#Seaweed - The State cannot licence seaweed harvesting in a era where harvesting rights already exist. That is the official position of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, following “ongoing assessment of the legal interaction” between applications for…

#MarineScience - Applications are open for shiptime in 2019 and 2020 on Ireland’s national research vessels Celtic Explorer and Celtic Voyager, as well as the ROV Holland I and the Laochra na Mara glider. Every year a broad range of…

#Jellyfish - Ireland’s recent invasion of lion’s mane jellyfish has extended from Galway Bay to the East Coast, where a teenager was hospitalised after a nasty sting in recent days. Herald.ie reports that 14-year-old Jack Dunne was stung over most…

Mechanical harvesting of sub-tidal seaweed was set to begin today (Wednesday 4 July) in Bantry Bay. Operations by BioAtlantis Aquamarine Ltd, using the Atlantis Explorer (Callsugn EIPQ2) are expected to continue for the duration of the licence until 2024. Harvesting…

#MarineScience - Irish Sailing’s Cara na Mara programme teamed up with the Marine Institute’s Explorers Education Programme this month in encouraging primary schools to engage with the marine environment. Clubs involved with the programme, that aimed to offer “a dynamic…

#Jellyfish - Lion’s mane jellyfish in Irish waters this summer are much larger than usual. That’s according to zoologist Dr Tom Doyle, who spoke to The Irish Times after a recent spate of incidents that saw swimmers hospitalised by stings…

#MarineScience - Twenty-five third level undergraduates have joined the Marine Institute this summer to gain work experience in variety of areas including fish and shellfish assessment and monitoring, catchment research, and the management of the national research vessels as well…

#Crayfish - The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is investigating the widespread deaths of white-clawed crayfish in Lough Owel that may be linked to an outbreak of crayfish plague. As TheJournal.ie reports, the Co Westmeath inland waterway is home…

#LoughNeagh - The UK’s National Trust is seeking a new warden — or wardens — to care for the historic Coney Island in Lough Neagh, as Belfast Live reports. The island’s restored 19th-century cottage, which until last year was home…

#MarineNotice - The survey vessel VOS Sweet (Callsign PCPE) is currently conducting offshore geotechnical and environmental survey operations associated with the proposed Celtic Interconnector on behalf of EirGrid. The VOS Sweet was set to commence operations yesterday, Monday 18 June,…

#Jellyfish - Bathers have been put on alert in Galway Bay after a number of swimmers were hospitalised for stings by lion’s mane jellyfish. According to the Connacht Tribune, one woman was stung in the face on Saturday 9 June,…

#MarineScience - Researchers at NUI Galway, along with partners at the Irish Centre for Research in Applied Geosciences (iCRAG) and the Marine Institute, are currently carrying out a marine hydroacoustic survey in the eastern margin of the Porcupine Basin. Continuing…

#IslandNews - "It’s like Groundhog Day"… reports RTE News as residents on the Aran Islands could be forgiven a touch of dark humour this week, after it emerged that the contract to operate daily flights to and from the mainland…

#Glamping - Kayaking and yoga on the Loop Head Peninsula is among the coastal offerings included in The Irish Times’ selection of Ireland’s top ‘glamping’ spots. Aside from the aforementioned Purecamping experience on the Wild Atlantic Way, perhaps a stay…

#MarineScience - A multinational team of ocean exploration experts returned to Galway on World Ocean Day (Friday 8 June) after spending the last few weeks exploring and mapping the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Using the robotic mini-sub…

#MarineWildlife - Concerns have been raised over the levels of plastic pollution at an important gannet colony on the smallest of the Skellig Islands. As The Irish Times reports, discarded plastic waste – including parts of old fishing gear in…