#shark – The journey of a basking shark has been tracked from Malin head, Co. Donegal to tropical waters west of the Cape Verde Islands, over 5000km. This is an exciting new finding for the iconic shark species which visit…

#RYA - The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) has said it is "encouraged" by the British government's approach to designating Marine Conservations Zones (MCZs) around the coastlines of England and Wales - the details of which have disappointed environmental groups. RYA…

#DALKEY OIL LICENCE – An Taisce has alleged the Government acted unlawfully in how it granted Providence Resources a foreshore licence at the Dalkey Island prospect in Dublin Bay, reports The Irish Times. In High Court proceedings, An Taisce claims…

#MarineWildlife - Recent hijinks by a group of Irish surfers in 'shark-infested waters' off Donegal have been making the rounds online - but they're not all what they seem. IrishCentral reports on the video, apparently posted by surfers from Rossnowlagh,…

#MarineWildlife - Fears among conservation groups that the UK would enact just a quarter of the proposed Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) in British waters have been realised with the news that just 31 out of a potential 127 sites will…

#BlackSwan - A rare black swan has been spotted in the wild making its home in Northern Ireland, as BBC News reports. The species, which is native to Australia, has never before been seen in the wild on this island.…

#MarineWildlife - The Sunday Independent reports on the recent visits by humpback whales to Baltimore that have taken the West Cork village by storm. "The familiar vocabularies of fishing and sailing, which normally permeate worthwhile conversation in the village, have…

#COLIEMORE HARBOUR FERRY – Asides the controversial issue of the granting for an exploratory oil well drill license off Dalkey, local residents group have also stepped up a campaign since the summer to restore the island ferry which has not…

#DALKEY ISLAND FERRY – Up to 500 helicopter flights over an 8-day timeframe could be operating across the 300m wide Dalkey Sound, following proposed plans to upgrade the island's slipway harbour were unveiled last week, reports Jehan Ashmore. According to…

#Dolphin - YouTube user Karl Grabe from Cork has uploaded this wonderful snippet of dolphins vocalising in the Shannon Estuary. The audio comes from the website for Listening to the Deep Ocean Current (LIDO), which collects a number of live…

#MarineWildlife - The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) reports of another "frenzy of activity" while on a whale research cruise off West Cork this week. The 'members only' trip on Wednesday 5 December took in the hotspot west of…

#MarineWildlife - Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan announced on Wednesday the proposal of six new marine sites for designation as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) to protect marine habitats and species listed on the 1992 EU…

#DALKEY DESIGNATION – The company prospecting for oil off Dalkey in Dublin Bay, Providence Resources said that they had not been given advance information of a Government proposal to designate an area from Dalkey Island to north of Swords as…

#PORPOISES - The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) has expressed concern over the potential impact of a 2D seismic survey on harbour porpoises in Dublin Bay.  As recently reported on Afloat.ie, Providence Resources has been granted a foreshore license for…

#OIL - Fastnet Oil & Gas will spend more than €20 million on the Celtic Sea's biggest ever seismic study, the Irish Independent reports. The company was recently awarded two blocks in the waters south of Ireland which were drilled…

#MARINE WILDLIFE - Large numbers of dolphins have been filmed in the Irish Sea off the Welsh coast by wildlife volunteers, as WalesOnline reports. The conservationists with the Sea Trust charity, based in Pembrokeshire, recorded the "dolphin-fest" from the deck…