats. If a potential environmental impact is identified the developer must, as part of the planning application, show how the project will be designed in such a way as to avoid the impact or to mitigate against it.

A typical 500 MW offshore wind farm would require an operations and maintenance base which would be on the nearby coast. Such a project would generally create between 80-100 fulltime jobs, according to the IWEA. There would also be a substantial increase to in-direct employment and associated socio-economic benefit to the surrounding area where the operation and maintenance hub is located.

The recent Carbon Trust report for the IWEA, entitled Harnessing our potential, identified significant skills shortages for offshore wind in Ireland across the areas of engineering financial services and logistics. The IWEA says that as Ireland is a relatively new entrant to the offshore wind market, there are "opportunities to develop and implement strategies to address the skills shortages for delivering offshore wind and for Ireland to be a net exporter of human capital and skills to the highly competitive global offshore wind supply chain". Offshore wind requires a diverse workforce with jobs in both transferable (for example from the oil and gas sector) and specialist disciplines across apprenticeships and higher education. IWEA have a training network called the Green Tech Skillnet that facilitates training and networking opportunities in the renewable energy sector.

It is expected that developing the 3.5 GW of offshore wind energy identified in the Government's Climate Action Plan would create around 2,500 jobs in construction and development and around 700 permanent operations and maintenance jobs. The Programme for Government published in 2020 has an enhanced target of 5 GW of offshore wind which would create even more employment. The industry says that in the initial stages, the development of offshore wind energy would create employment in conducting environmental surveys, community engagement and development applications for planning. As a site moves to construction, people with backgrounds in various types of engineering, marine construction and marine transport would be recruited. Once the site is up and running , a project requires a team of turbine technicians, engineers and administrators to ensure the wind farm is fully and properly maintained, as well as crew for the crew transfer vessels transporting workers from shore to the turbines.

The IEA says that today's offshore wind market "doesn't even come close to tapping the full potential – with high-quality resources available in most major markets". It estimates that offshore wind has the potential to generate more than 420 000 Terawatt hours per year (TWh/yr) worldwide – as in more than 18 times the current global electricity demand. One Terawatt is 114 megawatts, and to put it in context, Scotland it has a population a little over 5 million and requires 25 TWh/yr of electrical energy.

Not as advanced as wind, with anchoring a big challenge – given that the most effective wave energy has to be in the most energetic locations, such as the Irish west coast. Britain, Ireland and Portugal are regarded as most advanced in developing wave energy technology. The prize is significant, the industry says, as there are forecasts that varying between 4000TWh/yr to 29500TWh/yr. Europe consumes around 3000TWh/year.

The industry has two main umbrella organisations – the Irish Wind Energy Association, which represents both onshore and offshore wind, and the Marine Renewables Industry Association, which focuses on all types of renewable in the marine environment.

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