#MARINE WILDLIFE - Seal pups Rebecca and Emma had a curious audience of tourists at Malahide Castle earlier this month as they prepared for their relocation to Dingle, where they will be cared for by Irish Seal Sanctuary (ISS) volunteers.…

#AQUATIC TOURISM - Charter yacht trip firm GoSailing.ie is weathering the recession, as the Sunday Business Post reports. http://afloat.ie/resources/business/aquatic-tourism http://www.businesspost.ie/ The venture - which provides daily and corporate yacht excursions since setting up in 2000 - reacted to a shortfall…

#AQUATIC TOURISM - Scotland looks to Ireland for inspiration in growing its sailing tourism industry, a new report shows. http://www.afloat.ie/resources/business/aquatic-tourism Tourism Intelligence Scotland's comprehensive Sailing Tourism in Scotland guide outlines opportunities for businesses already involved in sailing, as well as…

#MARINE RESCUE EXERCISE-By coincidence two separate emergency exercise practise drills took place yesterday off Dalkey Island, the first involved a 12,921dwt tanker in broad daylight while the second exercise involved lifeboats under pitch-dark conditions, writes Jehan Ashmore. The tanker Cumbrian…

#AQUATIC TOURISM - Water-based activities from kayaking to surfing to diving have a "huge potential" for Irish tourism. http://www.afloat.ie/resources/business/aquatic-tourism That was the message from Fáilte Ireland's Outdoor Adventure and Activity Forum in Westport, Co Mayo this week, The Irish Times…

#MARINE WILDLIFE - Colonies of the invasive Japanese sea squirt are posing a threat to mussels and scallops in north Wales - and Irish boats are to blame, according to the Daily Post. http://www.afloat.ie/port-news/marine-wildlife/ http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2011/11/04/plan-to-eliminate-invasive-sea-creature-on-anglesey-55578-29717149/ The sea creature - which…

#POWER FROM THE SEA - The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is teaming with IBM in a new project to assess the noise levels of wave energy devices off the Irish coast. http://www.afloat.ie/resources/business/power-from-the-sea The scheme will see an array…

#MARINE WILDLIFE - A rare leatherback turtle washed up in Cumbria could be a sign that the Irish Sea is hiding an unknown bounty of marine wildlife. http://afloat.ie/port-news/marine-wildlife/ The Cumbria Wildlife Trust told The Westmoreland Gazette that the find reinforces…

A new radar system in Galway Bay could help predict extreme weather events more accurately, The Irish Times reports. http://afloat.ie/port-news/galway-harbour/ http://www.afloat.ie/resources/weather/ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1027/1224306561936.html Scientists at NUI Galway's Ryan Institute, in collaboration with the IBM Smarter Cities Technology Centre in Dublin, have…

One year countdown begins for Ireland's first electricity interconnector to Great Britain The largest state energy infrastructure project, connecting the Irish electricity grid and Great Britain advanced significantly today as work began to lay cables under the sea bed of…

Experts in the United States are investigating the possibility of a disease outbeak as the number of dead seals found on New England beaches continues to grow. The Gloucester Times in Massachusetts reports that some 128 harbour seals have been…

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) has announced two new reports of whale spottings off the Irish coast in recent days. http://www.iwdg.ie/article.asp?id=2493 On 14 October the east coast rescue helicopter spotted a group of at least five lunge-feeding whales…

Ciaran Kennedy, a PhD student in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering at NUI Galway, was recently presented with two prizes at the 30th International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering (OMAE 2011) held in The Netherlands. Originally from Carrick-on-Shannon, Co.…

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Mr. Pat Rabbitte T.D. today announced the award of thirteen new Licensing Options in the Irish offshore. Making the announcement this morning at the opening of a major petroleum research conference in Dublin…

Seven dead seals washed up in Donegal are believed to have died of natural causes - but concerns over a pattern of seal deaths nationwide remain. As the Donegal Democrat reports, the seven grey seals - which are a protected…

High Resolution images of a merchant ship which was sunk ninety-four years ago today (October 12th) off the coast of Dublin have been revealed by the INFOMAR (Integrated Mapping For the Sustainable Development of Ireland's Marine Resource) Programme during a…